Sold as the Alpha King's Breeder
Chapter 1221 - 132 : The City of Charms and Spires

Chapter 1221: Chapter 132 : The City of Charms and Spires

*Daphne*

The next few days were filled with uncertainty and anxiety. The tension ran high. The pack members of Drogomor were wary of us but thankfully, none of them were cruel or even impolite.

They kept to themselves and gave us a wide berth whenever they saw us. It wasn’t that much of an issue since we spent most of our time visiting Eva in the infirmary.

It took a few days, but Eva was finally showing some signs of improvement. Although it was at an excruciatingly slow pace, she was regaining her strength and was now able to sit up on her own.

It was difficult being in a community where we were being watched closely as if we were enemies. Rion didn’t trust anyone but the healers to watch the girls, so we had to take them and the boys to the infirmary each day.

Rion and I were attempting to entertain our daughters, who were playing on the floor with some toys. Rion had Ayla in his lap while he tossed a ball to Selene. Ayla tried to grab it each time it sailed over her blonde little head. Her tiny lips were turned down in frustration.

Jasper was sitting by Eva’s bedside, gripping her hand and speaking softly to her. It was difficult to get him to leave Eva’s side even long enough for him to eat a proper meal. I understood completely, remembering when Rion had been in Breles and how difficult that had been.

“Hello, Alpha,” the head healer said, causing all of us to jump up.

The guys immediately went into defensive mode when Oliver stepped into the room. Rion stood up and quickly handed Ayla to me before stepping in front of us. Jasper stood as well and jumped to the other side of the bed so that Eva was mostly hidden from the Alpha’s view.

Oliver put his hands up and out in a peaceful gesture. He looked calm enough, but the rest of us remained tense as we waited for him to speak.

“My apologies,” he finally said, and he offered us a small smile. “I only wished to check on Ms. Eva. How is she doing?”

We finally relaxed, realizing that he seemed genuine. Rion relaxed in front of me but kept himself between us and Oliver.

It was Jasper who answered, though he couldn’t quite keep his eyes from narrowing slightly. “She is still quite weak but is growing a little stronger each day.”

Eva was so tired still that she slept through the commotion of Oliver entering. The Alpha crossed the room and stood next to the bed, peering down at Eva. I peeked around Rion’s shoulder, realizing that Oliver had just a bit of compassion on his face as he looked down at Eva’s resting form.

Jasper stiffened and stepped closer to Eva’s bed.

Oliver turned to look at me and nodded politely. “Hello, Luna Daphne. I trust that the healers are doing everything they can for you.”

“Yes, they’ve been extremely kind and accommodating,” I said at once, taking a step forward so that I was no longer hidden from view behind my protective husband. “Thank you for coming to check up on Eva.”

“It was my pleasure and obligation,” he said quietly. “I wish Ms. Eva a speedy recovery and hope wholeheartedly that there are no hard feelings between our packs.”

Rion and Jasper shared a brief, suspicious glance at one another.

I so badly wanted to scold them both, but I held my tongue. It was obvious that Oliver was feeling some remorse for the tension between us and was trying to start making amends.

I took Rion’s hand and tugged on it firmly until he was looking at me. His deep gray eyes swept over my face, and he immediately understood and let out a long breath.

“Thank you for the well wishes,” Rion said diplomatically. “Of course, we will continue to move forward with Drogomor as our family and allies.”

Oliver’s eyes rose to meet Rion’s and he smiled. “I’m so glad to hear it,” he said. “Please do let me know if there is anything else you might require during your time here.”

He paused then added, “I was harsh before. You are family. Please know that Eva’s sons are as welcome in Drogomor as the rest of you. Tensions were high at the time and–”

“I understand,” I said, interrupting him.

“I do insist that the bracelets stay in place, however,” Oliver continued.

Rion and I shared a look, and then Rion nodded.

I stepped forward. “We are hoping to travel to the Celestial City as soon as possible. We were told by your head healer that the city has powerful ancient magic that could save Eva.”

Oliver glanced at his head healer, who nodded her head. “The city is also known for its master healers. Perhaps they can fully restore young Eva’s health. They have priceless resources that we simply do not possess.”

“I wish you all safe travels,” Oliver said, looking at us all. “I will provide provisions and an escort for your journey.”

Rion and Jasper couldn’t help but shoot each other another skeptical glance. I barely restrained myself from throwing an elbow into Rion’s ribs, but I understood the sentiment.

Oliver wasn’t just providing us with escorts to ensure our safety along the way. It was clear that he was also doing so to ensure that the boys were also under supervision.

Even though Oliver didn’t believe the boys to be harmless, it was evident that he didn’t wish for us to be enemies either.

“Thank you,” Rion said while I smiled at Oliver. “We appreciate it and graciously accept the escorts and provisions.”

Rion knew better than to refuse such an offer. We both knew that all the children would need extra protection along the way.

It was a long travel to the Celestial City, and since it was going to be a longer trip with young children, there were preparations that needed to be underway. The healers insisted on keeping Eva for a few more days as well to ensure that she would be strong enough to make the journey.

Rion and Jasper met with the couple of warriors who were assigned the job of escorting us to the city. With Eva bedridden and the guys often gone working on preparations for the trip, I was left in our guest house caring for all four of the children.

While all the cousins were generally well-behaved, my pregnancy was making the task of babysitting more difficult than it normally would have been.

As I was progressing in my pregnancy, I seemed to experience more discomfort than I had with the girls. I wondered if it was because of how busy things have gotten since Eva was hospitalized, but I started to get anxious about it, wondering if it was something more than that. I shook the thought off quickly.

The night before we were set to leave, Rion came into our room with a map. He opened it up and sat beside me on the bed. “If all goes well, we should arrive in the Celestial City in twelve hours,” he said, pointing to it on the large sheet of off-white paper.

“Sounds good,” I said, trying to keep my tone casual.

He, as usual, saw through me immediately and set the map down. “What is it?” he asked, eyebrows furrowing as he peered into my face. “What’s wrong, Daphne?”

I didn’t want to worry him needlessly. After all, I was positive that my rising pregnancy discomfort was just due to the stress and anxiety over the most recent events.

“I’m just a bit anxious because of the trip, I think,” I told him, which was only slightly untrue.

His eyes swept over my face, but he nodded, seeming satisfied. He pulled me into his arms tenderly and stroked my hair. “We’re going to get through all of this together,” he told me. Then one of his hands dropped down to my growing tummy. “How is this little one doing?”

“Fine,” I said with a light giggle. “This one seems to have Daddy’s energy though.”

Rion chuckled and kissed my cheek. “You need to get as much rest as possible too,” he told me sternly. He stood and shoved the covers down, revealing the soft fitted sheet. “Time for bed, love.”

I rolled my eyes but complied, climbing beneath the blankets. “Yes, sir,” I mocked, smirking at him as he crossed the room to turn off the light.

He kissed me, the corner of his mouth turning up as well, and even in the dark, I could tell his dark gray eyes were glittering with mischief. “Good girl.”

***

The journey to the Celestial City was just as long and difficult as I had imagined it would be. Ayla and Selene were fussy for the first few hours, demanding my attention during the ride as we bumped along over uncomfortable terrain to keep our movements hidden from possible threats.

Eva was transported in a medical van. Jasper stayed in there with her and the boys.

Once outside the Drogomor borders, we were able to take a sleek transport that was similar to the one Rion and I had taken when transporting him to the Breles hospital. It was roomy and accommodating for Eva, who was still extremely weak and appeared to be growing wearier by the hour. She slept for most of the journey with Jasper and her sons by her side.

The girls squealed as we saw the glittering Celestial City come into view. It truly looked magical with its towers of crystalline spires that undulated into the sky. Many of the buildings were made of glass and other shiny materials that reflected the light beautifully, creating a soft ethereal glow.

When we arrived at the gates, we were greeted by the City Elders, which consisted of a handful of men and women in flowing robes. One of the men stepped forward and smiled at us all.

“Welcome, young friends of Thorn Forest,” he said in a slightly shaky voice that still managed to sound strong and sure. “We are here to escort you to our infirmary.”

Rion stood straight, adjusting Ayla on his hip. “Thank you. We are extremely grateful for your help in advance. My sister is in critical condition.”

“We have been informed,” said one of the women. She held a black velvet box out to Rion, who took it cautiously.

“Thank you, but you didn’t need to bring gifts,” he said with widening eyes.

“It is not so much a gift as a precaution,” said another old man. “It is for the gifted boys.”

Rion’s lips tightened, and I lifted the lid for him since he was still holding Ayla.

Inside were glowing amulets with swirling designs on them.

“Those amulets are dampening charms, designed to monitor and suppress the boys’ powers when needed,” said the head elder. He gave us a grave look. “We were also informed that the boys have faced some difficulty when controlling their abilities.”

Jasper had each boy by the hand, and his lips twisted into a scowl. “They are just children,” he said with not as much control as I would have liked.

Rion shot him a look, and our Beta quickly controlled his tone. “However, we are working on helping them control their powers. You need not worry.”

“While I’m sure the boys are improving in their abilities, we must insist they wear the amulets in order to ensure the safety of our people,” said the head elder.

Jasper clenched his jaw but stepped forward to take the amulets so he could help the boys put them on. Aster and Tarik had no issue with the charms. Each one glowed briefly as they settled against the boys’ chests.

The boys’ eyes were wide and excited as they looked down at the necklaces. Jasper softened and tousled each of their hair playfully.

The head elder turned to Rion and me. “And I understand that your daughters have abilities of their own,” he said. “Would they require similar amulets to monitor and dampen their gifts?”

“No,” Rion said a little too quickly, barely keeping his voice from coming out as a growl. “No, thank you. We have dampening charms of our own for them if you require it.”

“Daddy, we want pretty charms like Aster and Tarik!” the girls chimed in perfect synchronization.

Rion glanced at the two and his face softened. He brushed each of their bangs from their chubby little faces. “You may have some pretty charms if you’d like,” he told them gently, causing Ayla and Selene to beam at one another excitedly.

The elder nodded firmly and handed two more to Rion to place on them.

Rion and I shared a look. It wasn’t the welcome we were expecting, but at least we made it to The Celestial City and could rest a little easier for now.