Sold as the Alpha King's Breeder
Chapter 1258 - 13 : A Long Journey and Strong Faith

Chapter 1258: Chapter 13 : A Long Journey and Strong Faith

*Noah*

It was time to leave. Zara, Serena, and I were joined by a group of Drogomor warriors who’d flown in with us. We all boarded the vehicle.

As we rode in the SUV, I vaguely paid attention to what Serena was saying. To be honest, she spoke a lot and just never said much.

I wished I could get myself more interested in her. She was a brilliant woman with a lot of passion and good ideas. But she had nothing on others I found myself more interested in.

Zara, for example.

I kept watch on Zara from the corner of my eye as she remained lost in her thoughts. She was so determined and passionate about this fated mate ‘true love’ thing.

So passionate, I found myself wondering if this fairy tale could prove true, after all. She definitely believed in what she was saying about the Luna Lily. How would it confirm Serena and I weren’t mates?

I mulled this over in my head until I was snapped out of it by a question from Serena.

She asked, “You don’t really think this Luna Lily is real, do you Noah? Can we spend time together after chasing this fairy tale? We are a fine match, and it would be nice to do so.”

I turned to look at her, forcing a smile. Zara had no reaction at this point. She was probably used to the skepticism I was about to add to.

“Of course, I do,” I said with a heavy dose of sarcasm. “A flower to prove true love... how sweet and romantic. That will definitely be the outcome of this journey as opposed to a waste of our time and a delayed wedding.”

I heard Zara sigh, and I cursed inwardly. I couldn’t help being annoyed, though. All she was doing was giving me false hope. Here I was, wondering if this fairy tale was possible.

Whereas before, I thought it was just some story that Zara had made up to delay this wedding of convenience. Yes, Serena and I were definitely not in love, but it didn’t matter. I wanted this matchmaking nonsense behind me.

Serena giggled, causing me to glance over to her. “You have a way with words, Noah,” she said in a faraway tone.

Her eyes twinkled when she looked at me. Was she really looking at me, or just the fact that I was going to be Alpha?

I had a feeling she was daydreaming about becoming my Luna.

“I do,” I agreed with a low chuckle. “Chasing fairytales through the Dark Realm can do that to you,” I said, emphasizing ‘fairy tales.’

Now, Zara chose to speak up. “Many fairy tales are proven true, Noah. This will be yet another case of that,” she said confidently.

I snorted. “I highly doubt that, beautiful.” I felt Serena’s stare on me when I used that term for Zara.

One of the warriors of the pack looked toward Zara. “Your belief in this is impressive. Here we are going through the Dark Realm for a flower of true love. It’ll make for a great story, at least.”

A smile rested on Zara’s lips, causing a sharp pang of jealousy to surge through me. My wolf growled silently, but I just rolled my eyes.

The atmosphere grew darker and heavier the further into the region we went. We passed by several caves, none of which had any trace of what we were looking for. A sense of dread and unease settled in our group, causing us to visibly look more tense.

“Things feel off in this place,” Serena complained, causing me to furrow my brow. This was about the third time she’d said something like that.

I thought about telling her to stop complaining but decided against it, not wanting to exacerbate things. Instead, I said, “They do. But we all know fairy tales need massively convoluted journeys.”

Zara noticed my sarcasm and gave me the side-eye, then glanced back out the window of the SUV. She remained silent as Serena carried on with further complaints.

“It isn’t convoluted if it works,” Zara said out of nowhere, after a few minutes had passed. I could tell she’d been mulling over saying anything at all.

Serena said, “Noah is right. It’s very convoluted. All of this to delay our wedding... I thought you wanted to matchmake?”

“I do. But I believe in true love. I want to see that happen, and for you both to make an informed decision. I know delays can be frustrating, but long term, it will be for the better. I know it,” Zara said.

She had such unwavering beliefs that I begrudgingly couldn’t help but admire. I wanted to poke and prod at her with a sarcastic remark, but I felt the tension rising in the air and kept silent.

For now.

Eventually, we needed to leave the SUV and continue on foot. Serena nearly tripped over every rock, and I reached out to steady her frequently. “Watch your step,” I grumbled, looking around the path we were trekking on. We’d need to camp for the night soon.

“Things are just getting worse and worse,” Serena complained.

Meanwhile, Zara’s eyes were always fixed on the path ahead, determined to take on anything that came between us and the flower.

The very few times she stumbled, the Drogomor warrior who had spoken up before gave her all of his focus, ensuring she was okay. I narrowed my eyes, wondering what would become of that warrior if looks could really kill.

The farther we went, the fewer supplies we had. I started feeling inwardly worried that we’d run out before we got to our destination, and we’d still need to return to where we’d left the SUV, too.

The journey went on like that for the rest of the day, and though we rationed well, supplies were still dwindling. Attitudes were taking a downward trend.

We were trekking a particularly rough part of the mountain when Serena said, “Are we even going the right way? My feet are killing me. This is too much.”

“The map says we are on track,” Zara replied confidently. “It won’t be too long. I am confident we’ll get there soon. I know it’s painful, but on the bright side, we are getting exercise. Noah loves that sort of thing, don’t you, Noah?”

I snickered and nodded. “Commenting about how I make a hobby of the gym?” I asked her. I caught her light smile, but Serena didn’t return the sentiment.

“We could be getting exercise at home, with regulation, after our wedding,” Serena said with a growl, causing annoyance to rush through me again.

This past day, she’d done nothing but complain, and now, she was at it again. This was tiresome and annoying, but long journeys generally were. Still, I knew it would be less annoying if Serena shut up.

We had made our way through another patch of difficult rocks when Serena started up once again. “Ugh. If we don’t find the flower soon, like when we check the next spot, I’m turning back. This is ridiculous!”

My patience was at my limit, and I whirled to fix her in a glare.

“Can you please stop complaining for five minutes? Your whining is making this trek all the worse. I emphasized how difficult it would be from the start,” I snapped.

Serena winced, causing me to feel a bit guilty inwardly, but I stood my ground. I couldn’t focus on paying attention and being ready to protect both her and Zara if something went wrong.

“Hey,” Zara said, causing both Serena and me to turn and look at her.

Serena’s jaw was clenched, and she opened her mouth to snap at the matchmaker.

“What?! Going to complain about how much I am justifiably complaining, too?” Serena growled.

Rather than give a sassy retort, Zara shook her head. “No. Let’s take a break and sit down. I have some trail mix here and some really great venison jerky I want to share.”

I tilted my head, staring at her. “But your rations are low too,” I mumbled.

Zara shrugged and offered a smile. “We need a little pick-me-up. Don’t worry about it. We’re under a lot of stress right now, and I get it. I appreciate you and Serena coming along to help with this. It’s a lot to make yourself do so when you don’t believe in the cause.”

I blinked, taking a seat off to the side with her and Serena and accepting some of the food.

She was right. The trail mix and jerky hit the spot perfectly.

She even took out some of the supplies she brought for cooking, like franks. With a fire started, those could be shared too. The group of my pack’s warriors could partake as well, and they settled in for a needed break.

She roasted one just right and handed it over to me. I hummed in approval when I bit into it, the food filling my grumbling stomach up just right. She gave me a smile, one that caused my heart to warm just a bit.

Here she was, sharing her provisions to calm us down and give us a break. I couldn’t help but note Zara’s selflessness and compassion, especially as she dived into some intriguing stories of her life.

Her way of telling stories had me and even Serena leaning forward with interest, distracted from the misery of this journey for just a moment.

I could tell based on her body language and tone there was a lot weighing on her, yet she carried on despite that... all for my happiness, and Serena’s too. I was finally able to see that in the long run, it would be better for Serena if we broke up. She could by chance find her own true mate.

It’d be for the better for both of us. I just wished I had been willing to admit that before finding myself deep in the Dark Realm.

Better late than never.

“Thank you,” I said after Zara ended her story.

She stared at me with surprise and blinked. Then she smiled, something radiant even as the dark of the night closed around us. “You’re welcome, Noah,” she said softly.

The next night, I was thinking deeply about my parents, and how much they’d loved each other until my mother was taken from me. I dismissed myself from the rest of the group and was sitting alone, staring off into the shadows, unable to shake that weight from my shoulders.

Zara must have sensed my inner turmoil because her scent hit me before her hand fell on my shoulder. I didn’t shrug away from her, but rather sat there a moment, enjoying the electrifying feeling that came with her touch.

“You looked like you could use some company,” Zara said.

She took a seat next to me. I let her floral scent envelop me, closing my eyes for a moment and basking in it before fixing my stare on her.

“Maybe. Gracing me with your presence, beautiful? Or wanting to spoil yourself with mine?” I said, trying to keep my tone light-hearted despite how much things weighed on me.

“You wish,” she said, giving a soft chuckle. She bumped me with her shoulder for a moment before adding, “No. I was thinking I’d tell you a story, something inspiring. It may help you feel a little better about all of this.”

“Oh?” I asked. “Well, I do like the sound of your voice, and your stories can be good, sometimes.”

“Sometimes?” she asked, tilting her head and looking at me with an amused smile.

“Yes, only sometimes. Let’s hear it,” I said, inwardly eager to hear what she’d say.

Zara shook her head, keeping a smile, then began telling her story. “I want to tell you the story of how my parents knew they were destined mates.”

I rolled my eyes, opening my mouth to say how ridiculous I thought that was, but I went silent when she raised her hand.

“I know, you’re going to dismiss it as fable. But even if you don’t believe it, get lost in the tale for a moment. Alright?” She smiled at me, and I couldn’t help but cave.

“Alright,” I said softly, wanting her to continue.

“They often visited the same cave to study some beautiful glowing minerals,” she explained, her eyes growing distant, and a smile plastered on her face.

I murmured, “Minerals? They were obsessed over rocks?”

Zara couldn’t help but giggle, and she nodded. “Those ones, yes. They spoke more and more, and on the day my mother got her wolf, they felt the pull. She described it as everything being new and still familiar, exciting and still safe....”

“And they knew?” I said, though somewhat envious.

Zara nodded. “They knew. A surge of pure emotion and power rushed through them, it was like nothing they’d ever felt before. It intensified when they kissed.”

“They kissed that same day?” I asked. “After she got her wolf?”

Zara laughed again, and admittedly, I found it adorable. “Yes,” she said. “They could not wait. The atmosphere was beautiful, they were happy, and so... they kissed.”

She let out a happy sigh, a dreamy glint to her eyes.

As she told her story, a tear even trickled down her cheek from how passionate she was about it.

Oh my, was my heart melting? The little matchmaker had quite an effect on me, something I couldn’t deny. Her voice, her scent, her beauty, her intelligence, not to mention her unwavering faith and empathy—she kept drawing me in.

Maybe she was right. True mates could still exist, somehow. It was probably very rare, and not for me. But... maybe, just maybe, it could be real.

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