Sold as the Alpha King’s Breeder

Chapter 123: We Just Got Back Together

Knock. Knock. Knock.

“What...." I groaned, rolling over and colliding with Jared's chest.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

“Jared, Eliza?" Miriam's voice called from the hallway.

Jared sighed heavily and sat up. I pulled the covers over my head again. Once we got up, the magic from the night

before would be gone for good and we'd have to face the world.

“What is it, Miriam?" Jared asked. He grabbed the sheet and pulled it down from my face.

“Hey," I whined quietly. I grabbed at the sheet again.

Jared pulled it away from me and shook his head. He winked at me and tickled my sides.

“Stop it!" I gasped, trying to stay quiet so Miriam didn't hear us goofing off.

“Jared, there's been an influx of refugees from the capital. Your messenger has returned and has a report you'll

want to hear," Miriam said.

Jared immediately stopped tickling me.

“Sorry, love, it is time to get to work."

“I know." I sighed and stretched.

“We'll be right there, Miriam."

We dressed quickly and met Miriam in the hall. She gave us a look, like she didn't approve of something. Knowing

Miriam, she probably thought we shouldn't be together since the mate bond was severed.

“Come with me."

I glanced at Jared with a sheepish grin and shrugged. He took my hand and we followed Miriam to the kitchen.

The messenger was at a table, scarfing down soup, sandwiches, and crackers like he hadn't eaten in days.

“Get this man some more food. He's starving," Jared said, motioning to one of the cooks.

“Right away!"

I sat down across from him. He was pretty dirty, too, his clothes ragged. He'd come straight to the kitchen to eat, it

seemed, without cleaning up first.

“Are all of these refugees coming in from the capital?" I asked, opening the conversation.

The messenger swallowed a soggy lump of bread and nodded.

“The capital is a mess. Residents are leaving like crazy. They all want to get far away." he reported.

“Can you tell us what happened?" Jared asked. He sat beside me.

The messenger pulled something out of his pocket and handed it to Jared. It was my engagement ring....

“I couldn't deliver the message. I couldn't even get close to the palace." He hung his head somberly.

“That's not important right now. What did you see?" Jared encouraged.

Under the table, he put his hand on my leg. I bit the inside of my cheek to hold back my gasp.

Was it wrong to feel so happy and so much love when there were so many dangers in the world?

“Aries attacked the capital with his rogue army. It was a mess, but the royal army was able to hold them back. They

quashed the rebellion."

“That's good news, isn't it?" I creased my brow when the messenger shook his head.

“You'd think. However, all the rogues are still there. Now, they are just attacking to cause mayhem. They don't have

the goal of a rebellion, which makes them a lot more dangerous. They've split off into smaller groups and are

plaguing the capital with attacks."

“That explains why all the refugees are coming here...."

Jared nodded. “The capital is no longer safe."

“The rogues were there before I even got there. It was a total mess. People were terrified."

“What news of the king and queen?" I asked, tapping my fingers on the table.

The messenger sighed. “The king and queen barricaded themselves in the palace with their children. No one has

seen them for a while but from what I gather, they are safe."

“Safe as prisoners in their own home," Jared grumbled.

“Rumor has it that Hestia and Aries are in the capital now, working together. They are draining energy from

captives and calling more and more rogues every day. They're planning something big...."

Knock. Knock. Knock.

“What...." I groaned, rolling over and colliding with Jared's chest.

I shuddered. That sounded bad, whatever it was. Aries and Hestia, together again–it had been too much to hope

that Aries would freeze to death and Hestia would crawl into a hole and die.

I felt Jared's eyes on me and I glanced in his direction. His look told me he was thinking the same thing I was.

We didn't need words to know that Hestia and Aries were up to no good and we couldn't let them complete their

plan.

“Eat up, man. Then get cleaned up. You can tell us anything else later."

“Thank you."

The cook brought over a plate covered in bacon and eggs.

Jared and I left him to keep eating. When we were alone in the hallway, Jared grabbed my arm and pulled me to

him.

“What are you doing?" I gasped.

He smirked and grabbed my left hand. He lifted it up to the light and carefully slid my engagement ring back into

place.

“That's where it will stay forever, from now on," Jared said. He kissed the ring on my finger.

“I don't ever want to take it off again." I examined the ring for a moment, but I was still concerned about Jared's

thoughts on the situation.

Even though it was a sweet moment, Jared was distant, his eyes unfocused.

“Jared, what are you thinking? This situation at the capital isn't something we can ignore."

“I know… I'm thinking I should lead a small group to scout out the situation. I can send word to our allies to meet us

there."

“You think a full-on attack is wise?" I creased my brow.

Jared shrugged and stroked his chin. “I won't know until I get there. But I want our allies at the ready. I should get

some more hands here to help with the refugees."

“I can do that."

“Eliza, you're supposed to be taking it easy." Jared gave me a look.

I scoffed. “I can help the refugees get food and clothes and supplies. That won't strain me too much."

“Alright. I'll make my travel plans and you take care of the refugees." Jared took me in his arms and hugged me.

I nuzzled against his chest and wrapped my arms around him.

“Check in before you leave?" I asked.

“Of course!" Jared kissed my lips quickly and departed.

I went straight to the garden, where Giselle and Scarlett were gushing over some new fabric that had been

delivered.

“You two look like you need something to do," I said, approaching.

“Oh, Eliza, you are a sight for sore eyes! I'd love something to do," Giselle said, brightening up.

“Hey! Am I boring you that much?" Scarlett whined, putting her hands on her hips.

Giselle rolled her eyes. “What do you have in mind? A little painting, some dusting?"

“Not this time." I shook my head. “We've got refugees pouring in, and I'd like to get some supplies distributed and

some shelters put up on the outskirts of the village."

“Awe, Eliza, you are such a humanitarian," Scarlett winked at me.

“I'm the Luna of the village. This is my duty. Come on!"

We gathered up a bunch of supplies and headed to the outskirts of town.

Jared had already sent several men to help organize the refugees.

“You three, start assembling the shelters," I said, motioning to a few of them. “And you over there, I want you to go

around with this clipboard and take everyone's names, first and last. If you can get their pack of origin too, that

would be great."

I handed the clipboard off to another volunteer.

“And what would you like us to do?" Giselle asked motioning to herself and Scarlett.

“Scarlett, can you pass out blankets and clothes? We don't have a lot, so prioritize the elderly, sick, and children,

also pregnant women."

“Should I get you a blanket then, too?" Scarlett giggled.

“I think I'll manage." I scoffed and sent her on her way.

“How about me?" Giselle held her hands out to me.

“Food and water. Make sure those who seem the hungriest are given food first. Promise the others we will get more

food soon."

Giselle nodded and got right to work.

I assigned a few more tasks to some of the other volunteers.

The refugees coming didn't look like they were in bad shape. Most of them just looked like regular people trying to

relocate. They seemed weary from travel, but not as bad as the messenger.

There were some that looked sick, though.

I went to the nearest volunteer. “Can you set up an infirmary tent? I'd like to get the sick looked at. I'm sure it is

nothing, but I'd rather they all get tested an treated before mingling with the population. This is the perfect situation

for a bad outbreak."

“Good idea, Luna. But we don't have any medicine yet."

“I'll get word to Jared to have a healer and some medicine join us."

I sent another volunteer off with the message and got back to work.

There were a lot of kids standing around looking board and lonely. I found a few boxes of toys and started passing

them out.

“There's a big field over there, why don't you get a game of soccer going? I bet a bunch of these kids would love to

play with you," I said, handing a soccer ball to a young boy.

He grabbed the ball and grinned. Motioning to some of his friends, they all ran to the field and started playing.

Many of the other kids came over to me and I handed out some more toys. Seeing their smiles and happiness

brightened the mood in the entire refugee camp.

When a healer arrived, I got her set up in the infirmary tent. She started making the rounds and giving out cough

medicine and checking all the sick refugees' vitals.

After she checked on several, she came over to report to me.

“This doesn't look like anything more than a common cold. I believe they picked it up while traveling. It's a long

journey, and a lot of them didn't have luxurious travel accommodations."

“That is good news. Give out as much cough medicine as you can spare. Please let me know if there are any more

serious ailments going around." I touched her shoulder.

Giselle and Scarlett were waiting for me outside the infirmary tent.

“Things are already looking up." Giselle motioned to the camp and the smiling faces.

“It is a start. This good mood won't last long if we can't get more permanent dwellings set up." I sighed heavily.

“Or better yet, get them back to their homes," Scarlett said.

I nodded. “Jared's working on that."

We kept working to provide resources and comfort for the refugees. Just when one task was done, something else

popped up for us to take care of.

It wasn't until mid-afternoon that Jared found me. He pulled me aside.

“Hey, I've got a lot of work to do."

“I know. I'm about to head out and I wanted to say goodbye." He looked at me with deep eyes.

“It feels like we only just got back together." I put my hands on Jared's shoulders.

“I won't be gone long. I promise." Jared cupped my cheeks and kissed me on the lips. “You'll be busy. You won't

even know I'm gone. You've already done such great work here."

I pouted slightly and shook my head. “Of course, I will know."

Jared kissed me again. “We'll see each other again soon."