Sold as the Alpha King's Breeder-Chapter 1350 - 105 : Dusty Disaster

*Zara*

“Oh sweetie, you’re growing so well,” I whispered to Briella. At the moment, I was in the nursery, having spent a few hours playing with Briella and enjoying her laughter.

Noah stopped in often to say hello, causing my heart to drip with happiness every time he did. He was so gentle and sweet with the baby, a wonderful father through and through.

I held the giggling infant in my arms until Noah arrived again, making me grin. “My turn, beautiful,” he said softly.

He wanted to spend some time with Briella while I went to work on pack business.

I giggled and handed Briella out to him. She made little grabby hands toward her daddy, which caused me to sigh happily.

“She adores you, you know,” I told him.

“Look who’s talking. She adores her wonderful mommy too,” Noah purred, bumping noses with Briella and causing her to giggle.

With our daughter in his arms, he leaned over to give me a soft kiss on the lips. “Keep me posted if you need any help, alright?”

“Yep. I know you wanted to speak with a few people today, love. Luna Estella is all set to spend time with Briella, or do you need me to come back?”

“I’m set still. Thank you for checking, darling.”

With that, I was off, working with a few of the matriarchs of the pack to help resolve some problems cropping up and get more experience.

“You’re adapting to this so well, Zara. You’ll be an amazing Luna of Drogomor,” Luna Estella commented after our duties several hours later.

Her gentle smile made my heart leap, and tears of happiness nearly sprang into my eyes. “Thank you so much,” I muttered.

“You are very welcome. I’m going to visit my granddaughter now,” she said enthusiastically. “I am so happy she is doing well.”

“She is,” I said with a wide grin. “Thank you for checking on her so much.”

“Oh, it’s a pleasure. Let me know if you need anything, dear.”

With that, she wandered off. I found myself walking down a few halls until emerging into a den area where Lorelei was lounging about.

“Oh, just the woman I wanted to see,” I said, giving my friend a huge smile. “How have you been?”

“I’ve been alright,” she said with a happy sigh. “Adjusting, but not in a bad way.”

“That’s good. I heard about Gray, Brandon, and Aaron. They’re working together now and have even made some solid progress. Have they been treating you well?”

A pang of worry rushed through me at the thought of Lorelei being put through even more stress. To my relief, her smile widened.

She giggled softly. “Yes. You know, they remind me of silly brothers. Can I admit something to you, Zara?”

“Sure, go for it. I’m all ears.”

“I think Gray did the best thing by rejecting me. He’s not someone I would have picked out for myself. And... I know it.”

I blinked, feeling a bit of shock. I studied her expression. She wore a soft, guarded smile, not revealing much of anything at all.

Right now, she wasn’t making eye contact, just studying the puzzle in front of her, clearly deep in thought on non-puzzle-related items.

I wondered if she was in denial. I found myself feeling unprepared to hear that. She was distraught and traumatized by what had happened.

I debated asking whether or not she was sure, but I didn’t want to press. She had so many burdens on her shoulders right now, including Silver Fang and the rogues.

We had that in common.

“That’s an interesting thing to hear,” I said, finally breaking the silence. “I just hope you’re able to find happiness in the end, Lorelei. Really. I’m glad things have been getting better for you.”

“They have, thank the goddess. My trip did wonders for my spirits. Oh, and Noah’s aunts are so charming and wonderful.” Her expression shifted from guarded to joyous, and I smiled.

“They’re something else in all the best ways, huh? Hmm... want to check on the greenhouse with me? The lilies have been in the drying process.”

“Oh! I’d love to!” she exclaimed, grinning from ear to ear. “You and your love of flowers, Zara. I share that, you know.”

I snickered. “Doesn’t matter the trouble they bring, I will always love them. Gardens, flowers, and greenhouses are all so beautiful and calming.”

“That’s very true,” she said with a soft sigh.

I immediately remembered that was one of the things she and Gray bonded over when they initially met, and when I first discovered they were mates.

I pushed that thought aside and led the way outside and toward the greenhouse. On the way, she and I chatted a bit more.

“How’s Briella? You were busy with her earlier today, right?” she asked. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

“Oh, she is growing up so well. It was such a scare at first, a-and... I thought she wasn’t going to make it. But she is doing so much better now.”

“That’s good. You and Noah seem a lot happier with each other now too.”

“We are.” I let out a breath. “I am just so relieved. I thank the goddess every night for this chance to be with him. It’s been tough but worth it.”

“Yeah,” Lorelei muttered, rubbing the back of her neck. She looked up to the sky where clouds were swirling above. It was likely to snow again soon, leading to more winter fun.

“What’s on your mind?” I asked her shortly before we got to the greenhouse.

“I just wonder if I’ll eventually find someone for me. I may be accepting the rejection, but it still hurts. You know?”

“I understand entirely. Don’t pressure yourself. And hey, I’m here for you, alright?” I gave her a gentle smile.

“I know. And I thank the moon goddess for that. Well, looks like we’re here. Let’s go take a look.”

“On it.”

We entered the greenhouse, examining the flowers. To my delight, the crinkled leaves were just right, exactly the state I was hoping they’d be in.

“Oh!” I exclaimed, my voice tinged with happiness. “These have dried very nicely. Thank goddess.”

“Were you worried they wouldn’t?”

“Well, we’re still learning about the lilies. I wanted to see if they had more applications, so drying them was the best solution in my eyes.”

“I see. The priestess won’t be mad, right?” her tone was tinged with worry.

I gulped, then shook my head. “I don’t think so. Well, I hope not. We’re not cultivating more though, which is the important thing.”

“Yeah. Do you think they could still be used to create mate bonds?”

I frowned at the thought, then asked softly, “Do you mean to help discover them? I hope they didn’t falsely bond people.” I winced, remembering that harsh warning from the priestess.

“Oh, good point. Yeah, discover them, hopefully.”

“In that case, I’m not entirely sure. The drying process most likely took away any potent effects. At least, I hope that’s the case. I really want to see if there are any safe applications for them.”

“Because they brought you a lot of trouble and everything, right?”

“Exactly,” I muttered. “Not to mention, the priestess, as horrible as an approach as she gave is, was passionate and very convinced it was a bad idea.”

“That’s true. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have captured us like she did.”

A shudder ran down my spine. “Yeah. With this drying process, the magic of the lilies may be safe to use for a variety of other things. Medicine, potions, and who knows what else.”

“Hopefully, all good things,” Lorelei said. “Are they completely done now?”

“Not yet,” I said. “I want to keep the lamps on them for a while longer just to be safe, but they’re very close. Want to help me readjust the lamps?”

“I’d love to.”

Lorelei was ever-helpful. I felt my heart leap at her eagerness to help out. We were on a roll shortly after I gave her the proper instructions.

I hummed to myself, paying very close attention to ensure the lamps were well angled so the flowers wouldn’t be damaged but would keep drying well.

My thoughts spiraled into curiosity regarding their application. I wondered if they were blessed by the moon goddess or cursed.

I also thought about whether their magic was interacting with the sigil on my back. I felt a pang of sadness remembering the complete standstill we were at in figuring out more about what memories they were protecting me from.

My thoughts were interrupted by a light hum from Lorelei. I turned my head, asking softly, “Is everything okay?”

“Oh, I was just lost in thought on some things.”

“Anything you want to talk about?”

“Yeah, well, I guess,” she sighed.

“It seems to be weighing on you.”

“It is. I’ll come out with it. I wasn’t super upfront with my admission before. Well, I was, but... Okay, I used to dream about Gray. I did. He never noticed me and...”

I turned to stare at her, shocked once again at what she was saying but feeling as though it confirmed my speculation of her being in denial.

She was still not facing me, but I caught her expression because I saw her on the side, her face lit up by the glowing lamps. She continued, “I knew it would be crazy to think it was possible.”

“To be with Gray?”

“Yes.”

Lorelei blinked. She widened her eyes, turning to stare at me with shock. Her hand slowly drew up to cover her mouth as if she was shocked she’d said that aloud.

I blinked, confused about her expression. She seemed pretty open with me, but I wondered if she had not meant to say that. I furrowed my brow when I spotted something.

Gleaming pieces of blue swirled around Lorelei. It was the dried dust from the leaves of the Luna lilies. It was peculiar.

Lorelei sounded completely sure of herself. It wasn’t a lie she’d been shocked to say but a complete truth.

Something clicked in my head.

Was the dust from the lilies influencing her and anyone else’s wants and desires, or prying the truth out of their lips without them meaning to?

I mulled this over and opened my mouth to respond. Suddenly, Lorelei stepped back, still reeling from what she had said.

An expression of alarm crossed my face as her elbow hit a lamp. “Lorelei! Careful, you–”

The lamp fell over. With a flash, the dried flowers caught fire, something that spread faster than we could even think.

Completely taken by shock and fear, Lorelei threw back her head and let out a scream.