Sold as the Alpha King's Breeder-Chapter 1311 - 66 : Putting in the Work

*Noah*

Zara had been away for quite some time now, and I couldn’t help but feel worry billow in my gut. I began to pace in the guestroom I was staying in, trying to get my mind off things.

I worried that the guards weren’t able to protect her from being captured again.

It had happened twice in such a short period of time, and I didn’t appreciate the idea of her being someplace else and in danger.

I wished she had just let me go with her, though she had pointed out that it’d make her job harder, and I didn’t want to do that either.

There was no easy solution except for the one we had gone with. I needed to have faith in my guards, despite the worry that just kept escalating.

Constantly worrying about that was growing tiresome and frustrating, so eventually I made my way out into the lounge in search of my aunts.

Maybe they’d give a good distraction from this mess, I thought. Thankfully, I didn’t need to look far. They were sitting around and sewing what were likely blankets.

“And the best type of thread for this purpose is—” Aunt Marguerite stopped suddenly when she spotted me. “Oh! Noah, hello! Come to join us?”

“Sit dear, sit!” Aunt Harriet said, motioning to a cushy chair behind her.

I chuckled and obliged, taking a seat and trying my best to relax.

“What are you working on?” I asked.

“Oh, just some blankets, darling,” Aunt Genevieve said. “But I’m so happy you came out here! We were just talking about your pretty ‘friend.’”

“Oh?” I mumbled, my heart sinking... so much for a distraction.

“Yes!” Aunt Harriet exclaimed. “Her gift for connecting soulmates is so unique and wonderful, like the perfect fairytale!”

“Isn’t it?” Aunt Marguerite said, letting out a soft sigh. “How many hearts has she brought together, I wonder? Ten? Twenty? A hundred?”

“Even just one pair is so romantic!” Aunt Genevieve exclaimed, grinning from ear to ear. She then looked at me. “Oh, Noah darling, what’s wrong with you?”

I blinked in surprise, swallowing. “I... well, nothing’s wrong right now, other than how I’m worried about–”

Aunt Genevieve chuckled, waving her hand. “Oh, oh, I am teasing... well, somewhat. You need to do what you can to lock that woman down! She is a keeper!”

“Yes, I agree with Genevieve,” Aunt Harriet said. “What is taking you so long, Noah, dear?”

Then, Aunt Marguerite chimed in. “You know, sleeping in separate rooms while your mate is pregnant is a bad sign for your relationship.”

“Well, that’s why I said ‘friend,’” Aunt Genevieve said. “It’s a highly unusual thing. You two are mates. Whatever is it that you’re doing to not sleep together?”

I winced, staring at my hands and trying to figure out the best way to get them to see this dilemma, even though they already knew about it.

Maybe they have memory issues too, I thought.

“The mate bond issues and my memories not sticking are making things difficult,” I mumbled.

“Difficult? Why, that is an understatement!” Aunt Genevieve said. “We see the way she looks at you, but—” She tsked. “By now, she should be much closer.”

“I can’t blame her for being that way and so upset, aunties.”

“You have to put in the work and effort, dear,” Aunt Harriet said. “You’re a very intelligent gentleman. We know that. We know you have it in you.”

Aunt Marguerite chimed in again, her voice dripping with enthusiasm. “It’s why we’re giving you such a hard time, Noah. All this teasing is because we know you!”

“That’s right, darling,” Aunt Genevieve said with a grin. “Plus, you’re so stubborn! Why, I am surprised things aren’t much better than they are already.”

“Oh, Noah always gets what he wants eventually,” Aunt Marguerite said. “I’m surprised too. He’s so stubborn but in a good way. Not enough to lock down such a wonderful mate, but that’s got to change!”

My mood was souring quickly from their teasing. I knew they meant well, but they was doing the opposite of distracting me.

“I’m going to go take a walk,” I decided, bidding my aunts farewell for now and walking back down the hallway to the room I was staying in.

I sat down on my bed, gazing toward the window and out into the garden behind the house. The edge of the woods touched the garden, reminding me of the time Zara and I had spent together recently.

The light outside dimmed further and further, causing my stomach to clench. I completely failed to distract myself as the minutes ticked on by, and the sun started to set.

I was completely restless, and felt my wolf share the sentiment as well. We wanted to leap out of that window and rush through the forest and streets to find Zara.

After all, she was gone far longer than I expected, and for what... some impromptu matchmaking job?

That wasn’t as important as her safety. Sure, she wasn’t very far, as Moonlit Song was very close to Midnight Sun.

But that didn’t matter.

She had been drugged and dragged off while in Drogomor itself, after all, a situation that was still very suspicious in my mind.

It was something I’d need to get to the bottom of eventually.

That thought just deepened my concern. She was taking much longer than I’d expected she would. Concern for her safety, and that of my unborn child, fixed in my mind.

Should I send guards after her, I wondered.

I furrowed my brow, weighing the pros and cons of doing so. On the one hand, yes, she would definitely have more protection then.

On the other hand, it would show her that I didn’t trust her judgment. I didn’t want her to think that. Things between us were already very complicated, and I knew that would make matters worse.

I let out a huff, realizing that for that reason, my additional guards idea was off the table. I ran my hand through my hair in frustration and struggled to ignore the tugging of my wolf to get out there and find her. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

The memories of rushing through the Dark Forest to find her bombarded me, though. I remembered the flood of sheer panic that had hit me when the scent of her blood hit my nose, then at the thought of her being ambushed by those rogues, the very ones who had snatched her up and dragged her off.

The battle had been so brutal. Hell, it had happened right after what we’d dealt with in Silver Fang.

I clenched my jaw at the thought of that pack. They had set in motion Zara’s misery, first from them, then from the rogues. Rage rushed through me as I thought of that pathetic Alpha Daven’s face.

The fact that Zara had rejected my help hurt me, and when she decided to make a run for it, she’d dealt with so much hell from those damn rogues.

I shuddered, remembering the mistreatment she had gone through in that compound. But then I wondered what had compelled her to run.

I mulled this over in my head, not believing what Alpha Daven had said for even one second. I’d need to ask her about her experience in Silver Fang when she got back.

If she got back... she could be captured again, I thought, and she could be in danger at that very moment. More thoughts flooded my mind, one after another, causing me to clench my fist.

No.

I needed to trust that she knew what she was doing. She wasn’t being driven by desperation right then. She was in a safe place. Besides, it was so shortly after the attacks. Surely, the rogues and Silver Fang wouldn’t strike yet, I thought.

It would be too risky, so close to Midnight Sun territory.

I chased those horrible images from my mind, trying to shift my focus to something productive. The thought of my aunts’ teasing hit me, and I ran the conversation we had through my head.

They’d brushed off my attempt to explain the mate bond situation, which I knew wasn’t malicious. When they spoke, they often had a hidden point... or maybe a point not so hidden.

They shared words that held the answers, all right there. They did that sometimes too, which could be frustrating, but in the end, helpful, nonetheless.

After all, they hadn’t brushed off my troubles entirely. They’d offered me a piece of advice I hadn’t really thought about until spending all this time alone.

I needed to work for this, to put effort into restoring the love we shared... to build more memories with Zara, like with the pictures we had taken.

My heart fluttered at how delighted Zara had been taking pictures in the garden with me. We had laughed together as we developed the photos.

We almost kissed. But in the end, we didn’t. The thought of that made me wince, but I told myself that brooding over it would get me nowhere.

I needed to do something productive, something that would show that I really wanted this for us. I could give all the words in the world, but it would mean nothing if I couldn’t show my love, too.

The sky would be a blanket of stars tonight along with a half-moon, which would be a very wonderful time for a picnic.

That would be the perfect thing to treat her to, I decided, giving a light smile to myself. I wondered if we’d see fireflies in the garden.

Regardless, the garden was a perfect spot for the picnic at night, surrounded by the scents of the flowers, which we’d catch glimpses of by candlelight.

I began gathering the supplies for the evening I had planned for us, including candles, blankets, and pillows.

I started setting them up outside, making sure everything was just perfect and thinking over what else could make this even better.

A wildflower bouquet... Zara loved flowers, that much was clear, so presenting her with such a gift would be perfect.

I shifted and dove into the woods, sniffing out the perfect, most fragrant wildflowers that would make for a beautiful bouquet. I gathered them in a pile, picking them gently with my jaws.

A wolf picking flowers... well, it was clear I was madly in love.

When I finished with that, I shifted back and picked up the flowers, arranging them properly and making sure they were tied together.

I got dressed into clothing that wasn’t too casual, but also not over the top for fanciness. Then, I sat down to verify that things were still set up the way I wanted.

While I did so, I thought over everything about Zara... how much she meant to me, how beautiful, caring, and intelligent she was.

I thought about the determination that rested in her gaze, the passion when she spoke, and how she never backed down in the best of ways. I couldn’t remember everything, but I felt deep down there were many instances of that.

I really hoped I could reconnect with her tonight.

Regardless of outside obstacles or fading mate bonds, my feelings went deeper than some fated fairy tale.

I loved her, plain and simple.

I really hoped tonight would be a step toward a truly new beginning for us.