Sold as the Alpha King's Breeder
Chapter 1259 - 14 : Locating the Luna Lily

Chapter 1259: Chapter 14 : Locating the Luna Lily

*Zara*

These had been a very grueling two days, but I could feel the journey would soon end.

Thank the Moon Goddess.

Serena had complained a lot, and while I understood it was tough, she was causing my nerves to fray significantly too.

Noah’s body language around her was growing increasingly uncomfortable, too, while he subtly tried to stick more closely to me. I didn’t move away from him either, though I needed to scold myself inwardly for not discouraging that.

I needed to focus on finding him his own mate, while keeping my eyes out for my own.

We entered the cave that was fabled to have the flower. The warriors followed us as well, keeping an eye out for any potential danger while we dove in.

The search was on, and I felt my heart leap with hope. We were finally going to find it, and Noah would be able to make an informed decision.

I hoped in my heart that he would see reason. I knew he was starting to crack, just a little. I saw it in his eyes. Hopefully, my suspicions that he was actually listening to me were true.

I wanted him to be happy.

“So, we’re looking for some magical flower. Any idea of what it will look like?” Serena asked in a voice that told me she wasn’t going to put any effort into actually looking.

My eyes scanned the walls, which were absolutely covered in vines with no flowers in sight. In my hand was a flashlight that I shone around in search of the mystical flower.

I said, “It’s a beautiful glowing blue lily. The stamen will glimmer like stars. It’ll be hard to miss once we catch a glimpse of it.”

“Well, fairy tales have always been very extravagant,” Serena said, and I resisted the urge to sigh.

An hour passed of no luck whatsoever as we delved deeper and deeper into the cave.

Serena, as always, groaned and complained, saying, “If I’m proven right about this being a bunch of nonsense, I deserve all of the ‘I told you so’s’ in the world, and maybe compensation.”

I snorted, knowing I wouldn’t owe her anything. She had insisted on coming on her own.

One of the Drogomor warriors that checked in on me often spoke up, saying, “No compensation. You came here willingly.” He took the words right out of my mind.

Serena rolled her eyes. “I was joking,” she said with an annoyed tone.

Anyway, the search continued. This was a last resort method, and I knew the flower was out there. But would it be here? My stomach clenched.

What if we had come all this way for nothing? The thought of that caused me to take a deep breath and search all the harder as time passed on. We reached the end of the cave, moving vines aside and searching, only to find nothing.

The next cave, next to the first, gave us the same result. My muscles ached from all this trekking on rough terrain, and I vaguely wondered if this would be detrimental to my baby.

I knew I was strong and could handle this. The fatigue weighed on me more and more, though, and I found it more difficult to keep meals down. I needed rest, and I knew I wouldn’t get it anytime soon.

In the second to last cave, Serena let out an angered sigh. “Can we turn back now? We searched through more than three caves and had no luck. It is going to be pitch black outside soon, and I don’t want to be out when something really dangerous could come upon us.”

Noah said in a very irritated tone, “If something does bother us, our warriors will take care of it. I can protect us as well. Just keep looking, Serena. Please.”

I felt my heart flutter a bit at his defense of me, and how he stuck with me through this. Of course, he also probably knew I wouldn’t budge until I either found the flower today, or determined it was someplace else entirely.

The search continued, and just like the past few hours, we had no luck. My heart was sinking, and my hope was dwindling fast. The Luna Lily may not be here at all, I thought hopelessly.

It definitely wasn’t a myth, but details about its location were all just very strong rumors no one had really investigated because it was a rough trek, so the legend was often dismissed as false.

I let out an exasperated sigh, turning toward the far end of the cave for one last look before we moved onto the final spot the flower could be. Exhausted, I moved some vines aside before catching a glimpse of something from the corner of my eye.

Wait.

Was that—

I gasped, letting out a low squeak of surprise as I pushed the vines aside further and my eyes fixed on that gorgeous, beautiful blue glow. In fact, it reminded me of Noah’s eyes, but I didn’t voice it.

“They’re here,” I said breathlessly, a smile spreading across my face. “They’re here!” I repeated excitedly, my voice dripping with enthusiasm.

Decorating several vines were the Luna Lilies, formerly having been hidden by a thick wall of regular vines. I’d not even realized this vine wall went that deep and had almost missed the flowers entirely.

Noah and Serena came rushing over, both of their eyes wide with awe. I placed a hand over my heart, completely taken by how beautiful they were.

They had an aura of powerful magic, and I knew these were the ones. The journey had all been worth it. I turned to them, grinning from ear to ear.

“We can finally determine the truth, once and for all,” I said softly.

Noah looked from me to the vine of flowers, clearly sensing the magic for himself.

Maybe he didn’t want to believe in the flowers, but I could see that cold, stubborn demeanor slowly cracking to reveal a curious heart.

He nodded, saying, “Well, I’ll be damned. Here they are.”

Even Serena stopped her complaining for a moment to whisper, “Wow. They’re beautiful.”

I couldn’t help but shake the feeling that the flowers may not make a difference in the end. Both Noah and Serena knew they weren’t true mates, and confirmation from these flowers wouldn’t change anything.

“Give me a moment to harvest these. Can you two go to our camp with a couple of pack members and start heating up water for me? I’m going to make the tea so we can determine things,” I said.

They obliged, likely happy to go and rest after such a long search.

A few warriors stuck with me, though they remained silent to not break my concentration. I began harvesting the flowers, being as delicate as I could. I made sure to keep several intact for future use.

Perhaps I could even plant them. They were kept in a quality reasonable enough; thankfully I’d researched properly for this purpose.

When I finished that up, I handed out the materials to one of the warriors to keep them safe, giving a relieved ‘thank you’ upon realizing this huge part of the journey was over.

We returned to camp with them, sitting down and letting out our breath.

“This is it,” I said, growing serious.

Both Serena and Noah’s eyes locked on me after they exchanged an uncertain glance.

The Drogomor warriors with us leaned forward with interest, their attention entirely captured by what was to be the big reveal.

Noah and Serena knew the answer to this big question already.

So did I.

Now, these flowers would confirm it.

I set aside the appropriate amount for tea and began to brew it. A scent rose into the air, something not unlike rain in the forest mixed with woodsmoke. It was warm and pleasant, and filled me with a sense of ease.

When we finished up, I handed out the tea to them and watched, dipping my head. “Now, you only have to drink it,” I said.

“What if it’s poison? How do we know that you even know what you’re doing, Zara?” Serena said. “Sure, the flowers are magical and glow beautifully, but fairy tales usually have a dark truth.”

I shook my head. “I am confident there will be no other side effect other than the truth being revealed. If you are fated mates, threads of gold will encircle you both. You won’t see it. You will feel a sense of sheer wonder, sheer ecstasy, as you realize who you are meant for.”

Noah asked, “And if we’re not fated mates?”

I said, “Well, then nothing will happen. And we can know for sure that you two are not meant for each other.”

Serena rolled her eyes, grumbling, “How do we know it’s real if nothing happens, though?”

Noah said, “The flowers are here. We’ve seen the impossible. We can feel the magic, Serena. It’s real.” He said that with conviction that warmed my heart. “Let’s see for ourselves.”

I watched as they drank it, and at first, nothing happened.

Nothing at all.

It went beyond the first sip, the second, and the third. They both drank the tea, and in the end, no such threads formed to encircle them at all. I could see no golden threads on my end, either.

The Luna Lily found nothing and confirmed what I’d been saying this entire time. I dipped my head, letting out a breath.

“You two are not destined for each other,” I said in a matter-of-fact tone.

Noah shrugged. “Confirming what we all knew,” he murmured. “Won’t make a difference, because the chances of my fated mate being out there, even if they are real... are low.”

I frowned, interjecting, “That’s not true, Noah. We need to keep looking. We have the flowers, now we have a greater chance of finding them.”

Serena said, “True love doesn’t matter. Doing what’s best for the pack does. Our marriage will provide that, true love or not. We’ll learn to love each other in time.”

Noah kept his blazing blue eyes locked on me, and then said, “We have a little bit of extra tea in that pot. I can see it. Make yourself a cup and drink it.”

“What?!” I said, narrowing my eyes. “Why? It’d be pointless.”

Noah scoffed, and I detected a bit of hurt in his eyes. I frowned, though I stood my ground. I was still done with his ridiculous ideas and flirtations. We just weren’t meant to be.

“Why would it be pointless? Just drink it. We can confirm we’re not mates either. Or, the magic could surprise us,” Noah said.

I gave a low growl, then said, “No. Noah, I’m not drinking it.”

Serena nodded. “For once in recent time, I agree with her. Why should she? We know you two aren’t mates either. That much is obvious.”

“Is it, though?” Noah asked, his tone edged. He then stared at me in silence, before muttering, “Am I that terrible, Zara? I know you’re pissed at me, but I didn’t think I was that repulsive to you.”

“Yes, in fact, you are that terrible,” I said, anger billowing in my gut.

Why was he still on this?! I told him no, several times, and here he was, asking me for the answer we already knew.

He was being ridiculous.

“We should do it just to be sure, Zara. I would hate for both of us to miss out on the love you’re going on about because you’re so damn stubborn. Try it. Come on. It didn’t taste bad, so if that’s your concern, then–”

I cut him off. “No, Noah, it’s not my concern. Just like you didn’t need the flower to know Serena wasn’t for you, yet you pretended like a fool, I don’t need the flower to tell me you’re not right for me,” I said.

“Well, we confirmed the obvious with the flower. Now, let’s do it again, if you’re so sure.”

“There is no making sure. I know, and that’s not going to change. I did this so you’d know you’re not meant to be with Serena, not to show you’re not meant to be with the ‘little matchmaker,’ who’s always a thorn in your side. I said no.”

His irritated glare pierced my soul, but I damn well was not about to back down on this.

“Why not?”

“I already found my true mate,” I blurted out.

I stood still as both Serena and Noah looked at me as if I’d just dropped a bomb shell.

Serena produced a relieved sigh, but Noah’s expression darkened. I poured out the remainder of the tea. It wasn’t the entire truth, but that didn’t matter. Noah was not right for me.

That was that.

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