Sold as the Alpha King's Breeder

Chapter 1371 - 126 : More Than Willing

*Noah*

I barely slept at all over the last twenty-four hours. Eva advised me to try and rest, even going so far as to tell me that I was looking rather ragged. I just smirked at her and assured her that I would try to rest, but I made no promises. It amused me that the witch was concerned about me when Zara still refused to open her eyes.

I pulled a chair up to Zara’s bedside, intent on staying by her side until she awoke. I spoke softly to her, murmuring words of reassurance and comfort.

“I don’t know what exactly you saw but know that I’m here for you, beautiful,” I said gently, squeezing Zara’s hand. I stroked the back of her tiny knuckles with my fingers as I had done probably hundreds of times before.

I froze, holding my breath and waiting to feel any kind of response from my mate. I longed to feel anything, like a simple twitch of her hand or a single squeeze of her fingers around mine.

She was as still as ice.

I rested my head against the bedcovers, listening to the comforting sound of Zara’s even breathing. If I listened carefully, I could hear her gentle heartbeat. Whenever I wrapped my fingers around her slim wrist, I could feel the slow thrumming of her pulse.

These were sensations I had to hold onto for now. They were all I could hold onto at the moment. Zara’s heartbeat and breathing were keeping me sane and grounded in this world of uncertainty.

“She’s going to be alright,” Eva said to me gently, as she had done dozens of times in the past couple of days. “I have done everything possible with my power to ensure that Zara gained the protection and purification to overcome this.”

I nodded, not even turning to look at the witch. I believed her. Her words filled me with a sense of hope and relief, but I needed to see for myself that Zara would be alright.

I needed to look into her eyes again.

I felt my eyelids drooping as I rested my head against the bedspread, my skin inches from Zara’s arm. My eyes popped open when my phone vibrated urgently in my pocket. I pulled it out and squinted at the unknown number.

“Hello, this is Noah,” I muttered into the phone. I pulled it away and cleared my throat when my voice came out thick.

“Noah?” asked a smooth female voice. “Hi, I’m so glad to have reached you. This is Niva.”

“Niva,” I repeated, straightening in my chair. “I’m glad you reached me as well. I take it you have received my message about Zara.”

I could hear the distress in the woman’s voice. “Yes, I did. And I found it rather concerning. May I ask what has happened? Is Zara alright?”

I bit my tongue, unable to say that my mate was alright as she lay pale and unmoving just inches away from me. “She is stable,” I said finally. I hastily began to explain our daughter’s kidnapping and how we were desperate to understand the sigils on Zara’s back.

“Zara and I ventured to a mystical scrying pool, and she was able to view memories of being brought to the Light Realm by you,” I concluded.

“So Malphas has crossed between realms,” Niva said in a hard voice after a few tense moments of silence. I could hear her draw in a sharp, shocked breath. “He’s after Zara. I feared this day would come.”

Panic shot through me. I gripped Zara’s hand in mine, bending over her body protectively as my other hand tightened on my cell phone. “What do you mean?” I asked after another tense moment.

Niva drew in a breath. This one was weary and distressed. “When I carried baby Zara through the portal, I had no idea how it would affect my powers,” she said, her voice thick. “The taxing interdimensional journey drained much of my original abilities.”

I didn’t know what to say, so I kept quiet, waiting patiently for her to continue.

“I emerged on the other side of the portal, alone and frightened,” Niva went on. “I was just a girl back then, far too young in the unfamiliar realm to properly care for a vulnerable newborn. I was completely out of my element.”

It wasn’t difficult to imagine the vivid image that Niva painted in my mind, especially since I had seen the young servant girl’s fear in Zara’s vision. My heart went out to her since she had been essentially a child herself when a helpless baby was placed in her care.

“I was heartbroken,” Niva continued, sounding close to tears as if she was reliving the terrifying moment. “I wanted desperately to care for Zara on my own. I didn’t want to let her go. I remember the way she gazed up at me with those trusting eyes of hers as a mere infant. She needed me.

“But I knew that I couldn’t care for Zara properly, so I swaddled her in moon-blessed fabrics and, with great difficulty, left her upon the steps of the moon goddess temple in Crowstar Pack, tearfully pleading for the Moon Goddess to watch over and bless the special child.

“I knew from the moment I took her in my arms that Zara was a special child. She didn’t cry when she was violently brought into the world, and her eyes held so much understanding, despite her young age. I knew she would be gifted with extraordinary magic. How could she not be with such a powerful mother?”

I knew it to be a rhetorical question, so I didn’t answer. My mind was reeling at all of this new information regarding Zara. I wondered if my mate had gotten all that from the visions she saw in the caves.

“I hid nearby so that I could be sure that little Zara found a suitable home,” Niva said with great difficulty. I could imagine a single tear trickling down her cheek as she described that fateful night. “I bundled baby Zara up so carefully and tightly that I knew she wouldn’t get cold. I still longed to rush over and check on her, but I had to be strong. Thankfully, she was found by a kind mortal couple after just over an hour or so. It still felt like ages to me.

“Even after I ensured that the couple who found Zara was kind and would care deeply for her, I still couldn’t rest. Her mother had entrusted her to me, so I had to be thorough and make absolutely certain that Zara was in good hands.

“I stayed nearby for the first several years of Zara’s childhood. It brought me so much joy to watch her grow into a happy and healthy child. She was so bright-eyed. I was so pleased to see that she was doted on thoroughly by her adoptive parents. They gave her everything she could ever want and need from toys to art supplies to fuel her creativity.”

Despite our dire situation, I couldn’t help but smile at the image of Zara as a young girl. I couldn’t help but feel as if she had the same fire in her eyes as she does now. She was probably a handful. I chuckled lightly, mentally thanking her adoptive parents for raising her right and nurturing her loving and adventurous spirit.

A lump formed in my throat as I was brought back to the present. That spunky, adventurous little girl I imagined faded away, my still mate taking her place. My heart twisted painfully in my chest, and I tucked my phone between my shoulder and cheek so I could adjust Zara’s pillows. I swallowed hard and tucked a strand of wavy hair behind her ear.

“That was kind of you to keep watch over her all that time,” I felt compelled to say, and I meant it wholeheartedly. Niva didn’t have to stay once she learned that Zara was in capable hands, but she had.

“I did it partially out of responsibility and guilt,” Niva admitted in a soft voice, but then it rose with conviction. “But I also loved her as if we were sisters in a way. Although I couldn’t raise her myself, I wanted to watch her grow regardless, even if I felt at the time that I wasn’t entitled to such an honor.”

“No, you were,” I argued, feeling compassion for the woman as well as the girl she had been all those years ago. “You saved Zara’s life, and she had a full and happy childhood thanks to you.”

“Thank you for the kind words,” Nica said after a quiet moment. She seemed a little choked up, but she quickly pulled it together. “I was thrilled to learn that Zara had an unusually strong matchmaking power. I was beside myself with elation when her gifts emerged. I practically leaped at the chance to mentor her in secret through the matchmaking school.”

And I was glad that she had. I knew that Zara adored Niva.

“I am so sorry,” Niva said suddenly, breaking me out of my thoughts. “I got so caught up in the past that I lost sight of what I need to tell you.”

I was going to protest about her apologizing, but she started talking again before I could.

“I believe your child will be safe,” she said immediately, causing me to blanch in disbelief. “I mean that under no uncertain terms is your daughter in danger, but Malphas needs Zara’s powers to get what he wants.”

My mind was reeling. It took me a moment to be able to voice my confusion. “I’m afraid I don’t understand.”

“The realm that we hail from is called Embervale,” Niva explained in a low, serious voice. “It’s a realm that holds more power and magic than the Light Realm and Dark Realm combined.”

It was as if the woman was speaking another language entirely. “How is that possible?” I asked through unmoving lips.

I could almost see the woman’s shoulders shrug. “Magic exists where and how it wishes,” she said simply. “But that is beside the point. I will be able to guide you through the portal to enter Embervale, but you will need the purest moon stones to travel together.”

I gripped Zara’s hand even more tightly. “We’re going to get our baby back, Zara,” I murmured to her. For the first time in what felt like ages, I felt hope.

I thought I felt Zara’s hand twitch in response to my words, but I couldn’t be sure because I was likely shaking as well.

“I am more than honored to do this for you and Zara,” Niva said firmly, but then her voice faltered a little. “Although, there is one minor detail that I should mention.”

I waited, already convinced that whatever she was about to say would matter little. We were going to do this no matter what. I knew that Zara wouldn’t hesitate either.

“While Zara and I are more than likely going to be much more powerful once crossing over into our home realm, there is no telling how the Embervale Realm will affect those who are not originally from there,” she said in a grave voice. She paused. “Do you understand?”

I felt a shadow pass over my face. She was essentially telling me that I would be risking myself by entering into Embervale.

I didn’t even hesitate.

“Yes,” I said firmly. “I understand and am more than willing to take the risk.”