Sold as the Alpha King's Breeder
Chapter 536 - 39 : We Need to Talk

Chapter 536: Chapter 39 : We Need to Talk

*Lena*

Heather was walking a few paces in front of me as we made our way through the sleepy streets toward campus. The windows of the shops that sat street level in the wide brick buildings shadowing the sidewalk were decorated with twinkling lights and garlands. Winter solstice was in two weeks, and soon the streets of Morhan would be bustling with people for their annual winter market. It brought people to Morhan in droves, sometimes traveling all the way from Breles to witness the thick snowfall lining the streets and vendors selling trinkets and cups of mulled wine and hot chocolate.

The solstice market had been the backdrop to some of my fondest memories as a Morhan student, and every year I’d gathered up gifts from the vendors and scattered them around to my sprawling family members, hoping I’d remembered to get something for everyone.

This year felt different. As we walked along the street with snow piling around our ankles, the only thing on my mind was Xander. I was conflicted about whether or not I wanted to see him again. I’d told Viv and Heather everything about what had happened between us, but left out the grisly tidbits about the murders, and the fact I had been nearly sliced in half by an unearthly beast from the depths of Hell itself.

“It must be nice not having classes to worry about right now,” Viv said, rolling her eyes as she shifted the weight of her backpack on her shoulder.

“You only have two finals left before winter break,” Heather grinned over her shoulder, doing a little twirl and kicking powder-fine snow in her wake, “but it is freeing, you know, not having to even think about homework or tests or professors.”

“But you’re going to be a professor next semester!” Viv said with a little laugh. I looked at Heather, who shrugged, smirking playfully as she waited for me and Viv to catch up to her.

“I didn’t know you were going to be teaching on campus,” I pressed, linking my arm with hers. She cocked her head, her eyes glistening with mirth.

“Only for the spring semester, and it’s just a 101 class for first-year students. Algebra, I believe, but nothing is set in stone. They could have me teaching literature for all I know.”

“At least you won’t have to share the adjunct faculty break room with Slate,” Viv chimed as she linked her arm in mine on the other side, so I was snuggled between the two of them as we walked down the icy sidewalk toward campus.

“Slate?” I asked, grimacing. “Is he not teaching–”

“He got fired!” Heather exclaimed, her face brightening with glee. “Serves him right, the creep. Last I heard he was packing up to move out of town.”

“That’s great news,” I breathed, exhaling deeply around the words.

Heather leaned her head against my shoulder for a moment, but Viv slipped, nearly dragging us all down to the ground. Once we’d recovered, Heather said, “Maybe you can apply for a job here too, and you wouldn’t have to move out of our apartment. Viv and I are dreading getting new roommates once you and Abigail leave.”

“I’m going to apply to the Agricultural Institute. They’re looking for researchers,” I replied. Heather glowered at me, shaking her head.

“And move where?”

“North, near Red Lakes. There are a few new packs up that way, nestled against the western mountains.”

“How boring!” she drawled. Viv was smiling though, and she squeezed my arm with her gloved hand.

“That sounds perfect for you, Lena. Maybe you’ll meet your mate up there.”

“Maybe,” I tried to smile, but beneath my gloves, I felt the love line on my palm tingle painfully. I flexed my hand, curling my fingers into my palm to press against the pain.

We’d reached the edge of town and were now walking through the long archways of snow-covered trees that led to campus. Students milled about in small groups, and the occasional person rushed past us, balancing textbooks in their hands. Viv reluctantly left us, her face shadowed by frustration as she huffed toward her classes. She’d be graduating in the spring. Only one semester left.

“She’ll knock those finals out of the park,” Heather sighed, looking after Viv as we continued across the square.

“I’m a little jealous,” I noted, shrugging one shoulder.

“Of what? Homework?”

“Having something to study.”

“You’ve never been idle a day in your life, have you?” Heather teased.

We walked up the steps of the library, and a rush of warm air penetrated our heavy parkas as we stepped inside. We walked down a long hallway to the left where large conference rooms lined the hallway and through an open door decorated haphazardly with wilting balloons.

“You’d think they’d spare a few extra pennies for their overachievers,” Heather gripped as she looked around the meager spread of food and cheap coffee laid out on the back table. A banner hung over the projector at the front of the room with “Congradulatians Graduates” written by hand–and misspelled. “Goddess,” Heather sniffed, shaking her head. “Do they even know how much we’ve spent to be here? Can’t even spell congratulations correctly–”

I shrugged off my coat and hat and hung them over a chair, leaving my gloves on the table. The carpeted floor was slightly damp from everyone’s snowy winter boots. The room wasn’t very full at all. Maybe another dozen or so students milled about looking slightly uncomfortable. Heather handed me two paper cups of coffee and took off her own coat, tossing it casually on one of the tables.

The air felt electric all of the sudden. I felt as though I’d shock Heather if I reached out and touched her. My skin felt hot as I handed her back her coffee and began to sip my own, but then I saw him out of the corner of my eye as he came through the doorway, looking ruffled and desperately handsome.

Xander was walking with another man I didn’t recognize, the two of them murmuring and laughing as they came through the door. Xander had just started to pull his arms through his coat when he stopped, turning to head to look at me. My heart dropped into my stomach as his eyes locked on mine. His gaze stole the very air from my lungs.

“You okay?” Heather whispered, touching me lightly on the elbow and effectively breaking whatever spell he’d cast on me.

I broke from his gaze and turned to Heather. “Fine,” I whispered. My throat felt tight, and I found it hard to swallow against the lump that was damn near choking me.

“We can leave. We’re not going to miss anything.”

“It’s alright, really. I’m just a little tired.”

Heather gave me an incredulous look, then shifted her gaze to Xander, who had occupied the table two rows behind us with his friend. She glared, and out of the corner of my eye I saw him stiffen, then shoot her a glare in return.

“Prick,” she murmured as she sat down beside me, putting her arm around my shoulder.

I felt her hand move, and I knew she was flipping him off based on the shocked chuckle and murmured question asked by his friend. Xander said nothing.

A dark haired woman appeared, sliding into our row.

“What’s up, guys? Mind if I sit here–” Gina Kelly, a classmate and close friend of Abigail, sat down next to us, smiling broadly as she sipped from her coffee. “Wow, this is terrible!”

“I know!” she whispered, rolling her eyes. “It’s not all surprising. The dean’s abrupt departure messed everything up for us graduates. I heard the ceremony isn’t even happening in the auditorium anymore. It’ll likely be in this room.”

“You’re joking,” Heather gasped, removing her arm from my shoulder and leaving forward to get a better look at Gina.

“I had an outfit picked out and everything to wear under my robes. My dad is livid. I told him not to even bother coming down here next week for graduation. What is he supposed to do, stand in the hallway and wait for me to walk out with my diploma?”

“Well, shit. I should probably tell my parents too,” Heather sighed, shaking her head.

“Lena, I guess you haven’t heard about everything that happened, right?”

I met Gina’s eyes, arching my brow. Hadn’t I been the reason the dean had to resign? Wasn’t it because of what happened in Crimson Creek?

“I thought–”

“It’s been a real mess. The administration was audited by the Alpha King of the West, if you can believe it. Millions of dollars were unaccounted for. And, to top it off, a family came forward and accused the school of covering up their daughter’s disappearance. Did you know a student went missing three years ago during her field study? She was sent west, some place called Crimson Creek. But we all tried to look the place up, and there’s no place called Crimson Creek on any map, nothing in the books in the library... nothing.”

Heather stiffened beside me, and I squeezed her hand under the table, alerting her to the fact I wanted her to keep quiet.

“That’s insane,” I shakily replied.

Gina nodded, then sighed, uninterested in continuing the conversation. “How was Red Lakes, Lena?” she asked, and I felt all the downy hair rise on my arms as I looked over at her. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Xander looking at her too.

Red Lakes? I hadn’t gone to Red Lakes. Before I could answer, someone stepped up to the podium at the front of the room and began to speak, congratulating us on our studies and upcoming graduation. I stole a glance at Xander over my shoulder, but his eyes were fixed on the speaker.

Some time later I was standing in the back of the room, pushing my arms through the sleeves of my coat. Heather was talking to a group of students in the center of the room, already dressed for our walk back home. I felt someone touch me, their hand discreetly sliding along the small of my back.

“We need to talk. Tomorrow. I’ll pick you up from your apartment,” Xander said quietly before walking away.

A ripple of excitement bubbled through me, but I quickly squashed it, stifling a blush.

“Ready?” Heather said, linking her arm in mine. “Let’s get some lunch on our way home. Luncheon my ass. There were, like, three crackers left by the time we got here, and we were not late–”

Her voice faded as I let her lead from the conference room. Once we were out of the library, I caught a single glimpse of Xander as he walked away, his dark hair already dusted with snow.

Tomorrow. We’d talk tomorrow.

What could he possibly have left to say to me?