Sold as the Alpha King's Breeder
Chapter 312

Chapter 92 : Unexpected Visitor

Maeve

I didn't even feel the long, horizontal wound below my navel. The doctors and nurses who hadtended to me were shocked as they removed the sutures that should have been in for two weeksbut were taken out after only three days.

There had been a discussion about discharging me, but I wouldn't hear it. I wasn't going to leavethe hospital without Oliver.

He was the smallest of the boys by far. There was practically no fat on his body. But despite his sizeand the fact that he and his brothers had been born a month early, he was doing exceed ingly well.He was spirited and awake, his eyes constantly open, and his limbs always squirming. He was readyto take on the world, thought, as I ran my fingers over his bald head.

Charlie and Will were our big boys, chubby and happy with thick heads of fine, red hair. Charlie wasthe quiet one out of the three, and will was the grumpy one. I was looking forward to see ing howthese newborn personalities took shape as they got older.

And they would get older. All three of them. And I would be there to witness it.

After only five days of hospital surveillance, Oliver was al lowed to go home with us. Home, it turnedout, was the castle since we had crash-landed the seaplane.

It would take another two weeks to repair it, which seemed like a miracle given the damage, andDad was adamant that we

not “risk our lives” by flying in a single-prop airplane back to Win ter Forest in the middle of winter.The castle felt like an unfamiliar place to me despite how much time I had spent there. Mom had meup and walking every few hours, my hand placed in the crook of her elbow as we walked from oneend of the castle to the other, over and over

again.

We talked about every manner of things. My childhood and her childhood. My journey through thepass. Our shared friends and family members back in Winter Forest. Not once did we men tion themoonstones or Mom's power. Not once did I speak on the fact that I could feel Troy was truly mymate. Not once was Tasia’ s name spoken aloud.

Troy and Dad had used the time we were spending at the castle to talk about what they should doabout Poldesse, and I no ticed a great shift in their relationship as the days went by. I had nomemory of what had happened, not the plane crash or the stones or even the birth of our children.But during that time, Troy had proven to my dad that he was the man I already knew him to be. Hewas capable of anything. And he was capable of saying no to Dad, if necessary, which was why I wasshocked when he accepted Dad's proposal that Troy become the Alpha of Poldesse.

“But I thought that wasn't what you wanted? Carrying on Romero's legacy, or whatever.” I wasstruggling to get Will's arm into a pair of bright green footed pajamas. He squawked, which causedCharlie to stir.

All three boys were currently in our bed in various states of undress. Troy had just finished changingOliver's diaper, stepping back to admire his work. Oliver tucked his knees into his belly and his faceturned a pale purple, and his diaper filled once again.

"Why do you do this?” Troy asked playfully, unclasping what had just been a fresh diaper.

Charlie continued to happily doze, likely having sweet, milky dreams while his brothers caused aruckus. I looked down at Will, who was looking back up at me with his darkened irises. I could justsee a hint of blue in them now as they lightened, pale blue, like my own.

Charlie had the same coloring, but Oliver's eye color was still a mystery. He had grown substantiallyin the last week since we'd been out of the hospital, and his head was now covered in pale copperpeach fuzz. Charlie and Will's hair had darkened, which made me wonder if they'd have more ofTroy's coloring as they got older.

“It's my birthright, Maeve, and I have an opportunity to change things in the Isles. It was my home, Iguess, at least home base. I don’t want another generation of kids growing up pack less.Something's gotta be done.”

“But... I'll be White Queen one day. What happens then?”

"One of the boys will take over as Alpha, and we'll return to Winter Forest with you for myretirement. I'll just fish all day and read books out on the bluff. The grandkids can visit every summer."

I couldn't stop myself from smiling, despite my doubts.

"What if I become White Queen before... before they're grown?" I asked, unable to stop my mindfrom wandering to the moonstones and Tasia.

Troy sighed as he zipped up Oliver's pajamas. “We don't know where Tasia is. We don't know whatshe’s planning. It sounds like she has one ally, and that's that Carl fellow from

Lycenna and none of us, including your Dad and Rowan, have ever met.

“Plus, your mom and Hanna got royally f*cked,” he paused, blushing as he looked down at Oliver,"MESSED up, by Tasia,” he corrected, clearing his throat. “She couldn't have come out of whateverhappened between them unscathed.”

“None of this makes sense to me, Troy. Does it make sense to you? Una and Tasia said combiningthe moonstones would bring the Moon Goddess back, and that whoever held them would haveconsiderable power.

“We brought the stones together, and I still almost died. Mom has her powers, but she’s still weak.And... and the vision I had in the stones, of the two white wolves... I don't understand what I'msupposed to do!”

“Maybe we don't have to do anything. Maybe we just focus on your recovery, and our sons, andstarting a new life, together, far from Valoria.”

“Then what of the prophecy that crazy old woman was talking about?” I scooped Will off the bedand patted his back, bouncing him on my shoulder. “It sounds like war is coming, and we're right inthe middle of it.”

Troy considered this, then shrugged, seeming generally unin terested in the topic altogether.“Maybe your mom's immortal now, and we won't have to worry about what we're going to do in theevent you become White Queen.”

“Immortal?” I laughed, which startled Will. He flinched in my arms and screwed his face into agrimace. “Oh, darling, I was kid ding!" I patted him vigorously and he settled back down, keeping acareful eye on me. I had a feeling Will was going to be a force to be reckoned with in the future.“Plus, it sounds like the prophecy is more related to Rowan and Hanna than to us.”

I bristled, suddenly feeling a little headed. “Didn't you tell me once that Romero called me the... thekey?"

Troy was playing with Oliver, moving his legs as if Oliver were riding a bike. “He did. I didntunderstand his meaning,”

"Rowan said Hanna always talked about needing to replace the door to her dreams, to get out of themShe told Dad Rowan be came the door, all she had to do was think of him... and me, I'm the key?But what am I the key to, exactly?”

“Well, you found the moonstones.”

“I didn't replace a single moonstone, Troy. Gemma had one, Soren gave Mom the other before anyoneknew its meaning, and you found the one hidden in the tomb.”

"So? You were the reason for the quest, Maeve. Had you not been sent to Valoria, who knows ifDamian would've acted in the way he did. You set things in motion. Maybe that's why you're thekey.

“You ... unlocked the prophecy, and now Rowan finishes it. That's how I interpret it. It sounds likewhatever child he has with Hanna is possibly the child Una was talking about, the twenty first wolf,or whatever,”

“Twenty-first White Queen, Troy, which would mean my title would go to their daughter, not one ofour own.”

"Well... do you want more kids?” He motioned toward our bed, which was covered in babies.

I laughed, shaking my head. “I never want to be pregnant

again, thank you very much. I feel like there was a war inside my body.”

"Good, because I never-" Troy flushed, his cheeks burning with heat. “I can't lose you, Maeve. I camevery close. I don't want to do that again.”

“I'm done if you're done.” I swallowed against the odd tighten ing in the chest as I said the words. Iwas supposed to have a daughter to carry on the White Queen line, but Mom and Dad had had twochildren... me and Rowan. Rowan had Mom's blood. He could carry on the White Queen line.

That was, if Hanna stayed with him, and accepted her des

tiny.

There was a sharp knock on the door, and a maid stepped in. She was new, unfamiliar, but pleasantand soft-spoken.

"Princess Maeve,” she said with a curtsey. “Um, Troy.”

“Is everything alright?” I asked as I turned to her.

Her cheeks were pinkened from the effort of what looked like her mad dash to our bedroom, whichwas my old room in the cas tle.

“Your father... th — the Alpha King... is fighting with a man downstairs who has been asking for thetwo of you.”

“Fighting?” Troy asked, letting go of Oliver's legs.

The maid nodded with vigor, looking a little pale. She didn't need to describe what was happeningdownstairs. Now that the door was open, I could hear Dad's raised voice wafting up the stairwelldown the hallway from us.

“I will watch the babies!” the maid exclaimed as Dad yelled

something quite colorful.

Troy gave me a suspicious look, then nodded at the maid.

“We'll send the nanny up for you. Maeve needs to rest soon anyway. Maeve, let's see what this isabout.”

I followed Troy out of the bedroom and into the hallway, Dad’ s voice getting louder as we walkeddown the many flights of stairs to the grand foyer. I could see Mom standing with her arms crossed,her hair pulled back into a long braid as she watched Dad berate whoever had come calling.

Troy paused at the bottom of the stairs, then ran forward, leaving me behind.

Keaton was standing in the center of the foyer, two warriors holding him back while he went backand forth with Dad, his beautiful face twisted in a sneer.

“Keaton!” I cried, running toward him.

Dad immediately quieted, shocked by the joy in my voice as Troy and I nearly tackled Keaton to theground.

"Get off! This is a new coat. It's velvet-" Keaton choked out, pushing us both away.

"Where's Myla? And Cleo?” I said excitedly.

“Shopping.” Keaton said, matter-of-factly. “But we all heard you were here, the both of you. Wewanted to visit —" Keaton glanced at Dad, glaring. “But your father isn't the most welcoming host.”My eyes went wide as I turned to Dad. He had asked about Keaton, of course, and the entire crew ofthe Persephone. I knew he blamed Keaton for the fact I was missing for so long when in

reality it was more Troy's fault than anything.

“Get that pirate out of my castle,” Dad said calmly, his hands on his hips.

"Another time, then?” Keaton bowed dramatically, mocking Dad's position.

"You're going to get yourself killed, you idiot,” Troy whispered before putting an arm around him,leading him toward the door. “Let's go sit in the garden.”

“Maeve needs to come too. And her parents,” Keaton said, stopping before they could cross thethreshold. He looked over his shoulder at Dad. “We need to talk about Dianny.”