Sold as the Alpha King's Breeder

Chapter 1454 - 53 : A Mother’s Advice

*Saoirse*

“Lady Saoirse, you have a guest,” a butler said as he walked into the room where we had set up shop for the wedding planning.

“A guest?” I asked in confusion.

I wondered who would be coming to see me. If it were Rhys, they would have just announced him. I didn’t know who it could possibly be.

The butler stepped aside. I dropped the glass of champagne I had been sampling for our first toast. It shattered on the hard floor, but I didn’t even notice it. Standing next to him was one of the last people I ever expected to see again, let alone in the capital.

“Hi, Saoirse,” my mother said with an attempt at a half smile.

Everything that happened before was completely forgotten as I jumped to my feet and rushed to my mother, wrapping my arms around her. I could feel tears stinging at the corners of my eyes as she hugged me back. I realized it was real and not just some hallucination.

“What are you doing here, Mom?” I asked, pulling away to look at the woman who had raised me...

And the woman who had stood by as my father banished me from our pack.

I pushed back the negative thoughts and focused on the excitement pulsing through my body at seeing her again.

“You didn’t think I would miss my only daughter’s wedding, did you?” she asked, her smile still not full. However, it looked better now that she had seen my reaction to her visit.

“What about Dad? Did he... Did you...” I couldn’t even finish my questions.

“It’s just me,” she said softly. “Let’s not talk about him. We need to focus on celebrating this joyous occasion together.”

I hugged her again, though I knew the conversation wasn’t over. I had too many questions I wanted answered, even if it did break my heart. However, I would respect her wishes for now. In part because it made me mostly happy to have my mother there and involved in my process.

I hurried over and cleaned up my mess of glass and champagne, not allowing the maids to do it. The mess was mine, and I would take responsibility for it. Once that was completed, they got us two new glasses, and the sampling started again.

My mother had never drunk in front of me, at least not that I remembered, so I was surprised when she quickly accepted the drink offered to her. She was keeping her word and making her visit a fun one that focused on me.

After the champagne, they brought us some appetizers to try, which was much more up my alley. I didn’t like the dizzy feeling the drink had been giving me. All the appetizers were delicious and did their job of soaking up whatever booze was still in my stomach. If my mom hadn’t been there, I don’t know how I could have picked.

It was such a nice time that I almost forgot about everything that had happened back in my pack.

Almost...

When they dismissed me from any other planning activities for the day, I still wasn’t ready to leave my mother. Instead, I gave her a tour of the castle, at least the parts I was familiar with. I didn’t need us getting lost.

“Would you like to see my room?” I asked as we finished the tour, still trying to prolong the moment.

“Of course,” my mom said and then hesitated slowly. “Do you share a room with Prince Rhys?”

I blushed, despite myself. “No, not yet. Not until we’re married.”

It seemed silly since most nights we would find each other and spend the nights in each other’s arms anyway. That was really the only time we had together anymore, and Rhys’ presence was one of the only things that could calm me down.

But my mother didn’t need to know that.

I led the way to my room and opened the door, ushering her in. The room itself was about the size of the whole great room of our small pack’s pack house. It was more room than anyone ever needed, but I had grown accustomed to it over the days.

“Wow,” my mother said with shock in her eyes. “It’s so big.”

“Yeah, I tried to tell them that I didn’t need a room this big and would take something smaller, but nobody listened to me,” I said, almost feeling guilty for the grandeur my life would now consist of.

My mother would have to return to a life of simplicity.

“There’s plenty of room here,” I said at the thought. “You could stay here, you know, with me.”

My mother stopped on her walk around my room and looked at me with a sad smile. “I would love that, but I cannot leave our pack now with all this turmoil.”

“Turmoil?” I questioned.

“Oh, yes,” my mother looked at the floor, realizing she had said too much. “There have been a lot of changes, but you don’t need to concern yourself with that. You have this beautiful new life to focus on and enjoy.”

“Do you think that moving to a castle would change me so quickly?” I asked quietly. “You know me, Mother. Would I ever turn my back on my... I mean your pack?”

“Well, no, but after your father banished you, I wasn’t sure how you felt about the situation,” she admitted. “They aren’t technically your pack anymore.”

“Maybe not, but they are my people.” My voice was firm, catching my mother’s attention again. “Now, tell me. What is going on?”

“You always were a stubborn child,” my mother said, but she was smiling at me. “That stubbornness will come in useful in your new life, I believe.”

“Mom,” I pushed.

“Yes, yes, very well,” she said.

I noticed her wringing her hands together nervously. She started to pace the room again, looking at everything but not really seeing. It was making me impatient watching her, but I tried to keep my mouth shut, knowing she would speak to me when she was ready. My mother had always been someone to think of every word before she said it, which made talking to her a very long process at times.

“Your father decided to forge an alliance with Blackstone to cease the Alpha’s aggression toward the pack,” she began, looking up at me. “You know, after the whole mess with Conall.”

“Yes, I remember,” I said, urging her on.

I didn’t need a reminder of what had happened with Conall. The mental image of Rhys jumping in to defend me and killing the arrogant man still played in my head every night. That had been the seal in the coffin for my exile from my pack.

“Well, even after your father banished you, things were tense,” my mother continued. “So your father went to work things out...”

“And did they?” I asked, getting impatient despite my understanding of my mother’s speech.

“Yes... and no.” She let out a large sigh and turned to stare out the window. “I fear there might not be a Hunters Glen for much longer.”

“What?” I asked. “I thought you said they formed an alliance.”

“They did,” she said slowly. “However, part of that alliance was your father giving Alpha Aleric the final say in certain Hunters Glen pack matters.”

I groaned but didn’t say anything. I knew what she meant.

“You are right to groan,” my mother said sympathetically. “Within the first week, Aleric came in and basically declared himself the new Alpha and demanded the pack members of Hunters Glen submit to him.”

I wondered how this could have happened. Worst of all, I knew I couldn’t do anything about it. As the future queen, I couldn’t get involved in personal matters. I would have to look at the situation objectively. If my father had allowed it, there wasn’t much I could do, no matter how much it burned me inside.

“And Dad just stood back and allowed this?” I asked in disbelief.

“I’m not sure, but it appeared so,” my mom answered. I stared at her in shock.

“What do you mean you aren’t sure?” I asked.

“As soon as the Blackstone warriors came in and started rounding everyone up, I slipped out through the underground passage,” she said. “I knew whatever was coming was not going to be good.”

“Where did you go?” I asked, gripped fully by her tale now.

“I went to the elders’ house for a while, keeping an eye on the situation from afar,” she continued, too slow for me. “I saw them demand the pack’s allegiance, and I watched them as they all gave in. Really, what choice did they have?”

More questions were popping up as she spoke, but I needed to stay focused on one thing at a time.

“After my observations over a week, I realized that it wasn’t safe for me in Hunters Glen anymore, and I left,” she said as if it was some little decision. “I decided to head back to my old pack and see if they could help us out and come to our rescue. They are a small pack and couldn’t risk getting involved with a pack as large as Blackstone.”

I was about to interrupt, but my mother cut in before I had the chance.

“However, they did tell me that Axureon was welcoming any runaways from Hunters Glen as long as they were dragon allies,” my mother glanced nervously at me. “I’m not sure if you remember, but my old pack has some ties to the dragons. They worked out an arrangement. Axureon has always been kind to refugees, so it wasn’t hard to convince him.

“He arrived about a week ago to establish their new settlement. I went out to meet them, aiding as many Hunters Glen wolves as I could. Over the past week, we have been helping Axureon and all the other dragons while also creating a sanctuary for ourselves. It was from Axureon that I learned of your engagement and whereabouts, and I knew I just had to come.”

She walked closer to me and cupped my cheek in her hand.

“I couldn’t miss this huge moment in your life, and I wanted to make sure that you knew I did not stand with your father or his decisions,” she said, almost in a nervous tone. “I would have never kicked you out, even if I disagreed with you. Not that I am saying I disagree with you. I know you’re life has taken a turn that you did not ask for, and–”

I interrupted my mom with another big hug, similar to when I had first seen her. This was the most I had ever heard my mother speak, and she was saying so much with her words.

“Are you sure you can’t stay here?” I asked after a moment.

“No, I’m sorry, sweetie. I will have to go back and take care of our people. Some of them are not as trusting of the dragons as I am, and I want to make sure to keep the peace.” She pulled back, looking somewhat nervous again. “Are you certain you don’t want to come back with me?”

My eyebrows rose in surprise.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, marrying the prince would change your life dramatically,” she began slowly. “You wouldn’t be able to help Hunters Glen, or the dragons whenever you want. You would lose the freedom that you have now. Marriage, especially to a royal, is a very serious contract. I just want to make sure you are prepared for that situation. If not, you could return with me, live with the dragons again, and help your people.”

I shook my head automatically. “I love Rhys, and I want to marry him. He is my pack now.”

“Okay, I just had to ask," she said as she hugged me again.

But I couldn’t help but think about what she had said. Was I really ready to give up my old life?