Sold as the Alpha King's Breeder

Chapter 1452 - 51 : Wedding Preparations

*Rhys*

"Are you ready?" I asked, squeezing Saoirse’s hand as she stood beside me.

Saoirse nodded. I could tell that she was too nervous to open her mouth. The sweat on her hands made it apparent, along with her clenched jaw. Other than that, she was holding her own.

As I knew she would.

I smiled at her before turning to face the doors in front of us. I could already hear the commotion outside through the closed doors. The excitement was beating my nerves as I stepped forward at a sign from Daxton.

I pulled Saoirse with me out on the mid-level castle precipice. As soon as my face hit the air, I heard the cheers erupt and looked down at the large crowd gathered below us. I squeezed Saoirse’s hand again and raised it higher, making the cheers rise even louder.

We had been going around Egoren for weeks announcing our return and engagement to multiple cheering crowds. Royal engagements were a big deal in Egoren, and I wanted everyone to see my beautiful fiance and know that I was taken...

And know that she was taken.

The memory of my last conversation with Axureon plagued my mind. I had questioned him privately about how the ancient dragon had located us in time to aid the compound liberation and rescue Saoirse. He vaguely attributed it to some mystical bond he held with the dragon staff Saoirse wielded.

It was the staff she still held.

The connection unsettled me, especially as I remembered how she had called out Axureon’s name in her sleep due to that same staff. There was something about the staff that made me feel uneasy.

Now we were home, in the capital, the last stop of the engagement tour. I was hoping the familiarity would relax Saoirse and make her feel more at ease. She had been nothing but nerves and anxiety since her capture, and I couldn’t blame her.

After an acceptable amount of time, we stepped back inside. Saoirse took a deep breath from beside me, but the excitement was not over.

"Saoirse!" my mother called, stepping back inside as well.

She walked right up to us and gave Saoirse a quick hug. Saoirse awkwardly returned the hug and looked at me as if unsure of what she should do.

"Come with me. I want to get started on the wedding preparations right away," my mother said as she pulled back. "There’s just so much to do."

I smiled at the excitement my mother was showing. Most would have worried about their mother accepting their girlfriend or wife, but I knew my mother would always support me in my choices. She just wanted me to be happy.

The queen started to pull Saoirse away, but she gripped my hand tighter and looked back at me with a concerned look.

"Would it be alright if Rhys came with?" Saoirse asked.

"Oh, he wouldn’t like this sort of stuff," my mother said, her smile not faltering at all. "It would just bore him. I’m sure he doesn’t want to come."

"You would be wrong there. It’s my wedding too, Mother," I said with a smile of my own. I knew she didn’t mean any ill intention. I squeezed Saoirse’s hand in return. "I would like to be a part of the process. Not to mention the fact that I don’t like to be away from Saoirse."

"Lovebirds," my mother teased with a shake of her head. "Follow me."

Saoirse gave me a grateful smile as we turned and followed my mom away from the sounds of the crowd outside.

Since rescuing her, it was hard for Saoirse to leave my side. It wasn’t a problem for me because I hated being away from her just as much. The thoughts of what she had been through still kept me awake some nights. I couldn’t help but think I could have done more to protect her.

I wouldn’t make that mistake again.

We made it to my mother’s office and sat and listened as she went on and on about all the wedding details—the flowers, the dress, the date, and whatever else she could think of. Since it would be a royal wedding, there weren’t a ton of options that we did have choices on.

Saoirse seemed to listen to my mother attentively and give her input when asked. For the most part, I just sat there staring at my beautiful future bride. I pictured everything they were saying, with one thing always remaining constant.

I envisioned Saoirse dressed in glittering finery with my ring placed on her graceful hand for the rest of our lives.

At that moment, I knew I would do anything to ensure that future became a reality.

"Can we talk?" I asked Saoirse as we left my mother’s office.

"Yeah, of course," she said with a look of confusion on her face.

I pulled her along the hall and to my bedroom, where I quickly pulled her inside and shut the door. As soon as the door closed, Saoirse was pulling me down to her so her lips could reach mine. The kiss was so enticing that I forgot what I wanted to talk about and kissed her back.

We didn’t have much alone time anymore.

I reached down and wrapped my arm around her waist, pulling her up so I didn’t have to bend down so far. A small gasp escaped her lips, but her legs automatically wrapped around my hips. I turned and pressed her back against the door as I deepened the kiss. I wanted to have more control and power in the kiss.

My other hand skimmed up her bare leg. When she had wrapped her legs around me, her dress had pushed up as well, leaving both of her legs exposed. A shiver passed over her as my hand reached to where her hips bent.

I heard something drop to the floor and looked down to see that it was the staff. A groan escaped me as I remembered that I wanted to talk and what I wanted to talk about.

"What?" Saoirse asked breathlessly.

"We still need to talk," I said. I closed my eyes, trying to focus and calm down the heat her kisses invoked.

"Can’t we talk after?" Saoirse asked, leaning in to kiss my neck.

Goddess, it was so tempting.

"No." I fought against myself. "Now that we are back in the capital, I want to start fresh."

That caught Saoirse’s attention.

"Start fresh?" she asked in an inquisitive tone.

I took a deep breath in and opened my eyes to look at her. "I want you to return the relic staff to Axureon."

"What?" Saoirse dropped her legs from around my hips, but I still had her pinned to the door. "Wait, why?"

"The connection it makes between you and Axureon is unsettling," I explained. "As long as you have that staff, he will interfere with your life. And now that we are engaged, that means he’ll interfere with our lives."

"I can’t just give it back, Rhys," Saoirse said, sounding more upset. "It’s my duty to wield it as the last dragon mage."

"Someone else can use it," I pushed.

"There is no one else," Saoirse said, pushing me back. "I am the last in the bloodline capable of this power. You know that."

"But Axureon could–"

"Enough," Saoirse interrupted. Her hand went up in between us, almost as a defense. "I will not give the staff back, and I don’t want to hear another word about it."

"But–"

"I said no, Rhys," Saoirse snapped.

She had made enough space between us that she could open the door and slip out before I could even process what had happened. I only remained frozen for a moment before I hurried after her. Even if she was mad at me, I didn’t want to be separated from her.

The next few days passed much the same. My mother was deep into the wedding planning, and Saoirse was trying her best to learn the royal customs at every corner. The stress from trying to learn everything and from our conversation about the staff left a tension between us that continued to build instead of shrink.

I tried to think of how to right it, or how to compromise, but I really couldn’t think of anything. The simple truth was that I did not trust Axureon, so I could not be comfortable with her maintaining possession of the staff.

I wasn’t going to back down.

Saoirse insisted on training with any downtime that we had, which also spiked my anxiety on the matter. That made it harder for me to bite my tongue, despite the strain between the two of us. It was during one of those trainings that I finally snapped.

It was just her and I for once. I had just witnessed her do a powerful bit of magic without holding the staff and couldn’t help but speak up.

"See, you don’t even need the staff, Saoirse," I began. "Giving it back to Axureon would do them more good than yourself I bet."

"Rhys," Saoirse said in a warning tone.

"I’m just saying," I continued. "The staff seems pretty volatile. It might do more for Axureon to safeguard it and keep it out of the hands of anyone else."

Saoirse didn’t say anything, but the look in her eyes made it clear that she wanted me to shut up. However, I was never good at following orders.

"If you gave back the staff, Axureon would no longer hold any influence over you either," I told her.

Her hand clenched around the staff, holding it tighter. "You aren’t understanding me, Rhys. My lineage and gifts make me the only one capable of wielding the staff’s power responsibly."

She paused. I knew she wasn’t done speaking, and I wouldn’t dare interrupt.

"I believe fate bound me to this staff, giving me a way to protect both worlds from the threats that loom over us." Saoirse’s voice was reverent. "Axureon was my path to my fate."

"Oh, so now he’s so great again," I snapped, unable to hide the snarkiness of my tone.

"What is your deal with him?" Saoirse snapped back.

The tensions from the past few days, no, the past few weeks, started to explode out of me.

"I don’t like this strange connection that the two of you have," I said. "And I order you to give the staff back to him so we can be free of his influence."

"Wow, so you’re going to order me around too?" Saoirse asked, folding her arms across her chest defensively.

A pang of guilt stabbed through me, but it wasn’t enough to block the emotions that I had about Axureon.

"I don’t want to, but you leave me no choice," I told her. "If you can’t see that Axureon is bad for you, then I will remove him from your life for you."

Saoirse paused in front of me, a strange look on her face.

"Rhys," she said slowly. "Are you jealous?"

"Why wouldn’t I be?" I yelled. "First, you nearly die saving the dragons, which proves to me that you prioritized their welfare more than yours or mine. And now, you are refusing to get rid of the spiritual bond between you and another man!"

"I didn’t ask for this!" Saoirse yelled back, finally letting her built-up frustrations out as well. "I never asked for mystical powers or responsibilities to be thrust upon me! What do you expect me to do? Just let them all die?"

"I–" I began.

"No, Rhys, I am tired of hearing about you," she snapped. "Do you think I like having this weird bond with Axureon? Or that I like everyone relying on me? Because I don’t. And I would have expected, no scratch that, I deserve your support while I am going through this, not accusations of divided loyalties, especially after I got disowned by my father for you."

Her voice cracked, but she continued.

"Haven’t I proved my commitment by enduring torture to shield all innocents?" she asked. "And it wasn’t the dragons that tortured me, Rhys, it was the wolves. So excuse me if I don’t want to abandon them or my powers!"

With her last word, magic sparked dangerously from the staff. Alarmed, I yanked it away before it could hurt Saoirse or her loss of control could result in something worse.

Saoirse tried to snatch the staff back, but I pulled it away, holding it tightly.

"Give it back, Rhys," Saoirse said, holding out her hand.

I looked between her and the staff I was holding.

"Choose," I said calmly.

"What?" Saoirse froze.

"Choose," I repeated. "Me... or a destiny that you can’t control."