Sold as the Alpha King's Breeder
Chapter 506

Chapter 8 : Blood Root

*Lena*®

I spent a good part of the day working in silence next to Henry as we crouched in the rows ofmedicinal herbs. He would hand me things on occasion, wordlessly, for me to inspect. By midday, Ihad a basket full of oddly shaped valerian roots and several bushes of hummingbird sage that werewithered and drooping, obviously diseased.

But none of it made sense. Their soil was rich, and the positioning of the garden and the amount ofsun the area received were perfect growing conditions for the herbs. I wondered at first whether thechill of the night was causing the damage, but Henry waved this away, shaking his head as he roseand peered into the distance, over the crumbling, ancient stone wall that wrapped around the entireestate.

"Are those lightning strikes?” I asked, standing next to him as I pointed.

He grunted in response. He was a man of few words, a lot like my own grandfather. "No."

"Then... what is it? Those black spots all over-"

"It's plants.’

"Plants? What-"

"You'll replace them everywhere now. They started in the southern tip of Finaldi and migrated northover the years. About three years ago, we started seeing them in Crimson Creek. We call it bloodroot."

"Blood root?"

He nodded but then turned away from me, continuing to forage. I balanced my basket on my hip asI watched him. He was ignoring me. He likely knew I wanted to know more about the mysterybeyond the wall.

"I don't need your assistance any longer today,” he said, keeping his back to me. I narrowed myeyes at him, then turned back to the path leading back to the barn and bunkhouse.

I stopped at the little shed in the corner of the herb garden and stored the tote of supplies Xanderhad brought down for me earlier in the day. It had been a kind gesture on his part, but it had beenmarred by his behavior toward Maxwell Radcliffe.

I sighed, glancing at Henry over my shoulder before stepping through the herb garden's gate.Bethany said Henry had been working for the Radcliffe family for at least three decades. He kneweverything about this place.

And I was willing to bet he wasn't telling me about the strange black plants called blood root onpurpose.

ior

The rain started as I walked back toward the bunkhouse. I wasn't dressed for the rain, but to behonest, the weather here was very strange given the time of year. It was late autumn, and the airwas warm during the day, but the nights were frigid and uncomfortable. Morhan was north ofCrimson Creek... and it wasn't nearly as cold there.

I was heading to the warehouse with my samples to give to Xander so he could run his tests. Ishielded my face with my hand as I walked past the barn, where the sound of giggling cut throughthe rain.

I paused, turning my head toward the barn where the giggling continued, interrupted by a man'svoice... Xander's voice.

I shifted the weight of my basket and crept toward the bam, peering inside the door, which wasslightly ajar. I could just see the outline of someone leaning against one of the horse stalls.

The rain was beginning to pelt the top of my head, cold and slightly painful. I stepped inside thebarn, blinking as my eyes adjusted to the dim light.

Xander was whispering into the ear of the brown-haired woman who had been collecting dishes atbreakfast, giving her a seductive smile as she giggled like a schoolgirl.

But then they saw me. and Xander immediately leaned away from her. straightening to his fullheight as he pushed off the stall.

"What are you doing here9’ he asked harshly.

The woman blushed, glancing at me before turning on her heel and walking past me out of thebarn.

"I could ask you the same thing,” I said, tilting my head in the direction the woman had retreated."You're supposed to be working.”

"I was." He grabbed a shovel that was leaning next to him and turned, taking a step into the stall."What are you doing?"

"Working-"

"Mucking the stall? That's not what you're supposed to-'

"You spent hours in the herb garden collecting samples, Lena. I didn't have anything to run my testson, yet,” he said from the stall. I couldn't see him, but I could hear the annoyance in his voice.

"Are you doing that woman's job?" I asked, taking a step forward.

He didn't answer for a moment, then I heard him let out his breath. He turned to me, his eyesseeming to glow in the darkness of the stall. "Her name is Jen, and yeah, I am."

"It seemed like you two were doing a lot more than chores-"

Xander came out of the stall, his eyes blazing with annoyance. He set the shovel down as he tookseveral steps in my direction, narrowing his eyes at me.

"What's it to you?” he asked, leaning down so close to my face our noses were nearly touching, "Areyou jealous?"

"I'm not jealous,’ I sneered, attempting to push him away.

He stood his ground, however, his eyes flashing with a silent challenge.

"How would you have felt if you'd seen me kissing her?" he asked, his voice an octave lower thanusual.

I didn't like the way his words made me feel. "Well, were you kissing her?" I whispered, unsure ofwhy the words even left my mouth.

He gave me a sly smile, leaning even closer and closing the distance between US. His mouthhovered over mine for a split second.

But he didn't kiss me. He straightened up, a smug look on his face as he chuckled to himself,shaking his head.

"You think you know what you want, Lena. You really have no idea.”

"What the hell do you mean by that?’ I sneered, stifling the heated blush that was rippling over mycheeks and neck.

"You wanted me to kiss you, just then. I could feel it. You're disappointed that I didn't-"

"Shut up, Xander," I huffed, pushing past him to walk back out into the rain.

He said nothing further as I gathered my basket in my arms and drudged into the bleak downpour,not even bothering to shield myself from the rain as it washed over my face and cooled my burningskin.

I set the basket in the warehouse, noticing Xander's workstation in the corner. He'd covered it in asheet of plastic to keep the area free of dust and other particles while it wasn't in use, which wassmart. I still thought he was a jerk; he was a bossy, oppressive playboy, but at least he knew what hewas doing in terms of our field study.

"Hey," Bethany said as I set the basket down, bobbing her head at me as she pulled herself out fromunderneath one of the tractors, her body splayed on a creeper seat. She sat up, wiping her browwhich left a smudge of blackened grease behind.

"Hey," I said shortly, opening the cabinet where Xander was keeping our field study file.

"What's the matter with you?” Bethany laughed. "Henry wear you down? He's good at what he does,but man, he's the grumpiest old man I've ever met.”

"You've never met my grandfather, then,” I murmured, opening the file and staring down at it,running my finger along the index.

"Anything I can help you with? This rain put a damper on the outside tasks,” Bethany stood andwiped her grimy hands on a rag, dropping a few tools into a large toolbox sitting next to the truck."Maybe replace me a new place to sleep,” I breathed, glancing up from the file to meet her gaze. Shesmirked, shaking her head.

"Don't want to share a room with your partner, huh?"

"I really don't,” I tried to smile, but it was impossible. Xander was starting to make me feel.something. Whatever it was, was foreign, and I didn't like it. I wasn't a jealous person by nature, butreplaceing him in the barn with that Jen girl made me feel... awful. There was no other way to describeit.

"I bet I could get Jen to move to the cottage and give you her bunk,” Bethany said as she closed upher toolbox. "She's been talking about Xander since he got here over the weekend. A little obsessedisd

"No, it's alright. I'll manage,” I said quickly, swallowing against the sudden panic tightening mythroat. Bethany gave me a side-eyed look, then shrugged, lifting the toolbox as though it weighednothing and setting it on a shelf.

"Suit yourself. Hey, listen, we're having a bonfire tonight, down by the edge of the property. There'sa break in the wall where you can look out over the hills and it's supposed to be clear. One of theseasonal workers is big into astrology. She'll tell you your fortune based on the stars, if you'reinterested. She reads palms, too.”

I gave Bethany an identical look of skepticism, and she laughed.

"We'll have beer and wine, I promise.”

"I guess.” I smiled, but then the thought of seeing Xander and Jen together again sent an achethrough my heart. What the hell was wrong with me?

"Want to go hang out in the bunkhouse? Or do you have some more work to do?” Bethany waspulling on a rain jacket, tilting her head toward the door of the warehouse.

"I could use a cup of tea," I agreed, following her out into the rain. I tucked the file under mysweater, shielding it from the downpour as we walked down the sodden pathway to the bunkhouse,where I was delighted to see a plume of smoke rising out of the chimney.

It was warm inside the bunkhouse with its ancient hearth crackling with several split logs burninghigh. Bethany took me into the kitchen, which was incredibly modern compared to the rest of thenarrow, stone building. She put a kettle on to boil and pulled down a huge basket of assorted tea,as well as a jar of honey and fresh milk.

"So. tell me about what Henry talked to you about today," she said as she poured hot water into ourmugs.

I shrugged, stirring in a spoonful of honey and dropping my tea bag into my mug. "He didn't saymuch at all just gave me judgmental looks. He did mention... blood root.’

"Did he tell you anything about it?"

"No, not at all. What is it, exactly?”

"We don't really know. It was tested a few years ago, by a Morhan student, actually.

But, no one ever got back to the Alpha of Crimson Creek about the results-'

"Who tested it?" I said hurriedly, setting my mug down on the counter. Bethany peered at me for amoment, then shrugged, sipping her tea

"Some girl, Charlie? I think-"

"Carly Maddox?" I whispered, more to myself than anything.

"Sure, maybe. I hadn't come here to work yet. Wouldn't you already know what it is since Morhanwould have the results?"

I shook my head, glancing at the file I had set on the counter. There was no mention of blood rootin the file about Radcliffe farm at all, nor about the plant in Crimson Creek.

In fact, there was no mention of another group of students ever having been in the area. Abigail hadheard about Carly Maddox through rumors that circulated around campus when she failed to returnfrom her field study three years ago, but there was no official report, or even a brief mention, of hername in the file I'd been given

Something wasn't adding up here.