Sold as the Alpha King’s Breeder by Alice Knightsky
Chapter – 91: Do Not Doubt Me, My Love
**Ethan’s POV**
I looked her in the eye, and repeated myself firmly. “I can’t, not anymore.”
I glanced at the bump on her belly, and gestured at the swing hanging between the flower bushes. “Can we sit down somewhere?” I was sure she would get tired.
She nodded. The two of us went over to the swing, and I held it still for her to sit down.
I kept my feet flat on the ground as I leaned forward towards her.
It took me some time to get myself ready for a conversation like this. I wasn’t good at sharing my thoughts, but I knew I had to.
Rosalie was right next to me. She looked like some breathtaking being from a fairytale. Under the moonlight, she was even more pure and beautiful.
I had caused so much suffering for her, perhaps more than anyone else- yet she was still willing to sit with me and hear me out.
A long time ago, terrible things had happened in my life that were difficult to get through.
I had built a huge wall around my heart. I’d had no choice. If I hadn’t, I probably wouldn’t have survived all of the pain.
I glanced up at her. She was just quietly sitting there, not rushing me. “Rosalie,” I started slowly, “For a long time, my heart has become nothing but a stone sitting in my chest.” I looked into the distance. Talking about myself was hard, especially to her. “I told myself that was a good thing, and I truly believed so.” It didn’t need to feel pain, and it was safe. She nodded, showing that she was listening to me. “I needed an heir, so I went to seek a…” I didn’t want to say that word again. Rosalie was not my breeder. She was so much more.
However, she said it for me. “A breeder. And then?”
I felt like I’d been stabbed in the heart, but I continued, “Then I met you…” My eyes locked on her.
I remembered the first time we met. She was trembling under my touch. She was afraid of me.
But now, she was sitting here calmly. She didn’t know that a simple sentence of hers could send me to heaven- or sentence me to hell.
I couldn’t move my eyes away from her.
“You’re the kindest, sweetest and gentlest person I’ve ever met.” Her doe eyes widened, and her cheeks turned a little pink. I wanted to tell her that she was an incredible person in so many ways- that, when I was with her, it was as if all of that pain from my early life finally departed from me, and the wall I’d built around my heart was not needed anymore. I wanted to tell her that, suddenly, I could feel again.
However, I didn’t know how to explain all those things to her, so I said, “You make me feel something I’d never felt before. Something peaceful and hopeful.”
“But you decided to… decided to get rid of me?” Her tone was a little cold, and harsh- but that was what I deserved.
I couldn’t deny it. Whatever excused I tried to find wouldn’t change the fact that I had made an unbelievably stupid mistake, which I had then fought with everyone else around me to stick with.
“I was a coward,” I admitted bitterly. “I was afraid.”
When she was with me, I was so happy. I was so focused on her that I didn’t even realize how different my life was- but deep down, I was afraid.
I was afraid that it was just an illusion masking something else that would destroy me. And I thought I would kill it off before the beautiful dream turned into a nightmare.
“Are you afraid now?” she asked.
I took a deep breath, and nodded. “Yes. A million times more than before.”
She seemed a little puzzled.
“When you were… missing-”
I couldn’t bring myself to use the word “gone.” I looked at her again, “-a split second’s memory of you was enough to make my heart ache all night.” The wall around my heart was gone by then; Rosalie had torn it down. I had been able to feel every bit of pain from losing her, and it had been excruciating. Even to this day, the thought of those times still caused me physical pain. I grimaced. “And that was a million times more painful than anything I’d ever experienced.” I knew I must’ve looked so pitiful in her eyes. She leaned closer to me, but she refrained from touching me. She sighed.
“You might have changed, but I needed to be sure. I can’t make this decision lightly.” I looked at her sadly. “I know I’ve treated you badly, Rosalie. I don’t deserve another chance from you. I was a fool, and you should tell me to go to h*ll and that you never want to see me again.”
I felt like that was exactly what she had been telling me for the last few days, but she let me continue- and I wouldn’t let go of any chance.
I reached for her hand, and she didn’t pull it away. Immediately, I felt sparks of electricity shoot up my arm as warmth radiated throughout my body.
What’s more, I could also feel the baby- the pull that had been summoning me all the way here!
I tried to calm my racing heart.
“You have every right to tell me to get out of here. If that’s what you want, then I’ll go.” She seemed to be processing what I said, so I took the advantage of the silence and continued, “but Rosalie, just know, I’ll spend every day for the rest of my life in constant torment, unable to think of anything but you.” As the clouds floated away to reveal a bright white beam of moonlight that illuminated her beautiful face, I couldn’t help but reach up and touch her cheek.
I pulled her into my arms and vowed to her and the Moon Goddess, “Rosalie, I’ll do whatever it takes to be with you and our baby. Please, just give me one more chance to show you that I’ve changed, and I promise you, I’ll never, ever take you for granted again.”
**Rosalie’s POV**
Was this a dream? Was I sleeping?
How long had I wished in vain to hear those words from Ethan’s lips?
And now, here he was- sitting next to me, telling me that he loved me and that he wanted to be together, to raise our baby as a family.
It was almost too good to be true.
My head was nodding up and down before I could even formulate words. Tears sprung up in my eyes as I saw Ethan’s eyes widen, a look of shock on his face.
“Is that a yes?” he asked me. I almost could swear that I saw his eyes turn moist. “Are you saying… you’ll give me another chance?” he asked again, unsure.
“I’m saying… I want to take it slowly,” I began, trying not to get too far ahead of myself.
I still needed to be cautious. I had to think of what was best for my baby, after all, and having a mother that was alive was top on that list of priorities, right after making sure that they were safe.
“Whatever pace you want, Rosalie. It’s totally up to you.” He couldn’t hide the tremble in his voice.
I nodded.
“And what about Madalynn?” I asked, taking a deep breath. I hated to even say her name.
He shook his head. “I told you, I’ll take care of it.”
“But the King-”
“James will learn to live with it.”
He caressed my cheek with his thumb, and I smiled at him, knowing he could handle anyone, even the king.
I looked up at him. I couldn’t remember when I’d ever seen that sort of genuine smile on his face, but now, he was grinning.
He was even more handsome than before, and I felt my heart beating faster just seeing how happy he was. It was so unfair! I protested to myself. How could I turn him down?! I wasn’t sure what to say next. At length, I raised my hand to my neck.
“I feel like I’m missing something here…” One corner of his mouth went up in a crooked grin. “I have just the thing.” Ethan pulled my necklace out of his pocket. I was so happy to see it, tears filled my eyes. He tried to reach around me to hook it, but it was awkward, and I had to turn a bit for him to get it on.
“Sorry,” I mumbled. “I’ve gained some weight.”
“You are beautiful, Rosalie.”
My hand went to clasp the pendant I had been missing for all these weeks. Feeling the weight of my necklace back where it belonged made me feel a bit like being home after a long journey. I pivoted back around to face him. “You’re carrying our child,” he continued, “and that makes you more beautiful than ever.”
I couldn’t believe this sweet talk. It was so different from what I was used to from him, but I liked it.
I liked it a lot.
There was one other thing I needed to know, though. “Did you really come all the way over to the islands just to see if I was here?”
The Ethan I knew would never run away from his responsibilities and leave his people unprotected for his own romantic life…
He looked right into my eyes and shook his head. “No, not exactly. I needed to gather intel for the war. I would’ve come anyway in the future, but this worked out even better.”
At least he was honest…
“But how did you know I was here?” I asked. “You were supposed to think that I was dead.”
His smile couldn’t be hidden. Then his hand gently covered my belly.
“It was our child who told me,” he whispered in my ear.
My eyes widened. “What do you mean?”
“I feel the pull with our baby, Rosalie, fate has bonded us.” I was disappointed…
“After all, you didn’t come here for me…” I murmured. I knew I must have sounded so whiny, but I couldn’t help it.
He chuckled in my ear, and his scent was surrounding me. I could hear my heart beating against my eardrum. “What are you laughing at?!” I bursted out, annoyed.
He released me from his arm and looked at me.
“Rosalie…” He put my hand on his left chest, hooked a finger under my chin and gently lifted my face to look at him. “Do not doubt me, my love. You have my heart.”
He called me “my love”…
His deep voice and gaze made my face burn, and my heart melted.
“I…I’m not!” I stuttered, “Okay, okay, I believe you!”
Unfair! So, so unfair!
Just a few words from him made me want to forget everything that had happened in the past. “Shall we start again?” he asked.
All I could do was nod my head. He smiled at me and leaned forward.
At first, I thought he was going to kiss my lips. But instead, he pressed his warm mouth to my neck. I tipped my face up to the heavens and concentrated on the feel of his breath on my skin, the scent of him so close to me, his touch on my cheek….
I closed my eyes and prayed to the Moon Goddess that I had made the right choice.