Sold as the Alpha King’s Breeder

Chapter 108 : The Magic Book

*Lena*

Time passed in a blur of mingled stillness and impossible activity. I spent much of my days in Winter

Forest sitting in the library at the castle, snuggled in a plush blanket and flannel pajamas while I stared

blankly at the same page of the same book I'd been trying to read for nearly a week.

I knew I wouldn't hear from Xander for a while, likely a very long time if I was being honest with myself.

Mom did her best to lift my spirits. On the third day after Xander and Oliver left, she started reading

aloud to me in the confines of the library from books I'd loved from my childhood spent running wild in

this territory.

Maeve joined in on the fourth day, sitting with her long legs draped over my mother's lap as she rested

her head on the armrest and stared at the ceiling with the same blank expression I wore on my own

face. All three of her sons, my cousins, were in Breles. Her husband, her mate, was there too. Her

brother, my father, would be fighting beside them all.

We just didn't know when the first thundering of war would sound, and every minute waiting was a cruel

game of what-ifs.

Grandma Rosalie was the one who kept us fed and warm while we holed up in the library. Snow fell

heavily outside the frosted windows as cart after cart of tea was wheeled in, though often left

untouched, untasted.

On the fifth day, Grandma joined us in the “depression nest," wrapping a thick blanket around her

shoulders as she settled on the couch next to me, resting her hand against my knee.

But on the sixth day, my grandpa came to the library, and our self-pity party was forced to an abrupt

end.

“This is getting ridiculous," he grumbled, easing himself into an armchair with a view of all four of us.

“Why? I thought you'd enjoy a break from all of us women," Maeve yawned, twirling a lock of her red

hair around her finger.

“Every blanket in the castle is currently in the library," he continued, motioning toward the twin couches

we had claimed, which faced each other with a coffee table in between, which was currently littered

with books. The spell book sat on top of the strewn books, its leather cover shimmering in the reflection

of the fire. We'd taken turns flipping through the pages, looking for something, anything, substantial, but

had found nothing.

“Leave us be, Ethan," Grandma smiled softly.

Grandpa furrowed his brow, looking at us one by one. Maeve narrowed her eyes at him, sizing him up.

“Don't look at us like that, Dad."

“Why not? You're all acting like infants."

“You know for a fact that if I had a choice, I'd be in Breles with the rest of the armies, not wasting my

years of warrior training trying to figure out what I'm meant to do with this!" she waves her hand toward

the book for emphasis, then tucked her hand back under her blanket, scowling. “I hate that I'm not

there."

“Me too," I agreed, and Grandpa settled his gaze on me. He'd been filled in on the situation when he

returned to Winter Forest two days ago, after a long trip from Breles with a stop in Mirage. All of the

Alphas were congregating in Breles, where news of new night attacks was starting to trickle in from the

westernmost packs in Findali.

There were no armies of vampires yet, though. They hadn't found the portal, or they hadn't figured out

how to cross in large numbers.

The elders of the pack lands, mostly retired Alphas who'd passed down their titles, or high ranking men

and women tasked with forming the committees that kept peace in the pack lands, had taken over for

the younger Alphas who were leading their warriors into battle.

My grandfather was an elder now, and a very opinionated one at that.

“Well, figure out the book and then you can go, Maeve," he said, crossing his arms over his chest. “It's

that simple."

“But it's not that simple," Mom cut in, casting Grandpa a long look. “We don't know what we're looking

for."

“What about… contacting the High Priestess?" Grandma asked.

Maeve tilted her head, considering. “It's actually not a bad idea. Monica has been helpful in a lot of

different ways. Maybe she can grant us access to the records they keep in the temple," Maeve said as

she straightened up a bit.

“We should involve Mara as well," Mom added, and I immediately went rigid, remembering my meeting

with Mara, one of the refugees from Dianny and the younger sister of none other than Tasia, when she

had been overseeing the investigation of Morhan University and their damning misconduct involving

the safety of students.

“We'd have to tell them the truth of the matter," Grandma said.

“There won't be much need to explain. Word is already spreading about what's being seen in the rural

villages in Findali. Rumors are spreading. Oliver, Xander, and his Beta have been tasked with readying

the forces of the Alphas for battle–"

“You've seen Xander?" I asked hurriedly. Grandpa nodded, settling back against his armchair.

“When I left for Mirage, he was preparing to head south for Egoren, with his Beta. He brought a family

of.... vampires, to Breles. To help train–"

“Gideon and Alma?" I asked excitedly, damn near jumping to my feet. I got tangled in the blankets and

nearly tripped over my grandma, who steadied me with her arm.

“Maybe. I didn't ask their names."

I felt a flood of relief wash over me. Xander was leaving Breles. He was going to Egoren. He'd be safe,

at least for a little while longer. I wondered if Abigail had gone with him, and then prayed that she had.

Maybe Adrian would force her to stay in Egoren, out of harm's way.

Grandma stood up and stretched her arms over her head, and I caught Grandpa's gaze as he watched

her. Even after over forty years together, there was still a flicker of longing in his eyes. He hid it well,

and it was gone in an instant as he braced himself and rose from his chair, his hand wrapping around

the head of his cane.

“That little girl," he asked Grandma, “is she still coming to dinner tonight?"

“Sasha?" Grandma asked with a laugh. “Yes. Why do you ask?"

“I got out the old train set for her to play with, the one that the boys used to love. She looked rather

bored when they came to dinner last week–" Grandpa's voice faded as he walked out of the library with

Grandma.

I sat still for a moment as I was hit with a sudden realization that, hopefully, would change things for the

better when it came to the book.

“Sasha's mother, Clare. Did she tell you about her history?" I asked my mom and Maeve, looking

between them.

Maeve looked at Mom, the two of them looking confused.

I took a deep breath, choking on a laugh. “Clare's a seer. Her mother was Lycennian. She… she might

be able to help us."

***

Clare walked a wide circle around the table the book was sitting on, her eyes narrowed into slits. Sasha

was playing in the dining hall just across the foyer from us, her blonde pigtails bouncing as she jumped

up and down with excitement as Grandpa put together the train set for her.

Clare's powers of sight were different from what Mom and I could do. She didn't have visions. She

didn't really see anything at all. But she could feel things, which seemed significant to me, since we'd

looked and looked through the book and were obviously missing something substantial.

“I don't like this," Clare huffed, crossing her arms over her chest, her golden brown hair trembling as

she shook her head. She was dressed in a cream colored turtleneck sweater and jeans, and had the

same scowl on her face that I remembered her by. She hadn't bothered to tell me what happened to

her after the fall of Cedar Hollow. I wasn't even going to ask. Xander was convinced that Hale had died

in that battle, and I didn't want to bring up her brother's death, not now.

“What do you mean?" Mom asked. Clare pursed her lips, taking a step toward the book with her hand

overstretched, then pulled her hand away, clenching it into a fist.

“This is dark, whatever it is. There's some kind of… barrier around it. It hurts to even come near it," she

said. “It… burns."

“It burned Xander, too," I said. “And he's of Lycaon's line."

“But do you see anything?" Maeve urged.

Clare sighed, motioning toward the book. “Open it for me."

I stepped forward and opened it to the title page. Clare stepped forward, her jaw flexing as she leaned

over the table to get a better look.

The font was incredibly small, almost hard to read, and was handwritten.

“That's Morrighan's name," she said, and I nodded.

“This book belonged to her."

Clare closed her eyes for a split second, then opened them wide, shaking her head.

“Again, this is very dark stuff, old stuff."

“Mommy?" Sasha said as she skipped into the room.

Clare leaned away from the book, looking in Sasha's direction.

“He is taking a long time with the twains," Sasha shrugged, pointing a finger across the foyer to the

dining hall, where Grandpa was sitting on the floor, piecing the wooden tracks together with the

calculated precision of an engineer. He probably hadn't even noticed Sasha had left the room.

“What is that sound?" Sasha said before any of us could reply to her. She put her hands over her ears,

pouting.

“What sound?" Clare asked, looking around.

We all looked around, but it was quiet in the library.

“Someone singing, right there!" Sasha pointed to the book before putting her hands over her ears

again.

“Singing?" I said, glancing at my mom and Maeve before turning back to Sasha.

Clare's brow furrowed as she reached for her daughter, guiding her toward the book. “What are they

singing, sweetheart? Do you know the words?"

“They're howling," Sasha said, screwing her face into a grimace.

Clare and I met each other's eyes.

“Howling?" Mom said, but Maeve stepped forward, closing the book and gathering it in her arms.

Clare turned Sasha toward the foyer and led her away, glancing back at us over her shoulder with a

look that said she understood what needed to happen next.

But I wasn't totally sure what was happening.

Maeve ran her tongue along the inside of her lower lip, looking thoughtfully down at the book.

“This is supposed to be read… I think–I think I need to shift to make sense of this."

“Why did Sasha hear howling when none of us heard it?" I asked.

“Magic, I guess," Maeve sighed, her eyes lost in thought. “I'll try after dinner."