Sold as the Alpha King's Breeder
Chapter 255

Chapter 35: No Time to Write Wrongs

Maeve

I went back to my room. Troy's room, after dinner to replace it spotless. The mess I had made wasrighted, and I noticed as I opened the drawers in the bedside tables that he had placed everythingback inside, including the wadded-up papers and random rocks. I smiled to myself as I shut thedrawers, looking around before thinking better of going to bed right away, and decided to visit theinfirmary instead.

Cleo wasn't there, but I found Myla still sprawled out in the bed in the center of the room, her eyesshut and mouth slightly open as she lingered in a deep, ceaseless sleep. I touched her face, then herhair, murmuring a silent prayer over her as she slumbered.

“She'll wake up from it,” said Keaton.

I nearly jumped out of my skin, turning to replace him leaning against the doorway with his armscrossed over his chest. “You scared me,” ! said, blood hammering in my ears.

“Sorry, I didn't think anyone would be down here. Cleo’s found a friend in Meran, I'm afraid. Bothtalkers, those two.”

“I didn't realize you were on a first-name basis with Cleo-"

"Well, she’s my mate's mother. I suppose that allows for some kind of intimacy.”

The blood drained from my face as I looked up at him, then back down at Myla. “What did you justsay?"

"My mate,” he said matter-of-factly, taking a single step into the room and looking down at Myla.“No, she-"

“Why don't we step outside for a minute, Maeve? I think the two of us have some things to talkabout.” He turned on his heel and walked out of the infirmary with me close behind him, my mindreeling at his revelation.

Myla’'s mate? Him? A pirate?

I suddenly remembered the strange look on his face when Myla was brought aboard the ship, howhe had gone to her immediately. struggling to maintain his composure as she laid limp in thestretcher.

Crazier things have happened, I thought dismally, thinking of how shocked I had been when I foundout Gemma and Ernest were mates.

Oh, Gemma. I wished she was here. She would be thrilled for Myla. And she would definitely havescolded me for being anything but happy for her.

I buried my grief, following Keaton up the many staircases until we reached the main deck.

“You're too hard on him, you know.” Keaton was leaning on the rail, looking out over the water. Hisshirt was billowing in the soft breeze as the waves beat against the sides of the boat, the sailsoverhead pulling us further into the open water.

"He must have explained what he did to me,” I said shortly, leaning on the rail in a similar fashion,my hair still knotted in a bun on the top of my head. I was thankful for it; I didn't like the windwhipping my hair into a tangled frenzy.

“He did. You have to realize, though, that he was expecting to replace you there in Drogomor.”"Wasn't that the whole point? Pretending to be my breeder to gain access to the castle?”

Keaton looked at me for a long moment, then looked away, sighing. “He said you wouldn'tunderstand.”

“Well, I'm not understanding you.” i tapped my fingernails on the railing. growing impatient. I hadalready tried to ask about his mate bond with Myla, but he had quickly changed the subject, thepain of her injury and state of being etched into his face. I didn’t push the subject, even though Iwanted to

“I've known Troy for a very long time, Maeve. If he had known what was going to happen, hewouldn't have set foot on Valoria, you have my word.”

“Your word means nothing to me.”

“You're a real peach. I can see why Troy likes you.” Keaton smirked, his eyes a deep greenish-gold inthe twilight sky.

"He doesn’t. He doesn't know me, not anymore. That Maeve died in Drogomor.”

13:46

Chapter

No Time to Write Wrongs

“Well, that's rather ominous.” He pushed against the railing, facing me.

t's true. And I didn't know Troy at all, really. He lied to me. I only knew him as Aar”

“Troy is totally incapable of being anything other than himself, I assure you.” He chuckled thenshaking his head. I looked up at him,

NTN IN DIDIER

What do you mean?”

“The man you knew as Aaron was one-hundred percent Troy. I've met Aaron, the little prick. He'sworthless. Had he been the one with you in Valeria, well, you'd have been the one trying to getAaron out of Valoria, not the other way around.”

I couldn't help but smile at that. The real Aaron had been kind of a wuss when we met as children.Perhaps Keaton was right and I would've been trying to run the real Aaron out of town if he'd beenmy breeder instead of Troy.

“How long have you known Troy?”

Keaton looked at me for a moment, deciding whether or not he wanted to tell me anything ofsubstance about his friend. He shrugged, pursing his lips. “Troy joined our band when he was six.”Your band?"

*Ave, well, by band I mean just a group of orphans who ran amok on Avondale. Beach Rats, we werecalled. They're everywhere in the Isles. No pack to claim them, no homes to go back to. Troy didn'tsay a word to any of us for an entire year after we picked him up. He just followed us around,sleeping down the beach from us until Robbie convinced me to take him in. We were all around thesame age.”

“I can't imagine,” i said quietly, totally shocked and suddenly heartbroken for Troy. I rememberedthe portrait of the woman in his journal, the woman whose face was blurred like it had come from adistant, fragmented memory. Does he remember his parents?”

“You could ask him, but he'll probably tell you what he told me. He doesn't remember his mother,he thinks she may have died around the time he was born. His father, or at least the man he calleddad, left him on Avondale when he was four or five, and just left, I guess. His dad was very sick, fromwhat Troy remembers of him. He's still not sure if it was his real father or just someone tasked withcaring for him since his mother was dead.”

"Oh, my Goddess, that's awful.” i felt sick to my stomach at how I had been treating Troy all of thesudden. Left alone so young? To fend for himself?

Keaton waved his hand in dismissal. “He doesn't like to talk about it. Don't tell him I told you.”

I won't, I promise.”

"Good. Anyway, Troy was a beautiful kid, and I mean really beautiful, with those weird eyes of hisand his thick hair. We used him as bait, with permission of course, to lore old ladies away from theirpurses at those fancy beach-front restaurants under the guise of not being able to replace his mommy,and all that. We made a killing in those early years, got ourselves a small cruiser by the time we wereten or so.”

*And I'm guessing that's when the piracy began?” Something about this felt vaguely familiar.

“Not quite, but it did get us off Avondale. More opportunities elsewhere, if you know what I mean.”I don't follow —

*Poldesse was broken up in those days, you know. You were probably born around that time, whatare you, twenty? Well, the islands of Papeno and Suntra were the new ports of trade during theReconstruction, and we ran goods for merchants on our cruiser for years. One of those runs washow we found the Persephone. She was beached on an island south of Suntra, rotting in the sun forGoddess knows how long We worked like dogs until we had enough coin to have her towed toSuntra and renovated, top to bottom.” He patted the railing lovingly, smiling as though the shipwere alive.

gaped at him, trying to wrap my head around the idea of three little boys growing up alone for solong, accomplishing so much on their own

“Troy was our navigator, always. He was the reason why we kept the sails. Loves maps, that guy. Hewanted nothing more than to stand at the helm with that damn compass in his hands Robbie is ourstrongman, although he wouldn't hurt a fly. He just looks scary

"What are you then7" I asked, trying not to laugh as he gazed at me, surprised

“The pretty face, obviously”

He smiled “In reality, Troy and Robbie are too good. Every band of pirates needs a bad guy*

“So that's why you're the captain, then?”

“Someone's gotta do it

Chapter 35: No Time to Write Wrongs

We stood in silence for a moment, looking out over the water.

"Why didn’t you guys join a pack when you were young?” I asked, tucking a loose strand of hairbehind my ear.

“We made a vow not to; we were our pack in a way. We didn’t need anyone else.”

"How did you end up working for Damian, then?”

Keaton sucked in his breath, looking very serious. I could tell he didn't particularly want to talkabout it, but he seemed to know that I was likely to press the issue if he didn't tell me now. “Damianrebuilt Poldesse, you know. There was a lot of money in it already. Romero's money. You may notknow about him, but well, he was the reason Troy went to Valoria in the first place.

“He mentioned him-"

"Did he mention Romero was his grandfather?”

I blinked, looking up at Keaton in surprise. “No, he didn't.”

“Well, now ya know. Damian used that to his gain. He took advantage of Troy. We didn't catch ituntil it was too late.”

"What happens now?” i said abruptly.

He looked over at me, searching my face. “You need to talk to Troy about that, Princess,” he saidshortly.

“But you're the captain. Where are we going? I need to get word back to my parents,”

"You are the most wanted person in the land, Princess. Taking you back to your parents would be adeath sentence for everyone involved, including them.”

“I could just send a letter-"

Keaton leaned in, desperately serious. “No, Maeve. Right now, you're dead. You and Troy died inDrogomor, okay?"

I leaned away from him, my throat tightening so violently I found it hard to breathe. I knew for afact that once word spread about what happened in Valoria, my dad would come after me. Hewould do everything in his power to replace me. If he wasn't careful, he might be led into a trap, and Iwould be long gone, sitting on a boat heading to lands unknown.

“No!” i exclaimed, shoving him and pointing my finger in his face. “I WILL be sending a letter. I haveto. My family will try to replace me, and I won't allow them to think I am dead.”

"it's too late. We are drifting at full sail, Maeve. We'll be far from even the ports in the isles bytomorrow. I'm sorry.”

Igaped at him, tears beginning to well in the corners of my eyes as he looked down at me.

“Trust that we will keep you safe,” he continued, and I glared, shaking my head and turning away.“I was a pawn

“You were the reason, Maeve. There's a difference-"

I walked away, my heart heavy in my chest. This was too much.

As I walked across the main deck toward the door, something caught my eyes, the moon reflectingoff of something in the crow's nest on the mainsail above my head. I looked up, barely able to makeout Troy's profile as he sat with his legs dangling from the crow’s nest one hand gripping a bookwhile the other sketched, his head bent, oblivious to my presence.

*Troy?" I said, hoping my voice would carry up to him.

He looked down, his hair falling around his face.

“Can we talk?”