Sold as the Alpha King's Breeder

Chapter 1433 - 32 : Helpless but Present

*Rhys*

Light streamed in through the curtains, the rays soft with early morning essence. I shifted carefully in bed, trying desperately not to wake the young woman tucked against my side.

Saoirse stirred but didn’t wake up, continuing to breathe deeply and evenly as she slumbered on. My chest constricted as I looked down at her, wishing that I could shield her from all the cruelty and darkness of the world.

It was not that I saw her as weak. In fact, it was far from it. She was braver than anyone I had ever known, myself included. Still, she had a warm, overwhelming kindness about her that was easy to take advantage of. She was strong and kind but also generous to the point of being detrimental to herself.

I would do everything in my power to keep her from being used and manipulated.

I slowly shifted so that I could unwind from Saoirse, wincing slightly as I did so. I chuckled inwardly, realizing I was sore from our activities the previous night. I smiled softly to myself as the memory of our lovemaking filled my mind completely.

It had been the best night of my life. Saoirse wasn’t just brave and kind. She was completely and utterly selfless. My heart had nearly stopped beating when I saw her walk up those steps to the dragon shifter’s throne. I could tell she was afraid, but she refused to show it, the resignation on her face causing my chest to twist up.

She chose to go back to the Dragon Valley. She knew the risks. Despite having escaped with me, she did what she thought was best for her people and a whole civilization she didn’t know.

I had already been in love with her before all of that, but seeing her unyielding devotion and love for the greater good shoved me over the edge completely.

There was no one else like her, and she wanted me.

She was so precious.

I tenderly brushed some stray strands away from Saoirse’s forehead, running my fingers along the side of her face.

I lifted my head sharply when I heard movement outside the bedroom door. I narrowed my eyes before my eyebrows rose when something thin was slid beneath the door. It looked like an envelope. I waited for the messenger to leave before slipping off the bed and retrieving the piece of paper.

My eyes narrowed further when I saw it was an urgent summons from Axureon. The ancient dragon shifter wanted to meet with me as soon as possible. I glanced back at Saoirse, who was still snuggled up in the thick blankets around her. She had enough to worry about having been forced to be the savior of both our worlds. I wasn’t going to trouble her with this too.

I quickly got dressed, moving as swiftly and quietly as possible. I gave Saoirse a soft kiss on the forehead, my lips barely touching her skin since I didn’t want to wake her. I then slipped out of the room, shutting the door as carefully as I could.

I felt my jaw tighten as I made my way down the steps and hallway that would lead me to the very throne room where Saoirse was essentially sworn in just hours earlier. The tone of the summons had been ominous and made me extremely uneasy.

I stopped in front of the doors to the throne room. There were guards on either side. They bowed to me as I approached, opening the doors at once so I could enter.

This somehow made me more anxious, but I kept a cool facade as I passed through the doors, nodding to the guards on my way in.

It was strange to walk in and see the once-filled room empty save for Axureon, who looked to be meeting with a couple of advisors. They held clipboards and appeared to be giving the ancient dragon king some kind of report. When Axureon saw me, he rose quickly from his throne and sent the two men out, cutting them off from what sounded like some important matter.

“Prince Rhys,” he greeted as if we were old buddies. “Thank you for answering my message so quickly. Come, we have much to discuss.”

I ground my teeth together as I crossed the large room, resisting the urge to point out that the message didn’t seem like it left room for a refusal.

As soon as I stood before him, Axureon began. “It is pertinent that Lord Pyroth be stopped sooner rather than later,” he said gravely. “It is not only to keep our realms safe but before the tyrant has any chance to find Keelana and the eggs that he has sired.”

I listened carefully, digesting this. “And should Lord Pyroth succeed in their capture?”

Axureon’s expression darkened, but he responded, “The dragons that will be born from those eggs will be the first in centuries. They will harbor the power of generations. Lord Pyroth must not succeed.

“We have an opportunity right now while Pyroth marshals his forces. I must insist that Keelana and the eggs be safely relocated to the dragon sanctuary before Pyroth has a chance to invade this world.”

The unease seemed to double as I deciphered the layers beneath his words. I felt my eyes narrow on the old dragon. I was asking the question that had been swimming around in my mind before I could stop myself. “Why her?” I asked, feeling my jaw tense again. “Why are you under the powerful impression that Saoirse is the savior of both worlds? Why are you counting on her so heavily to be that individual?”

I had dozens of other questions as well, the loudest one about why the dragon shifter was now talking to me separately about the matter.

I feared the answer but was certain I was right about my current theory. He knew Saoirse and I were close and was planning to use me to manipulate her. The thought caused my blood to boil, but I kept my expression passive.

Axureon’s gaze suddenly grew distant. He seemed to be looking right through me into a world I couldn’t see. “There exists an ancient prophecy,” he said. “It is of a predestined woman of mixed magical lineage who will arise when darkness descends, awakening ancient powers within her.”

I felt my breath hitch in my throat as my heart threatened to freeze.

Saoirse...

Axureon didn’t seem to notice my distress, which was good since I was doing my best to mask it. He went on in that same far-off tone. “This fated savior will stand with the last dragon guardians against annihilation, protecting all worlds, not just the worlds that you and I see and know, but from those riddled in evil and chaos.”

I listened uneasily, grateful that my love was still resting peacefully upstairs. I felt a knot forming in my gut as I looked up at the shifter, who I saw as the main cause of Saoise’s suffering and stress.

Axureon tilted his head slightly as he focused his golden eyes back on me. He seemed to see something troubling there. “Perhaps you have doubts that young Saoirse is who I believe her to be.”

It wasn’t a question. I held my breath, forcing my expression into an even harder mask as the dragon king stared me down.

This wasn’t good. If I let on what my doubts were, it could put not only myself in danger but also Saoirse.

I couldn’t allow that to happen.

“I am simply unfamiliar with the prophecy of which you speak,” I said, relieved that my voice came out as level as I intended it to.

“I don’t expect a human such as yourself to know of a prophecy of this magnitude,” he said. I didn’t miss the condescending tone he took on. “Rest assured that the preordained role belongs solely to young Saoirse. There have been multiple signs and portents of the mystical variety that leave me with grave certainty.”

Even though I still didn’t fully trust the dragon shifter, his hard expression was extremely difficult to doubt.

That didn’t mean that I believed everything he was saying. Several factors failed to line up. I started to mull it all over in the privacy of my thoughts. It was no secret to me that Saoirse possessed courage, compassion, and an overwhelming amount of integrity. She had a great abundance of those traits, which I felt I could only strive to match one day.

I was going to be king one day, and this young woman bested me with the traits that a good leader needed.

The dragon king continued to talk about Saoirse as if she were some kind of divine deity that would chase away any darkness. I was having a hard time paying attention as I thought about my love, who was tucked in safely upstairs.

Doubts started to course through my mind. Saoirse had the qualities of a savior, but she never sought mythical powers or the immense responsibility that was suddenly thrust upon her. She was an extraordinary girl, but she was still a girl.

Axureon seemed to have no doubt that Saoirse was who he believed her to be. He said so himself in different ways. It seemed to be the one thing the dragon shifter was direct about.

I felt protectiveness swell up inside me as I once again pictured the beautiful goddess I woke up next to in the morning. She was extremely precious and now held my entire heart in her dainty little hands. I was completely hers now.

For all of Axureon’s mystical reverence, I couldn’t help but worry about the possibility of Saoirse proving unable to live up to the dragon’s expectations. I would have to keep a close eye on her and keep myself always at her side in case something like that happened. Who knew how the dragon shifters would respond if Saoirse wasn’t who they thought she was?

And then there was the matter of if she was.

I might not have believed Axureon completely, but I had to consider the very real possibility that Saoirse was meant to fulfill this ancient prophecy. Being that mystical young woman could very well save her life from these dragon shifters. I wondered what the cost would be.

Saoirse was fearless and selfless, but she was also innocent. She had a childlike wonder about her that I didn’t want to see snuffed out. I remembered the way her eyes sparkled when I handed her the book of fables and folklore despite the shyness that permeated in her.

If Saoirse was the so-called chosen one, there was a real chance she would have to lose that innocence. Her life would no longer be her own. She would have a responsibility that was so much larger than the one I would have during my reign.

I felt my fingers curling into fists at my sides. My eyes raised defiantly as my resolve hardened. Maybe I couldn’t change Saoirse’s fate, but I could stand by her side for as long as I could.

I knew I might have to stand back and watch helplessly as some magical transformation fundamentally changed the fierce yet vulnerable woman I so deeply cared for.

But I wasn’t going to leave her, no matter what.