Sold as the Alpha King's Breeder

Chapter 1390 - 145 : Private Ceremony Plans

*Zara*

Pacing nervously in the grand room, I found myself periodically peeking out of the tall windows for any sight of my parents’ SUV.

They were going to be arriving for a visit soon, and it had been over a year since I saw them.

For them, it had only been a few months. They would find out how long I had been gone to me when they got here. My stomach lurched nervously.

I was very excited to see them but very anxious about revealing how life had become since they had last visited. I was Luna now, but I still needed to be very careful.

“Hehehe!” Laughter sounded nearby. I smiled, turning to where Briella was sitting.

I leaned down and scooped her up, letting her rest in one arm while I wiggled my finger in front of her face. “Put me down. Wanna walk.”

She walked practically everywhere now and couldn’t get enough of it. “Alright, alright,” I chuckled. “I’ll let you explore a bit.”

She was very impatient and squirmed as I took just a bit too long to let her down. She let out an annoyed squawk, causing me to shake my head with a grin.

I chuckled again and put her down. There was nothing too dangerous in this room, but I would keep an eye on her as she ran around and explored just to be safe.

I knew that like Issac and Estella, my parents would be surprised. I was still processing the fact that time went differently between this realm and the one we had been in.

It was entirely surreal. My brain swayed with the prospect of trying to figure it out.

In the middle of Briella’s explorations, I noticed a familiar vehicle pull into the general parking area of the Drogomor pack. My heart lurched several times over at the realization that my parents had arrived.

Taking a deep breath, I scooped Briella up and headed outside, trying to keep my head clear and my nerves from fraying too much.

I bolted outside, my heart pounding as Briella happily snuggled into me, cooing and giggling at my haste. This caused me to smile and feel warm. I loved her so much.

My mother came out of the car and rushed toward us, taking us into a huge hug. “Zara! We missed you so much, honey!” she exclaimed.

“I missed you too, Mom,” I said with a huge smile. My dad came out as well, giving a huge smile and hugging us close as well.

“We are definitely wondering what happened. We’re so happy to see you alright,” my father said, finishing up the hug and patting me on the shoulder.

I chuckled and rubbed the back of my neck with my free hand and then said, “A lot. I’ll tell you all about it over brunch if you promise not to be too worried.”

My mother snickered. “No promises.” She focused on baby Breilla again, her eyes widening. “She looks so much older and alert than the last time we saw her. Way older...”

“She is,” I said and smiled at their questioning glances. “I will explain inside. Trust me, it’s a lot.” They nodded. We went into the main hall.

I held Briella out to my mother, who gladly accepted her and gave a happy squeal as the baby began cooing and giggling while grasping for her hands.

I led everyone to the hall for lunch, sitting down as the delicious scent of roast wafted into the area. It was a hearty meal and something I was happy to share with my parents.

“Now,” my father said, “tell us everything.”

I nodded, going into detail on the harrowing experiences I had gone through recently, and the scare when my baby was taken. My mother’s jaw dropped at that part, and I saw fury flash in her gaze.

I said quickly, “Don’t worry. I defeated the demon once and for all. It left a bit of darkness within me.” My eyes turned distant as I thought over that experience. “It was terrible.” A shudder ran down my spine.

“Oh honey,” my mother said gently. “Are you alright? We don’t have to talk about that if you’re still processing it. I don’t want to stress you.”

“I am alright,” I reassured her, telling myself I was safe, and the ritual had banished that horrifying darkness I had dealt with after I destroyed the demon. “It’s just tough to describe... Hmm...”

My eyes fell upon my baby. I reached over and gently ran my hand through her hair before looking toward my mother again. “Everything was so cold and without hope, but a ritual banished the darkness from me.”

My parents let out sighs of relief at that news, listening intently as I carried on to fill in the gaps in the story. When I reached our arrival back in this realm, I said, “Time works differently between realms.”

My mother raised a brow. “Oh? How much? Is that why Briella looks so much older than expected?”

I nodded. “A year there is a few months here.”

A look of sadness crossed my parents’ faces as they exchanged a glance. I felt a pang of sympathy for them. They had missed some valuable early months with their granddaughter.

“Now, I’m not going anywhere,” I said softly. “You can catch up on spending time with her. I’m Luna of Drogomor, and the help will be appreciated.”

“We would be delighted!” my mother exclaimed, lightening up considerably. My father nodded in agreement.

Tears began to well in her eyes. She reached over with the arm she wasn’t using to hold her granddaughter.

“I am so proud of you, honey,” she said. “I’m also so frightened that you had to face that, but here you are now.”

“And I’m not going anywhere,” I said with a smile, touched at how overwhelmed with emotion she and my father were. They were so worried and proud of me, which made my heart sing.

Thankfully, I wouldn’t need to worry them like that again. At least, I hoped nothing else crazy would come up. I prayed to the goddess that fighting a demon had to be the icing on the cake.

My father cleared his throat, catching my attention. I focused on him and tilted my head as he reached out and gently took my hand. “There is something I feel you need to do.”

“Oh? What is it, Dad?”

“You and Noah should make your relationship officially binding for your daughter’s security. The tensions between worlds are rising now, so it would be for the best.”

With how hectic things were lately, I hadn’t even thought about doing such a thing. I blinked, realizing with a torrent of emotions how Noah and I could finally be married.

There were a lot of problems swirling, like the unease between Egoren and Drogomor, but the prospect of us being a family finally made my heart flutter.

“I agree,” I whispered, smiling at him. It faded as I furrowed my brow. “We can’t make a big event out of it though.”

He shook his head. “No. No big flashy wedding. I am sorry if you wanted something like that, Zara.”

I thought about that for a moment and then gave a light smile. “I’m just happy to have Noah. Will you give him your blessing, Father?” I asked, somewhat in a joking tone.

After all, he had been the one to suggest the wedding.

He chuckled and nodded. “Of course. Hopefully, you and Noah are on the same page on this. I know you just got back and are adjusting after the hell you went through, but it’s wise to do so as soon as possible.”

“I have a feeling we will be. Want to watch Briella while I go speak with him?”

“Yes, of course.”

I left the baby with my parents, who were overjoyed to spend time with their granddaughter, especially considering how long she had been away from them.

Noah was in his study, taking a break after working on a lot of pack-related business. He hadn’t been able to make brunch due to being so busy.

“Hey, Noah,” I said, entering the room and taking a seat at the table with him. He gave me a wide smile, looking up from some paperwork.

“Hi, beautiful. You look determined. What’s on your mind?”

“My father thinks we should make our relationship officially binding to protect Briella’s security. And, of course, because we can be a family now.”

Noah’s blazing blue eyes shimmered at that thought. He asked softly, “Are you proposing to me?” He winked, causing me to roll my eyes and stand up, wrapping my arms around him.

“More or less. What say you?”

“I wish I had a ring prepared so I could do it,” he chuckled. “But in all seriousness, yes.” He stood up as well, returning my hug and holding me close.

His scent enveloped me. I closed my eyes, getting lost in it for just a moment. I felt so safe in his arms, and my heart leaped with happiness at the idea of spending the rest of my life with him.

“We can’t have a huge wedding,” I said. “It’s too dangerous. We need to have it somewhere discrete. I’m content with spending time with you. Maybe we can have a party in the future when things settle down.”

“I understand,” Noah said softly. “As much as I want the pack involved, we need to play it safe. The best place to have it would be at my mother’s summer home. How does that sound?”

I gasped, leaning back and staring into his eyes. My own were twinkling with adoration for him. “The place where we first felt the mate bond together...”

I reached up and cupped his cheek, feeling tears well up with happiness as he leaned into my touch.

“The very place. It means a lot to me in so many ways. I think a beautiful, private ceremony, nice and small, would be perfect there.”

“I agree. Oh, Noah, I am so excited,” I breathed, going in to hug him again. He chuckled into my ear, turning to leave a gentle kiss on the side of my head.

“I am too. We can spend some time together. Caleb will help run things while we do. We can’t take too much time, given our responsibilities, but enough.”

“That sounds wonderful to me.”