Sold as the Alpha King's Breeder
Chapter 1168 - 79 : Choices

Chapter 1168: Chapter 79 : Choices

*Daphne*

I had my meeting with Alpha Cyrus early in the morning. He joined me on one of the palace patios for breakfast. I had my feet up on a garden lounge chair, a little table with my breakfast right beside me.

The sun was still rising, a soft chill in the air, and flowers were just starting to pull their petals back to greet the sun.

Alpha Cyrus pulled up a chair beside me with a mug of steaming coffee. I sighed, wishing the smell wasn’t so mouthwatering and divine. I put my hand on my stomach. Until the babies were born, coffee was out of the question.

“I spoke to Rion last night. He seems eager to take on this position in Thorn Forest.”

“He is.” I nodded. “He hasn’t had a home in a long time, and settling down is important to him.”

“But not to you?” He glanced at me sideways and arched an eyebrow.

I sighed and grabbed a warm pastry, adjusting the large throw blanket keeping my feet and legs warm.

“I want a place to call my own. After everything, I think the palace life doesn’t totally agree with me.”

Alpha Cyrus chuckled. “Palace life doesn’t agree with anyone, even the King and Queen. They do it out of obligation.”

“My parents may not agree with that.”

“True, but they’ve been at it so long now, they’re used to it. You are very connected to your family.”

I nodded. “It would be hard to leave them for another realm.”

“But with the unrest in the Dark Realm, your family is at great risk. They may need more allies in the Light Realm if things get any worse. If you and Rion had an established pack in the Light Realm, they’d have another refuge if need be.”

My stomach twinged and a frown tugged at my lips. I knew Alpha Cyrus was right. The palace had already been attacked and the citizens demanded that my parents step down as rulers.

It was silly to think that there weren’t factions plotting and planning against them. My mother didn’t have her powers anymore. The whole royal family was in danger.

“Thorn Forest is a small pack but they have friends. You could forge stronger alliances in the Light Realm to help stabilize the Dark Realm for the sake of your family.”

“You make a lot of good points. I’m still not sure about taking on a leadership role. I turned down being queen here.”

Cyrus sighed and sipped his coffee. More of the delicious, rich coffee scent wafted my way.

“Follow your heart, Princess. It won’t steer you wrong.”

Cyrus left me to finish my breakfast. I nibbled on some fruit and watched the sun rise the rest of the way. It wasn’t like Cyrus didn’t make some good points.

The Dark Realm was on the brink of collapse, from a societal standpoint. I knew there were some extremist factions out there gathering support and waiting for the right moment to strike.

There may come a time when we had to take refuge in the Light Realm. Even with my extended family there, having our own strong pack could add more stability and safety.

I didn’t want to take on a leadership role, but I wanted to be there for my family in whatever way I could.

When the flowers were fully open and the morning dew evaporated, I headed inside to find Rion.

“How was breakfast?” Rion asked. He was at the dining room table enjoying a cup of coffee.

Inwardly, I sighed. Everyone was having coffee and just dangling it under my nose....

I stepped up to Rion and he slipped his arm around my hips, pulling me against his side.

“I spoke to Alpha Cyrus on the patio.”

“Oh, how did that go?”

I heard the intense interest in Rion’s voice, even though he tried to sound casual.

“I’m not ready to commit to anything but... maybe we should go see Thorn Forest. After meeting the pack, I might have a better idea of what I want to do.”

Rion grinned. He lifted my hand and kissed the back of it. “What made you change your mind?”

“Alpha Cyrus reminded me that having even more established roots in the Light Realm is a good thing for my family, especially with the state of the Dark Realm. If it is beneficial to them and gives you the stability you always wanted, I want to give it a try.”

“Daphne... thank you. I promise that if you aren’t convinced after we visit, we can turn right around and come back.”

He stood up and pulled me into his arms. I sighed and collapsed my weight against him, his warm, strong arms sustaining me.

***

Eva, my parents, and my sisters all came to the airport to see Rion, Alpha Cyrus, and me off to the Light Realm.

My parents hugged me tightly.

“Keep in touch, Daphne,” my mom said.

“I will.”

“Take care of our grandbabies.” My dad winked at me.

Rion and Eva embraced heavily. I could tell Eva wasn’t totally happy about being left behind.

I took her hands and squeezed them.

“Eva, I’m sorry you aren’t coming with us right now. You know, this whole thing could be a bust and we might be back in a couple of days.”

Eva smiled but she rolled her eyes. “Don’t say that on my account.”

“Either way, I meant it when I said we’re sisters. I won’t let you get stuck here without Rion, or me, okay?”

She nodded slowly, a real smile touching her lips.

We boarded the plane and headed to the Light Realm. The flight wasn’t that long, but I took the opportunity to close my eyes and take a nap.

Rion and Cyrus spoke softly to each other, and the murmur of Rion’s voice hummed through me as I rested my head on his shoulder. The deep, familiar timbre helped me sleep.

There was already a car waiting for us at the airport. The drive to Thorn Forest took us out of the major cities and into a more rural area.

There was a large sign indicating when we passed into Thorn Forest territory. It had a few holes in it and was so faded, I could barely see it.

The first few farmhouses we drove by had noticeable problems. I saw one with a partially caved-in roof, another with burned siding, and a third one that had a barn about ready to collapse.

A lot of the fields were overgrown, the crops looked shabby and brown, and only small portions of the fields were being used to grow crops. The rest were wild with tall grass and wildflowers.

There were some fields with lumbering livestock but the animals looked thin, half-starved, and sickly.

I hoped they had access to better food because those farms didn’t look like they could support themselves, let alone an entire pack.

My heart sank a little and I felt sorry for the people who lived there. Alpha Cyrus had said that some parts of Thorn Forest had never fully recovered after he’d left for war, despite all the work he’d put into it. Without a Luna or a family, he had to do it all on his own. It couldn’t have been easy.

“Don’t let the appearance fool you. The people here are hard workers, and they are eager to see the pack finally recover,” Alpha Cyrus said.

The car brought us into the small Thorn Forest village. We got out of the car and walked down the main street.

My heart ached even more. Most of the houses were nothing more than ragtag cabins with broken windows, rotten siding, and lopsided roofs.

How had the pack gotten so desolate in the first place?

The roads weren’t paved and there were grasses growing up through cracks where grass shouldn’t grow.

I saw a few hopeful-looking gardens in front of some of the houses, but the flowers were dropping, petals wilted.

From everything I heard about the Light Realm, I never expected to see a little backwater pack in this much trouble.

“It’s been hard to manage on my own. That’s why I want to make sure I leave the pack to someone that truly cares about their future. These people have no one else looking out for them, fighting for them, and they don’t deserve to be stuck in this life.”

Alpha Cyrus sighed and bowed his head.

I could see just how much he cared about his people and how much he regretted not being able to give them the life he wanted them to have.

It was why he wanted someone young and strong to take over the pack, to give them hope and to have the strength and energy to protect them and bring them into a better future.

Doors on the cabins began to open, and curious people emerged on their porches. Many of them looked thin and pale, like they didn’t get enough to eat. Their clothes were ragged and torn.

Their eyes were wide and curious as they peered at us. I got the sense that they didn’t have a lot of visits from outsiders.

Smiles split across their lips and they waved to us.

“If nothing else, the people here are very friendly.” Cyrus waved to his people.

I stepped closer to Rion and took his hand. “These people need help. I can’t bear to see them like this,” I whispered.

“This place needs a lot of work. Are you sure you want to do that?”

I shrugged and we kept going through the little village. A bunch of kids ran out of one of the houses. They had no shoes on, but they were laughing and playing a rousing game of tag.

I couldn’t help but smile and watch them as they played happily. They were young and didn’t have the best circumstances, but they were still happy and enjoying life.

I looped my arms around my stomach and thought of my own twins. If I was going to be a good mother, could I stand by while I knew these children were struggling?

I stood in the center of the street and looked around the village. There was so much work to be done and I saw the suffering that these people endured. But I also saw optimism, hope, and joy.

Alpha Cyrus was right. They deserved better. This community needed us. Who else would stand up for them and give them a better life?

I squeezed Rion’s hand and turned to face him. A big smile tugged at my lips and I bounced on the balls of my feet.

“What is it, Daphne?”

“These people need us. Rion, we have to help them. With the resources my parents have and everything else, we can give them a better life and change the future of this place.”

Rion smirked. “Is that really what you want?”

I nodded. “Yes. I want to rebuild this pack together.”

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