Sold as the Alpha King's Breeder

Chapter 1421 - 20 : The Kiss

*Rhys*

"Are you sure?" The king’s voice sounded strained. I could tell he was on edge, even over the phone.

"Yes, Father. I saw it all myself," I replied. "Something is going on here, but I am not sure what. All I know for sure is that we have a weakened dragon shifter and her three eggs. I also know that she is not the dragon from my visions."

"This is a serious matter indeed," my father said with pause. "You and Lady Saoirse get your wish. I will send more aid immediately. It might take a day or two to gather everyone, but await their arrival."

The line beeped, and I knew that he had ended the call. I let out a sigh.

I still wasn’t sure that this was the right thing to do. With so many questions unanswered, my options had been limited. My father had always taught me to make informed decisions, so that was the direction I planned to go in for now.

If there was one thing I knew for sure, it was that I needed more information. Unfortunately, it was Information I wasn’t getting from the Hunter’s Glen pack or Saoirse and her mother.

Granted, Saoirse and her mother had been busy tending to the injured Keelana, but I was still anxious to learn more. I kept finding myself making my way to them. I wasn’t sure whether it was to check on Keelana or to see Saoirse.

The next couple of days went by like that. I was getting restless and began to run patrol at night. Keelana still hadn’t woken up, and I was sure someone else would come looking for her and the eggs before long.

It was the end of the third day when my sharp ears picked up the sounds I had been waiting for. Thundering helicopters and large buses and trucks were tearing down the road. I rushed from Keelana’s side to the front of the pack house.

I watched as the massive contingent of royal specialists, scientists, and armed soldiers descended on the small village of Hunter’s Glen. Helicopters, tanks, and buses loaded with equipment all found their way into the clearing, which happened to be the town center.

There were yells and exclamations from all around me as the villagers took in the staggering sight of the modern century clashing with their lifestyle. A pang of guilt passed over me at the disruption this intrusion would cause to Saoirse’s remote village and its inhabitants.

But investigating this startling supernatural discovery was priority number one. I was sure Saoirse would feel the same, at least with time.

The valley continued to fill with more and more of the royal entourage. I looked around as the discomfort of the people grew. My eyes instantly fell on Alpha Strider, supporting the still-injured Conall beside him as they looked in horror at the procession.

Their looks were somber and stern as they watched every single person and vehicle that poured in. If they hadn’t liked my presence there, then they were going to be even more miserable with this. They would most likely blame Saoirse and make her life difficult again.

My eyes flashed, and guilt pulsed through me again. I would make sure to check on Saoirse regularly.

My eyes then traveled to another small group of three elderly women, standing far to the back and out of the way. They were watching the events closely, but their looks held more objectivity than the men.

My people-watching was interrupted as the first helicopter fully landed, and a familiar man stepped out of the doors and made his way to me.

As soon as the Alpha saw the man walking to me, he hurried to be by my side, dragging Conall with him. They reached me at the same time as the man from the helicopter.

"Prince Rhys, it’s good to see you again," the man said, holding out his hand and shaking my own.

Before I had a chance to give a formal greeting in return, the Alpha interrupted me.

"Alpha Strider," he said, shoving his hand forward. "And who might you be?"

The older man turned to him with a smile, handling the intrusion well as he shook Alpha Strider’s hand. "Dr. Elias Kane, it’s a pleasure to meet you, Alpha Strider."

"Dr. Kane is a very established archeologist," I explained to the Alpha. "He works with the castle on many projects."

"Yes, which is why I am here now," Dr. Kane said, turning back to me. "Your father sent me to lead this expedition."

"What expedition?" Alpha Strider asked, glaring at me.

"We are here to investigate the discovery of this creature, what that means for our species, and how to move forward," Dr. Kane explained. "I have teams that will set up research stations throughout the area. All stations will be equipped with advanced spectral imaging technology to search for evidence of portals or dimensional anomalies."

Alpha Strider looked completely lost, as did Conall beside him.

"Dimensional enemies?" Conall asked, misunderstanding.

"Anomalies," I couldn’t help but correct. "Like loose spots between this world and a different world."

"What?" they both asked in sync.

"Where do you think the dragons came from?" Dr. Kane asked, looking confused by their inept understanding. "They didn’t just appear from thin air overnight."

"Do you think they came from somewhere else?" Alpha Strider asked. "From a different world?"

"Most likely," Dr. Kane said with a nod. "At least that is what we will be investigating, along with looking for any others of its kind."

Conall swayed slightly.

"He needs to lay back down," I announced. "Alpha Strider, why don’t you get Conall over to the medical team that arrived? They might be able to help more with some of his more extensive injuries."

"Our healers work just fine," Alpha Strider snapped at me.

I sighed internally. I hoped that he would at least put aside his resistance to the royalty for the sake of someone’s health. This wasn’t a good indication of what would come in the following weeks. I could already foresee a fight, even without the gift of my visions.

Conall swayed again, and Alpha Strider sighed.

"I’ll get him back to bed to rest. Please inform me of any changes to my pack," he said, annunciating the last two words.

"Of course," I obliged. As soon as the Alpha was out of earshot, I turned my attention back to Dr. Kane. "What about the dragon eggs and Keelana?"

"We have other scientists designated to study Keelana and her eggs," Dr. Kane informed me. "Your father has ordered the soldiers to provide security and enforce lockdown procedures to make sure that nothing happens to them."

I sighed in relief. That was half the reason for my restlessness the past few days. The majority of the Hunter’s Glen pack preferred to destroy something different than learn anything about it, which made me worry about the otherworldly woman and eggs stuck in the pack house. That was especially so since Saoirse was in there with them.

She was also in the line of fire.

"It sounds like you have it all worked out, Dr. Kane. I will leave you to it then," I said in appreciation. "If you need anything from me or have any questions, feel free to ask."

He shook my hand again before departing. As soon as he turned, he was barking orders and directing the hordes that seemed to have finally stopped coming. It was clear he was a natural leader in areas like this, and I was smart enough to delegate when I knew something was over my head.

I continued to watch as they made fast work of setting up their stations and organizing the mass. The soldiers walked around and lined up the villagers still watching. It had to be the entire village by that point.

The villagers were sent through a line. I watched their blood get drawn and their statements taken down. When I walked around, I heard the scientists ask questions about anything abnormal they might have seen, even if not related to dragons.

All the faces were full of fear and suspicion, but none dared to object or stand out of line. Whereas they might have had the upper hand before, they were outnumbered by far now. The mood of the villagers was low.

As I continued to walk around, I noticed that Saoirse was not out with the villagers. She must not have investigated the sound as I expected she would. I found my feet leading me back to the pack house. The need to check on her was too strong.

It was as if I knew something was wrong.

When I entered the pack house, I didn’t find her in her normal spots. It wasn’t hard for me to follow the scent of sunshine and strawberries deeper into the house until I reached a door. It was only slightly ajar, so I gave a slight knock before pushing it open.

Saoirse whipped toward me, a look of distress clear on her face. It made my heart drop.

I stepped into the room within a breath, grabbing her arm in one hand and pulling her back to look at me as she tried to turn around.

"What is it? What’s wrong?" I asked without any hesitation.

Saoirse seemed to notice the touch too. It caused her to hesitate as she looked down at my hand on her arm. "I’m fine."

Her body stiffened, and she tried to pull away again.

This time, I brought my hand to her face, turning it to look up at me. Her eyes were still burning with untold anxiety.

"Tell me," I whispered.

She stared up at me, but she didn’t seem to be able to hold in any longer.

"Everything is changing so fast, and I don’t know what to do," she admitted, her voice cracking slightly. "Now all these people are here, and it’s all my fault."

"It’s not your fault," I said calmly, stroking her cheek.

"Yes, it is," she choked out. "They wouldn’t be here if I hadn’t gone looking for help. You have to make them leave Rhys. You have to."

"I can’t do that," I said, struggling with the sadness on her face. "We have to find answers. With Keelana still out, we have no answers or idea what to expect. That’s dangerous for us and your pack. This team is the best hope at finding those answers."

She pondered my words.

"I know you’re right, but what if something goes wrong?" Saoirse looked down. "In trying to save my pack, I’ve doomed it entirely. I should have never written that dumb letter."

A pang shot through my chest. I brought both of my hands up to cup her thin face, lifting it until she met my eyes with hers.

"Don’t say that." My voice was stern. "If you hadn’t written that letter, I would have never met you."

"But–" the stubborn Saoirse started to argue again.

I did the only thing I could think of at that moment to get her to quit arguing. It was the only thing I had been thinking of doing since first meeting her.

My hand moved from her face to the back of her neck as I bent down over her, pulling her to me. Her bright green eyes widened in surprise. And then my lips were pressing against hers, my desire making the kiss harder than I had intended.

I pulled back so our lips were a breath apart and opened my eyes to see her reaction and allow her the choice in our kiss. When our eyes met, I heard her suck in a breath. Her hands then clenched my shirt, pulling me back to her. My lips eagerly responded.

Despite the chaos outside the pack house, my world finally felt right.