Sold as the Alpha King's Breeder-Chapter 1296 - 51 : Something’s Not Right

*Noah*

The anger that washed over me was unbearable as I paced around my study. Nothing was adding up, and the mind fog I was experiencing irritated me even more.

Merida wasn’t who I remembered she was, and my mind latched on to the fact that I knew she was lying.

She could jump around the issue all she wanted and claim she was under stress, but I saw that glint to her eye, and the way she fidgeted. She kept avoiding the issue, saying she needed care and asking me why I was so focused on Zara’s circumstances.

For one thing, Zara was having my child. For another, I felt this unexplainable deep connection to her that made these memory issues all the more frustrating.

I started going over my interactions with Merida in my head. Her smile was off somewhat, and I had dismissed that as her having changed following her horrible experience.

The way she spoke was also somewhat different from what I remembered. She was very sweet, but the Merida I knew could tease back and play around.

She never really focused on the whole wedding aspect of things. She just enjoyed our relationship. We planned for the future, yes, but we took things at a reasonable pace.

My mind turned to a recent conversation that had never settled right with me.

“I hope we work things out soon,” she had said. “I am so excited to plan a wedding.”

“I understand. For now, I’m content with spending time together, Merida. A lot has happened,” I’d said.

“But we can raise your child together, remember? Won’t that be better as a family?”

“Of course. I am still working through my feelings and everything that’s happened.”

“I still feel deeply in love with you, Noah,” she said in a heartbroken voice, though it had been edged with... something else.

It almost felt as though she was putting on an act, that she didn’t mean it.

I couldn’t explain it at the time. My heart had clenched, and I had reassured her that I might feel the same way soon.

But my feelings for her just weren’t deepening, or even remotely close to what they had been so long ago. Could we make a life together, especially after she lied to me?

Then, there was Zara. The pack claimed she’d poisoned me, as did Merida, but Zara deeply apologized and insisted it was an accident.

She hadn’t been lying.

My wolf felt the same, pushing for me to accept her words rather than what everyone else claimed. Caleb said we’d had a bond that faded, but had it ever faded?

I still felt something I just couldn’t explain. My heart lurched at the fact that she had been captured and dragged off to somewhere unknown.

She was carrying my child, and more than that, I wouldn’t be so careless as to make love with someone if I didn’t feel a connection with them in a way that I would want a child with them.

She’d also been taken to my pack’s old summer home, one near and dear to my heart because of my memories with my mother.

I scowled at the idea of Merida ever going there... at least, the Merida that I was beginning to get to know again now, the very Merida that insisted Zara, pregnant with my heir, would simply vanish without warning for no reason at all despite coming across as completely genuine.

I had a feeling deep down that Merida was at least complicit in what had happened to Zara. She didn’t bother to fight back for whatever reason... or worse, she was more deeply involved.

I didn’t want to throw claims around, but I couldn’t figure out why she would immediately lie to me.

My pacing intensified as I ran through all of that in my head. I couldn’t just let things sit where they were. I needed to investigate what was going on.

I knew that wasting time like this wouldn’t get me the answers I needed, so after gathering my bearings, I left my study and headed down the hall to Merida’s room.

I knocked on her door and a soft, warm voice answered, “Come in!”

My stomach clenched upon hearing her voice for some reason; all my senses definitely told me something was wrong.

I entered the room and fixed my eyes on Merida, who was flipping through a catalog while lounging in her bed. She looked up at me with a light smile, though that faded when she spotted my expression.

“What’s wrong, Noah?” she asked with concern.

“We need to talk about what happened.”

“I thought we already did.” She furrowed her brow as I shook my head.

“No. There are too many inconsistencies every time you tell me the story. First, you were knocked out before Zara screamed. Then, oh no, you misremembered. You heard her scream but thought she was faking it.”

“Yes, the stress has been doing a lot of bad things to me. That experience was so terrifying.”

I narrowed my eyes at her response, feeling a layer of fakeness radiate from her words. All my instincts told me that she was putting on an act.

“Noah,” she said softly, giving me a doe-like stare. “I didn’t do anything wrong. You have to believe me. I’ve been through so much.”

“I know you have, and I’m trying to be understanding. But I just want you to be honest with me.”

“I am, Noah, really,” she insisted. “The stress must be getting to you, too. It must be so hard to not remember stuff, but the pack and I will help you fill in the gaps.”

“That isn’t what has me hung up, Merida. It’s the fact that you lied.”

“I didn’t lie,” she said softly, shaking her head. “None of it was intentional.” She furrowed her brow, her eyes filling with tears. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

Were they crocodile tears? I had a sinking feeling that they were, and my gaze hardened. “I feel like there’s more to this story that you aren’t telling me.”

“I was just trying to flee Zara’s attackers. Please, I was very dazed and confused. It was so much at once.”

She reached up to wipe away some tears, then stared at me. “It bothers me that you’re still so focused on this. What about your duties as Alpha Heir?”

“I’ve been taking care of them just fine. None of my efforts or work has slipped, even though this incident has been greatly concerning me.”

“Focusing on it so much is a really bad thing,” she said. “Please, Noah. Stop chasing ghosts from the past. We really need to cement our future.”

“What do you mean, ghosts from the past? She’s still out there and she needs help.”

“Sometimes, there’s just nothing you can do. We don’t know how to find her, and your pack needs you now. I need you now.”

I let out a sigh, putting my hand over my forehead from frustration. Merida got up and approached me, clearly coming in for a hug, but I shook my head.

“Just... let me think about this some more.”

“Okay. I understand, Noah. Just try not to be too hung up on things that should be left behind while our eyes fix on the future.”

I left her room and had started to head back to my study when my parents called for me to meet in their office. I let out a soft groan, then changed course, I entered and took a seat.

“Noah,” my father said, “there have been concerns about where your mind is stuck lately, son.”

I shook my head. “Things from the past are very relevant. Just look at Merida’s return.”

“You do not seem as close to her anymore, strangely,” he said. “Are you fixated on Zara still? Any bond you had with her rightfully fizzled out.”

“It’s not about the bond. She was captured on our grounds.”

“Which is no longer our concern,” my father said flatly. “She probably called for help, and that was their way of helping her.”

“That is ridiculous. I know what I saw.”

“You need to let that woman go, Noah,” my father said, “for the good of the Drogomor pack.”

Annoyance settled within me as once again, he wasn’t listening. I glanced toward Estella, who was no help—she just nodded in agreement with my father.

I should have known.

An ominous feeling settled within my gut that Zara definitely didn’t leave by choice. None of my strong feelings for her had faded.

I couldn’t just let this go.

“Fine,” I growled. “I will focus on the pack. Speaking of which, I have a lot on my agenda. Good talk.”

It hadn’t been a good talk at all, but I was eager to get away from them. Thankfully, they were just as busy.

I made my way through the mansion and back to my room, looking over my shoulder to make sure Merida wasn’t following me to bother me again.

When I sat down at my desk, I began researching, determined to get to the bottom of things. The feelings I had for Zara were too prominent to ignore, and my unborn child was involved.

With what I had seen, I knew she had to be somewhere out there, most likely in grave danger. I scowled as I typed into the search engines, looking up what I remembered about the car first.

A few hours later, I was a bit closer to figuring out where the hell they’d gone. Thankfully, with the help of some Drogomor guards on my side, I received reports of something extremely important—an unmarked ship that was leaving for the Dark Realm the night Zara was taken. After a bit more research, I discovered the name was ‘Silver Fang.’

I wondered if the rogues had taken her onto that ship. I hoped I had a good lead. It was a longshot, but I sent out an email to someone who could help me with this case.

A few minutes later, I received a call.

“Hello, Noah,” said Ria, Zara’s mother, in a choked tone. “Listen, I am not sure why–”

“I am legitimately concerned for Zara,” I said in a gentle but serious tone. “I know Drogomor has put her through hell, but I want to help find her.”

“Alright... will your pack be holding her there again?”

“I don’t know what’s going to happen, but she will be treated with care should I find her. I know there is far more to this story than I’m being told.”

There was a pause on the other line, then her shaky voice replied, “Okay. I believe you. You were such a help to her and went out of your way to be of help when you were here.”

I couldn’t remember that, which caused my stomach to clench. Once again, there was so much I didn’t know, like those fine details I couldn’t remember.

“Thank you,” I said. “I’ve gotten reports about an unmarked ship named Silver Fang. It left the night Zara was captured to the Dark Realm. Do you know anything about that?”

“Yes,” she gasped, her tone telling me she was speaking through tears of despair. “That’s the ship Zara was taken in.”