Sould As The Alpha King's Breeder

Sold As The Alpha King’s Breeder Chapter 317

97: A Family Matter

“And they really didn’t talk about Tasia at all?” Myla moved about the room, glancing at her reflection in the mirror as she examined her hair. It had been styled in long, thin braids that touched her waist and had been woven with strips. of turquoise silk. They had been fashioned in an intricate updo, and the bun of braids on the top of her head had been decorated with tiny jewels shaped like seashells. She looked absolutely exquisite, and I was very much looking forward to whatever dress she was wearing tonight.

I had forced Mom and Dad to include Myla, Cleo, and Ali son, who I was just getting to know, in our dress order for the gala being held at the castle to celebrate not only Rowan’s coronation but mine and Troy’s. It was a huge ask, but I had gotten my way, and now all of the women in my circle would be decked out in brand-new gowns and shoes for the event.

Keaton, however, had refused to let Ethan pay for Myla’s gown. He had purchased something for her himself, and its design was a secret. Keaton had agreed to come to the gala, mostly at Myla’s urging.

“Not a single word was spoken about it, according to Rowan and Troy,” Gemma said as a maid unwound her hair from several huge hot rollers.

I was only slightly worried about talking about Tasia in front of the maids, who were known to gossip. But to them, our conversation likely sounded like nothing more than a

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shared annoyance over a random woman, not an evil Dream Dancing sorceress who had just killed her entire pack.

“How odd,” I murmured, catching my own reflection in the mirror. I wasn’t totally happy with what I saw. I felt puffy, and no amount of concealer was going to cover the dark circles beneath my eyes.

“I’m sure the Alphas of the east are aware; how could they not be?” Myla peered down at her fresh manicure with inter

est.

“Dad is likely being picky with who he tells. I’m sure he still believes this is a family matter. Plus, Tasia hasn’t done any thing for weeks, not since what happened to Mom and Hanna in the temple. No one has seen or heard from her.” I rose from the vanity, waiting my turn to have the rollers taken from my hair. I looked at the dresses that were hanging from the canopy of my four-poster bed in clear garment bags.

I touched the bag that held the elaborate garment I was meant to wear. It was a soft baby blue gown with long sleeves made of sheer blue fabric, and the entire dress had tiny, embroidered silver and turquoise stars with pearls in their centers, making them look like little flowers.

It was a beautiful dress, styled in the official colors of the pack of Poldesse-blue, turquoise, and silver.

Tonight, I would be crowned Luna of Poldesse.

And I felt nothing but anxiety about the fact that nearly every Alpha and Beta of the pack lands would be in attendance.

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“What if Tasia strikes tonight, at the gala?” I whispered,

turning away from the dress.

Myla looked at me, her brow furrowed. “Oh, Maeve. Don’t think like that.”

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“I doubt she would, Maeve. If she plans on taking over the pack lands, she’d have no one to rule if she killed all the Alphas.” Gemma was right about that.

I sighed deeply, tucking my hands in the pockets of my robe as I sat down in front of the vanity again, letting the maid take the rollers out of my hair..

Ingra brought the triplets into the room roughly an hour later with the help of another maid, who was carrying a very fussy George on her hip. I fed each triplet, my breasts feeling raw from the amount of breastfeeding and pumping I had been doing the entire day to make sure each baby would have enough milk for bottles while I was at the gala.

George wouldn’t take a bottle, but Will, Charlie, and Oliver seemed happy to just be getting fed, and Ingra had assured us all that the boys would be alright during our absence.

Gemma handed George back to Ingra’s assistant, a young maid with an ample chest that George seemed to find quite comfortable as he nuzzled against her, closing his eyes. Gem ma then crossed the room and grabbed her dress, holding the garment bag over her arm as she bent down to kiss me on the top of the head.

“Don’t fret, Maeve. Everything is going to be okay. This is one of the biggest nights of your life, you know. Try to enjoy yourself.”

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“I will,” I said soberly, not sure if I believed it.

One by one, everyone left the room, and I kissed each of my sons goodnight as Ingra took her leave with them. I turned to the garment bag that held the dress, reaching up to unzip it so I could run my fingers over the glistening fabric.

It would be only an hour or so now before the gala began.

Troy entered the room without knocking, closing the door behind him. I was instantly more at ease the second I saw him, and felt the knot in the pit of my stomach loosen as he stepped forward.

I was in shock. Troy looked like a totally different person.

His hair was swept back from his face and brushed behind his ears. He was clean-shaven, of course, and his skin was still sun-kissed from our time spent on the Persephone. He was wearing a black tuxedo that fit him like a glove, the contrast between his black suit and crisp white shirt setting off the col ors of his eyes.

He was wearing a sash the same color as my dress, and it was emblazoned with the official emblems of Poldesse that showcased Poldesse’s flag. Below the emblem of the flag was a crest. It was covered in jewels, and at its center was a wax ing gibbous moon. Etched into the crest were some words written in a language I couldn’t read. I peered at it, tilting my head as I tried to decipher the strange symbols. He touched the crest with his fingertips, shrugging.

“It means ‘Strong the Current.’ That’s the pack motto. Lynus said it hasn’t been worn since… well, since before Romero’s time.”

“It’s beautiful,” I whispered, then I realized I had no idea what the motto for Drogomor or Winter Forest was. I’d likely

find out tonight, especially since everyone was expected to be dressed in their finest outfits and jewels.

“Why aren’t you dressed yet?” he asked, walking over to me to kiss me lightly on the lips.

I reared away from him, my hands on his chest. “I don’t want to get lipstick on you-”

“I don’t care,” he growled, kissing me so deeply my knees went weak, and any anxiety I had been feeling was suddenly replaced by deep, primal longing.

I pulled away from the kiss, reaching down to the vanity to grab a tissue so I could wipe the soft berry- colored lipstick from his mouth.

“This color looks rather nice on you,” I said softly, teasing

him.

“Thanks,” he smacked his lips, then pulled me into an em brace, careful not to mess up my hair and makeup. “I wish we could just… stay here for a moment, with each other.”

“We could skip the gala,” I replied, half teasing.

He shook his head, pulling away to face me. “You’re be coming a Luna tonight. I wouldn’t want to miss that for the world.”

Troy and I walked down the first flight of stairs, at first hand in hand, but it became obvious that the sheer weight of my dress and the amount of flowing fabric was going to make the journey to the ballroom difficult without using the railing

for support.

The entire family was waiting at the bottom of the stairs in the foyer, dressed to the nines. Jewelry gleamed in the light of the foyer’s grand crystal chandelier, and everyone turned to look at us as we descended the stairs, their hair fixed, wear ing immaculate gowns and tuxedos.

Gemma had on a fuchsia-colored gown that hugged her curves in a way I hadn’t thought possible. The fact that she had an almost four-month-old baby seemed unimaginable as she stepped forward to take my hand.

Gemma always cleaned up well, and I wasn’t surprised when I caught Ernest trying his hardest not to stare at his mate’s ass while we arranged ourselves for a group photo.

Hanna was standing next to Rowan, dressed in a floor length amber-colored gown that looked like a flame. It was an incredible color on her, and the amber hues reflected in her eyes, which turned her normally cinnamon colored irises flaked with green on fire. Her hair was loose down her back, pinned away from her face, and she seemed comfortable with her hand tucked into the crook of Rowan’s elbow.

Sixteen-year-old Caroline, Vicky and Paul’s daughter, was in attendance tonight, dressed in a pale pink ball gown. She looked slightly embarrassed as Paul and Vicky fussed over her, but I was willing to bet the color in her cheeks was more from excitement than anything.

Mom was the one who stole the show, however. Her gown was a ballgown of similar style to mine, with long sleeves and a full skirt. But her gown was a glittering, muted silver in color with a high neckline. Her white hair was loose, curled tightly to

look very full, and on her head, she wore a white-gold tiara littered with sapphires.

She looked like the Moon Goddess herself, and I couldn’t help but stare.

I glanced at Rowan between the pictures, watching him lean to whisper into Hanna’s ear. He was wearing a sash much like Troy’s, but a deep amber in color. A crest and flag were fixed to his sash as well.

I was becoming a Luna, and Rowan an Alpha. It felt like everything that had happened to us over the past year had led us to this moment.

But I was still having a hard time ignoring the elephant in the room-Tasia’s threat.

I knew I needed to get Dad alone before the Alphas start ed arriving. I wouldn’t have a chance to talk to him in private when the gala began. Once the family photoshoot ended, I beelined for him before Troy even noticed I had left his side, and forcibly pulled Dad into the corner of the foyer.

“We need to talk,” I said, a little breathless. The dress I was wearing was incredibly flattering on my new curves, but wasn’ t the easiest to move around it.

“I have to start greeting our-”

“When are we going to do something about Tasia? Why this gala? Why the conference if not to warn the other packs. about her?”

Dad leaned in, whispering sternly in my ear.

“No one can know about the moonstones. No one. Do you understand?”

His tone made me go rigid, and I found myself nodding.

“I already talked to Troy, Rowan, and Ernest about it. This is a family matter.”

“I knew you were going to say that,” I bit out, the words barely audible. RêAd lat𝙚St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only

He narrowed his eyes. “Because it’s true. The other Alphas need to be ignorant of the stones. They belong to your moth er, Maeve, as the White Queen. I know many an Alpha more ambitious, and more dangerous, than Damian who would be persuaded to take the stones if they knew about their exis

tence. We can’t talk about Tasia without talking about the stones. Drop it, for now. We can discuss this later, as a family.”

I swallowed, nodding, trying to stifle the angry blush ris ing to my face.

“You look beautiful,” Dad said, trying to bring some warmth into his tone.

I just glared at him.

I sauntered back over to Troy, who was in deep conversa tion with Talon and Georgia. His face lightened as he looked at me, giving me a soft smile.

“You look like you could use a drink. I can go get some champagne for us while we wait to greet everyone.”

“That sounds nice,” I breathed, closing my eyes for a mo ment before the gala began.

Troy