Sold as the Alpha King's Breeder
Chapter 1173 - 84 : I Need to Understand

Chapter 1173: Chapter 84 : I Need to Understand

*Daphne*

The morning sun shone brightly on the quaint new schoolhouse, but lingering shadows still clung to my mind. Though Jax and his drifter band had moved on days ago, unanswered questions continued to nag at me.

Who exactly was that desperate young mother with the pup, and what was her prior relationship with Rion? His vague explanation left me unsatisfied, though I tried to ignore the unease twisting in my gut. There were more pressing matters today.

I plastered on an enthusiastic smile as we joined the crowd gathered for the grand opening–the first day of school. Applause rang out as we took the stage, and praise heaped upon Rion and me for spearheading this project. I waved away the accolades; it had been a pack-wide labor of love.

As I gazed out at the sea of hopeful faces, my anxieties temporarily receded. This school represented a bright new Chapter for the next generation. I would not allow shadows from Rion’s mysterious past to taint that.

After the speeches concluded, I stepped forward to open the doors. The gleeful children rushed inside, marveling at the simple furnishings and supplies we’d meticulously prepared. My heart swelled at their awed exclamations. This was worth all the effort and more.

With classes underway, Rion and I admired the schoolhouse from a distance. Pride rushed through me like sunshine.

"It’s even more beautiful than I imagined," I sighed contentedly.

Rion brushed a loose curl behind my ear, smiling tenderly. "This will change lives, Daphne. They will thrive here."

I nodded, but my incomplete knowledge still nagged at me. I had to ask. "Rion... that girl, the one with the infant...."

I hesitated, uncertain how to proceed.

His expression darkened. He turned from me to stare broodingly at the distant tree line.

"Anais," he said finally, his jaw tight. "Her name is Anais."

I stepped closer, resting my hand on his tense arm. "Please, tell me about her. I need to understand."

With a heavy sigh, Rion turned back to me, shadows haunting his stormy eyes.

"She was just a child when I first found her, not more than seven, an orphan wandering the streets, skinny as a rail. I helped her and some other strays, gave them food and shelter when I could. Anais tagged along for a couple of years. But I was barely grown myself. I couldn’t raise a child."

His voice turned bleak with regret. I squeezed his arm in silent support.

"Eventually, she and the others went their own way. It was a hard life for a group of homeless kids. Last I heard, Anais... she’d fallen in with a rough crowd... drugs and the like."

I nodded slowly, piecing it together. "So when she came here with a pup...."

"I was concerned for her and the child," Rion admitted. "But pack security comes first. I won’t risk our safety by harboring addicts."

My heart ached for him, for the years of helplessness and impossible choices. I wrapped my arms around his waist, offering what comfort I could.

"You have such compassion, Rion. We’ll find a way to help those in need while keeping our pack safe... together."

The tension eased from his broad frame as he pulled me close.

"Your wisdom constantly amazes me," he murmured into my hair. "Forgive my secrecy, I wished to spare you difficult memories. But we shoulder all burdens together now."

I tilted my face up to meet his sincere gaze. "No more shadows between us. I’m here for you, always."

Rion’s eyes shone with love and gratitude. He lowered his head to capture my mouth in a searing kiss, conveying all the words left unsaid.

Over the next weeks, our blissful routine continued. Lessons commenced each morning, the sounds of children’s laughter lifting my spirits. Rion and I took lunch breaks together, strolling through the fragrant woods hand-in-hand.

At night, he massaged my growing belly, whispering secrets to our unborn babes, his deep voice rich with awe. My heart overflowed with blessings.

The rest of autumn flew by in a blur of lessons and lazy evenings spent curled up with Rion, dreaming of our future. My belly grew rounder every day as our twins flourished within.

As my due date approached, Rion became adorably overprotective, constantly asking if I was comfortable or needed anything. I reassured him all was well, beyond ready to meet our precious babies.

On a chilly autumn evening, we lay nestled before the fireplace. Rion rested his head against my belly, telling our unborn children silly tales in his deep, rumbling voice.

I laughed as the babies squirmed. "These little ones already love your stories."

Rion grinned up at me, eyes glowing silver in the firelight. "Before we know it, our lives will be filled with dirty diapers and sleepless nights instead of stories."

"It will be worth every restless night," I replied, caressing my swollen stomach, a precious dream come true.

Rion leaned up to kiss me tenderly. As he pulled back, his expression shifted to concern. "Are you alright, my love? You look pale suddenly."

I tried to answer, but a wave of dizziness and nausea overtook me. I clutched my stomach as pain shot through my abdomen, seizing my breath.

"The twins," I choked out. "Something’s wrong."

Rion’s face went white. He scooped me into his arms, shouting for the pack healer. My vision dimmed as agony wracked my body.

It was too soon. Our twins weren’t ready.

Through sheer force of will, I clung desperately to consciousness. The world narrowed to Rion’s arms anchoring me as he raced toward the healer’s cottage.

Mercifully, we arrived quickly. Rion laid me upon the bed as the kindly healer, Mara, urgently examined me. Her wrinkled face was grim.

"The babes are coming now. We must act swiftly."

Rion gripped my hand, his eyes wild with concern. As Mara prepared her instruments, his gaze found mine. I saw my own bone-deep terror reflected there.

"Stay with me, Daphne," he pleaded hoarsely.

I summoned my last scraps of strength and nodded weakly. Come what may, I would fight for our babies’ lives to my final breath.

The next hours passed in a haze of agony as I struggled to bring them into the world too soon. Mara and Rion coached me tirelessly through each racking contraction.

As the first thin cries pierced the air, relief crashed over me. The babies came out one after the other. Our daughters’ small, furled bodies were placed into my arms, one with golden hair the other with raven black waves. Rion kissed my damp forehead, awe and gratitude pouring from him.

Our precious twins–girls. Their tiny chests barely moved with each shallow breath, but they were alive.

Our celebration was short lived. Mara’s expression remained grim as she examined the whimpering infants.

"They are too small, born too early. Their lungs need more time." Mara’s eyes were sorrowful but resolved. "I will do all I can, but they may yet slip away."

Ice flooded my veins. I clutched my fragile baby girls closer as panicked sobs tore from my throat. "No, please! I can’t lose them now."

Rion wrapped his arms around us, face ravaged by anguish. Silent tears ran down his proud face as we prepared for the worst.

Mara laid the babies in a cradle near the fire to keep them warm. For hours, she labored tirelessly to save their lives, dripping milk down their throats, massaging their miniature limbs.

Meanwhile, Rion and I kept a constant vigil. We took turns holding their impossibly tiny bodies, praying desperately to the Moon Goddess to spare our child.

Endless time crawled by. The infants’ wheezing breaths grew weaker, despite Mara’s tireless efforts. As dawn broke, she finally sat back with a mournful sigh.

"I’ve done all I can. Their fate is no longer in my hands." Mara’s voice was heavy with defeat.

Rion let out an agonized roar, smashing his fist into the wall. I flinched, clutching our silently struggling daughters to my heart.

"No. I will not accept this." My voice rang with steel.

Rion’s anguished cry echoed through the cottage as the healer relayed the grim news. Our tiny daughters’ lives hung by the finest thread.

Desperation clawed at me. There had to be something, some way to save them. As Rion clutched at me, eyes wild with grief, a thought struck.

"Call Eva," I urged hoarsely. "Maybe there is something in Hestia’s Grimoire...."

Rion’s eyes widened before he replied with a jerky nod. He stepped outside to call Eva in the mind-link. Each agonizing moment he was gone stretched endlessly as I cradled our struggling infants.

At last, Rion burst back through the door, heading straight to my side.

"I spoke with Eva," he rasped. “There was a blood ritual Hestia performed on us during the experiments when we were children."

I sucked in a sharp breath, dread coiling within me. I knew this was dark magic, but we were out of options.

"Hestia cut her palm and bled into milk for us to drink," Rion continued grimly. "It brought us back from the brink of death."

My stomach twisted with unease. But our daughters’ lives were at stake. I met Rion’s tormented gaze and gave a single nod.

Under the healer’s careful instructions, Rion added his blood to milk for the infants.

As Rion pressed the unsettling mixture of his blood and milk to the infants’ lips, I held my breath, silently pleading. For endless moments, nothing changed. The wheezing struggle for air continued as their tiny lives slipped away.

Then, miraculously, their mouths began to instinctively seek the nourishment. Their swallows grew deeper, more steady as Rion patiently fed them the blood-laced milk.

Before my eyes, their chests began to rise and fall rhythmically. As color returned to their pale skin, elation surged within me, chased quickly by unease. But for now, we had saved them.

Rion let out a ragged sob and pulled me close, our tears of relief mingling. The healer clasped our shoulders, joy and astonishment plain on her face.

"Praise the Moon Goddess, they are revived!" she exclaimed.

We huddled together, overcome with gratitude as the infants’ strengthening cries filled the cottage. Whatever darkness tainted this unnatural miracle, we would face it later. For now, we celebrated the precious gift of our daughters’ lives being snatched back from the jaws of death.

Over the next days, the infants grew rapidly, miraculously saved by Rion’s blood. But as I cradled their healthy forms, foreboding filled me.

Rion’s strong arms came around me as we both stared down at our daughters with mingled awe and worry.

"Whatever consequences come, we will face them together," he rumbled.

But within, my unease lingered. I prayed his blood had not cursed our children. Only time would tell what manner of beings our daughters would become.

“Right,” I agreed. “For now, what should we name them?”

***

Weeks later, a high-pitched squeal jerked me from my book. I rushed into the next room to find little Ayla grinning up at me, with her blonde bangs bouncing over her gray eyes, pudgy hands buried in our bag of flour.

Her twin sister Selene, named in honor of my mother, watched her hazel eyes, framed by wisps of black hair wide as Ayla grabbed another fistful and threw it up gleefully, coating her hair white.

I laughed, scooping Ayla into my arms. "You’re meant to eat food, little one, not wear it!"

Ayla babbled happily, smacking a floury palm to my cheek. Selene crawled over, fascinated, and tried grabbing a handful herself. Soon my dress was covered in the messy powder too as I attempted to wrangle the flour-coated pair.

Their delighted giggles filled the room, stirring my heart. Aside from some lingering anxiety surrounding them seeming to grow far too fast, Rion and I were relishing this charmed time with our healthy, vibrant daughters.

The front door banged open, heralding Rion’s return. "Hello, my loves, I–" He halted, taking in the scene of chaos. Selene beamed up at him, covered head to toe in white.

With a rumbling laugh, Rion swung her up. "What happened here, little moon?"

Selene babbled and tried stuffing flour into his mouth. I smiled wearily. "Your daughters discovered a new toy today."

Rion chuckled, cradling Selene in one arm and pulling Ayla and me into his other embrace. "As long as you’re safe, the mess doesn’t matter."

Relief washed through me. The blood ritual felt very far away.

With the twins distracted, Rion drew me close. "They’re healthy and whole, Daphne. The darkness is behind us."

I nestled into his embrace, my throat tight with gratitude. For now, our family had all we needed–the blessings of health and laughter and love.