Sold as the Alpha King’s Breeder by Alice Knightsky
Chapter 52 (7-44)
For the next couple hours, I sat in a chair and watched the rain coming down outside, thinking about all of the time I had spent with Ethan.
With every flash of lightning in the distance, memories of him flashed before my eyes. I thought of the gentleness he’d shown me when we made love.
My hand automatically went to my abdomen where the child was growing. I couldn’t believe that someone would show me tenderness, make a baby with me, watch me give birth to their child … and then k*ll me.
But that was Ethan’s plan, and that meant I had to go.
Even if that meant I needed to trust the likes of Madalynn, who had told me herself she didn’t want her child to be second in line to the throne. My baby’s life was hanging in the balance. But I had to take the gamble and try.
A knock on the door pulled me away from the window. Tonight hadn’t been quiet for me at all.
Vicky entered, walked toward me, and wrapped her arms around my neck.
“I wish tonight wasn’t happening,” she said, staring at me with tears in her eyes. My heart dropped. How did she know?!
“Vicky…” I tried my best to smile. “To…tonight?”
As she pulled back from me, she gave me her own confused look.
“The engagement party.” I silently let out the breath I was holding and nodded my head.
“Well,” I said, “nothing can be done. Ethan has made his mind up on what he wants. It was for the alliance. He didn’t do anything wrong.”
“I know he cares about you.”
“It doesn’t matter if he does or not. I will never be enough for him, Vicky. I’m just a breeder.”
Vicky shook her head in disagreement, but she couldn’t find the words to comfort me. “Thank you for everything you have done for me. I’ll never forget it, Vicky.”
“Hey-” She gave a small sob as she pulled back. “You’re acting like this is goodbye. We’ll get through this, Rosalie. We still have time. We have a few months to change his mind. We’re getting there.”
I looked her in the eye. “Maybe you’re right.”
Vicky turned and fixed herself in a nearby mirror. “Now I have to go down to this stupid dinner with Georgia. Someone has to keep her in line, after all.” She chuckled.
“Yeah, don’t allow her to make a mess of things,” I replied softly as I watched her leave my room.
***
At a little before 7-00,1 got up and started getting ready. I was fairly certain that no one was going to be checking on me that close to the beginning of the party.
I put on the convertible dress that Madalynn and Damian had brought me. It was floor length, so I could wear sneakers under it – no one would notice, so long as I was careful.
I couldn’t pack much. After all, I was allegedly going to a party, not leaving the building. Besides, like Damian said, I wouldn’t need much, anyway.
Once I was dressed, I did my makeup and put my hair up. The beautiful necklace Ethan had gifted me was still on my neck.
I sighed, grief overcoming me as I thought about how close I’d thought I’d come to changing his mind. But it wasn’t meant to be.
I put on the luxury accessories Madalynn and Damian had brought me, as well. Those could be exchanged for money later. The handbag they’d selected to match my gown was a little larger than the typical clutch one might carry for such an occasion, and it also had a strap on the inside, which would come in handy down the line.
I placed the ultrasound pictures I’d gotten from Estrella inside of a plastic bag so that they wouldn’t get wet, and added some medications, including my sleeping pills. Finally, I added a bottle of water and a small fruit knife.
With my bag packed and my gown on, I was technically ready to go, but there were a couple more things I wanted to do.
Crossing the room to my desk, I took out a pad of paper and a pen. Thunder boomed outside of the window, making my hand shake slightly as I began to write.
The first note wasn’t so difficult to compose. I couldn’t just leave without saying anything to anyone.
“Vicky and Talon,
I know that me being gone will come as a shock, but I have finally taken my life into my own hands. I will forever be grateful for everything that you both have done for me, and I will cherish every memory that we made together.
I forgive you, Talon, for not telling me the truth. You did what you had to for your Alpha, and I respect your choice. So please don’t hold on to any pain over my departure. Know that my future will be bright with the Moon Goddess and that I will forever be indebted to you.”
I folded the letter in half, wrote their names on the outside, and set it aside.
The next letter would not be so easy to write.
I took a deep breath, my eyes focused on the storm raging outside again, my emotions mirroring the surging tempest
It took me a few moments to complete the message for Ethan. Finally, with an air of finality, I rose from my seat, ready to get on with the next part of my life.
Whatever that might be. The guards were surprised when I opened the door.
“Miss Rosalie?” Samuel questioned.
“I’m going to the engagement dinner,” I replied with a smile, as if it made all of the sense in the world for me to be there.
Samuel’s eyes widened slightly as he looked at the other guards.
“Samuel,” I said with a sigh, “Madalynn is trying to be a friend to me. How selfish would I be to not even make an appearance at their engagement party?”
“But… Alpha Ethan didn’t give us permission to let you go,” Samuel reminded me.
I could tell by his tone that I had already convinced him I should be allowed to attend. He was only making the necessary objections to convince himself.
I waved a hand. “Ethan will be there. If he doesn’t want me in attendance, I’m sure he’ll make his wishes known.”
I didn’t wait for further approval. I knew I needed to get going if I was going to make it to the bathroom on the other side of the castle on time.
I headed down the hallway, with the guards trailing me, as usual. Because it wouldn’t make much sense for me to have not used the restroom before I left my room, I whipped up some tears when we were almost to the bathroom. “What’s the matter, Rosalie?” Samuel asked, his hand on my shoulder.
I felt bad that he was probably going to get into really big trouble over this. He did seem to genuinely care about me, after all.
“I… I’m just… emotional,” I said, true tears streaming down my cheeks. “I’m so sorry. Could you… give me a moment to fix my makeup?” The bathroom I was looking for was just ahead on the right.
They exchanged glances again. “Uh… we aren’t supposed to take our eyes off of you,” the other guard said.
I raised an eyebrow and wiped at my cheeks. “I just need a couple minutes. Please? I can’t go in there like this.” Samuel blew out a deep breath through his nose. “Okay,” he said. “We’ll be right here. Please be quick.”
“Thank you,” I said- and I wasn’t just talking about being allowed to go into the restroom. Samuel was a good man.
He nodded, and I headed into the bathroom, wondering how I was going to get out the window before they figured out what I was up to.
Thankfully, Madalynn and Damian were a few steps ahead of me.
The window was already cracked open enough for me to slide through.
Of course, I’d need a chair to climb up on… and there was one propped in the corner.
I quickly checked to make sure there was no one else in the bathroom. I took off the dress, converted it into the jumpsuit and put it back on. I then grabbed a nearby table and quietly set it in front of the door, sliding it under the handle, buying myself a little more time.
It was 7-43. Two more minutes.
Then, I took the chair, placed it under the window, and hoisted myself up and out of the bathroom.
It was a bit of a drop to the ground, but since it had been raining, the earth below the window was spongy. The sound of pouring rain covered the noise for my fall.
7-44.
As I turned around, I saw a large, imposing, shadowy figure in the bushes.
“Come on, Rosalie,” Damian whispered, “we need to go.”
I turned my head to look at Damian. In the dark and stormy weather, I couldn’t see his expression clearly.
Was I making the right choice? Should I really trust him? The storm picked up again, and we took off running. With one hand on my abdomen, I prayed for a future where both I and my child would be safe.