Sold as the Alpha King’s Breeder by Alice Knightsky
Chapter – 96 The New Luna Suite
After Ethan dashed off out the window, I listened to Soren as he was in the other room, speaking to Seraphine. I could tell by his tone that he was very concerned, and she was a*s*suring him that I was going to be fine, but it was imperative that we find a new place for me to live as soon as possible.
I was nervous that he might smell Ethan in the room when he entered, but when he came into the room, his eyes were on me, and I could tell that he wasn’t thinking about anything else.
Soren sat down in a chair next to my bed. His brow was wrinkled, and he interlaced his fingers as he leaned toward me in his chair, clearly worried about me and the baby.
“How are you, Ro?” he asked. “I came as quickly as I could. I’m sorry it took a few hours for me to get home. Are you feeling better now?”
I was grateful that so many people were concerned about me. “I’m fine, Soren, but thank you so much for rushing home just to see if I was okay.”
“Of course.” He leaned back in the chair. “They told me that it was just an allergic reaction to the pollen, and you’re all right, but until I saw you for myself, I was going to be worried to death. “
He paused for a second, and added, “Ro, you’re extremely important to me. So is the baby. I’m still not completely at ease, but at least you seem to be pretty much your old self.”
“Pretty much?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Well, you seem a bit more tired than usual, but who can blame you for that after you passed out? I’m so glad my guards were there to help you.”
“Me, too.” I thought about how awful it might’ve been if they weren’t.
“You know, I did mention that you shouldn’t be outside right now, especially at night,” he gave me a scolding look, and I felt a bit like a child.
“I know you did, and I wouldn’t have gone out at all. It was just… I was having trouble breathing inside, and I thought some fresh air would help. I didn’t know it was the pollen.”
Soren’s gaze was still locked on me, and he said, “Um…really?”
My eyes met his, and I held my breath. Was he suspicious of my excuse?
Luckily, he smiled, and persuaded himself, “I think that makes sense.”
I let out a sigh of relief silently.
“You can always move to my house until the baby is born. You’ll be safe there, and I can find you a room to stay in,” Soren said with a simple shrug of his shoulders as if that settled it.
I shook my head. “Thank you, Soren,” I told him. “As kind of that is for you to offer, I couldn’t bring myself to be a burden to you again. You are single, and you need your life and your privacy. Also, I don’t think your business partners would appreciate seeing a pregnant woman just hanging out in your house when they come for business meetings.”
He laughed a bit and shrugged as if I were right.
“It would be best for me and the baby to relocate to a new house, someplace away from all of these flowers where it’s peaceful and quiet. I have plenty of money saved up now, so I could find my own place to rent. I don’t want to trouble you.
“No, that’s not necessary, Ro. I’ll help you find a place,” Soren said. “I care a lot about you. I don’t want you to feel like you’re on your own now.”
“Thank you, Soren. That’s so kind of you. But really, I don’t mind making my own way now.”
He was shaking his head before I even finished the sentence. “I’ve been looking for a new property to purchase anyway, Ro, as an investment property. You could live there and still manage it. We could have the same agreement as we have here, just in a new location.”
That worked perfectly with Ethan’s suggestion, so I found myself agreeing with Soren half-jokingly. “I’ll be more than happy to work for my generous employer again, but-”
Soren raised a brow. “When did my Ro learn to negotiate?”
I smiled back, “I always knew how to negotiate. I was just too poor to do so. Anyway, I’ll be more than happy to work for you, but you’ll have to let me pay you rent.”
“Ro-”
“Please, I insist. That would make me feel so much better.”
He thought for a second and gave me a big grin. “Deal! I’ll have my staff put together a list of properties that are for sale over the next few days. You can look it over and see which one you like best. We can go visit a few if you like. Whichever one you like best will be your new home. We’ll get you moved in and settled before the baby gets here.”
What he was describing sounded like a lot of work, but I knew I could just choose one of the houses Ethan mentioned.
“In the meantime, I’ll have the gardeners cut the flowers back away from the house, and we’ll do what we can to help with the pollen.”
“Thank you,” I said again. I was saying a lot of that, and I wished one day I could repay everything that Soren had done for me. Since the day I met him, he had done nothing but be helpful to me.
Soren squeezed my hand and told me goodbye.
I leaned back on my pillows and tried to go to sleep, but I was having trouble dozing off.
I didn’t mean to hide my relationship with Ethan from Soren, but Ethan was here for a military operation, and I had to protect his identity.
I kept thinking about the house that Ethan mentioned. Would he be able to get it up for sale in time? Would it be included in the list that Soren would bring to me?
Then I realized a problem. A very big problem.
Even if the house was put on the market in time, Ethan never told me any details about the houses. So how would I know which one to pick?
***
Later that week, Soren was back with a list of houses that were for sale on the island.
He sat down next to me with several pieces of paper in his hands. “All right,” he said with a wide smile on his face. “Are you ready to look through this stack of available homes and pick the best one?”
I couldn’t help but smile back at him. I never thought I’d have the chance to pick out a home for myself and my child.
Soren and I began to look through the houses. There weren’t many because the island wasn’t that big.
The first one had stairs, and I didn’t think that would be good for the baby. “This one is a no,” Soren said, setting it aside.
The second one had a big garden in the back. I looked at him, and we both shook our heads.
“Sorry,” Soren said. “I thought my people screened these better.” He tossed that one onto the floor. We went through a few more, but they were vetoed by either Soren or myself.
It was the sixth one that stood out to me- the moment I saw it, I knew it had to be from Ethan.
The beautiful bedroom featured a canopy bed and a fireplace. I couldn’t have been more familiar with the layout of the room- it was the same as the Luna Suite back at the Drogomor pack. Ethan was right. He did make sure that I would get it.
All of a sudden, the time I had spent with Ethan in the Luna Suite flooded back to my mind. I remembered the first days I lay with Ethan in that bed, and he had ravished me and made me into a woman…
“Are you all right, Ro?” Soren asked me, looking at me with his eyebrows raised.
“Yes, yes!” Embarra*s*sed, I snapped out from my thoughts, and focused back on the pictures.
As similar as it was to the Luna Suite, this house wasn’t exactly the same. The Luna Suite was huge and had darker furniture and bedding, which made the room luxurious but solemn.
This house, on the other hand, was much smaller and primarily decorated with elegant creamy white beddings and curtains. It was gorgeous, but cozier and more welcoming.
Even without seeing the house in person, I could tell that everything in the house was exactly what would make me happy- just as he had said. I should’ve known he would get me everything I wanted.
I could see myself reading a book to my child next to the warm fireplace, waiting for Ethan to come home… It brought a smile to my face.
“It’s only been available for a couple of hours,” Soren frowned, seemingly not too happy about it. “The new seller seems highly motivated, um, too motivated…”
“But I like it a lot,” I told Soren.
“Well… there are a few more to consider.” He changed to the next house, but my mind was already made up.
Seeing that I had no further interest to check out more, he put aside the rest of the list and looked at me. “Do you want to go look at it? I mean… this is a big decision.”
I shook my head. “I’m happy with it. But Soren, this is ultimately your money, if you want to go look at it—”
Soren interrupted me, “Ro, if you believe it’s good, then it’s good. I trust your judgment.”
He leaned in and kissed my cheek, and instantly I felt awful. I was keeping secrets from him, and he had been nothing but wonderful to me.
“Soren-” I called out his name.
“Yes, Ro?”
I was probably overthinking, but I wanted to be sure, “Um…why are you buying a new property right now?” He raised a brow, “Because it makes business sense to invest right now. Anything wrong?”
I had a little unsettling feeling. “No, nothing’s wrong. I just… I was just wondering whether your business has anything to do with the war?”
Soren stared at me for a second, and then he smiled again, “Of course not!” He stood up. “Let me take care of this first.”
Then, he pulled his phone out of his pocket and went into the other room to call.
I let out a sigh of relief.
A few minutes later, Soren came back into the room. “Well, that was easy,” he said. “They said I can come over and sign the paperwork this afternoon, and you can move in right away.”
I couldn’t believe it. That was simple enough. “That’s amazing! Thank you so much, Soren!”
“Whatever makes you happy makes me happy,” he replied. He came over and gave me a big hug, and out of politeness, I squeezed him back.
But he wasn’t letting go. We stood there for several moments, and I thought I heard him take a deep breath as if he was taking in the scent of my hair.
It was getting a little awkward, and I didn’t know if I should say something or just continue to stand there.
Finally, I said, “Thanks again, Soren.”
He murmured, “I just wish…you didn’t have to go.”
“Well, I’ll still be on your property,” I reminded him with a smile, and tried to break myself away from his hug.
Under his breath, he muttered, “It’s just not the same,” and then he finally let me go.
He didn’t meet my eyes as he stepped away. He was acting a bit strange today.
But I pushed those thoughts aside. Soren was a kind person, and he thought of me as a good friend. He just knew he would miss me. That’s all.
In the back of my mind, though, I couldn’t help but think about how awful it was that I was keeping secrets from him.
I told myself that it would all be worth it when I saw Ethan again… and in the end, Soren would be happy for me, wouldn’t he?