Sold as the Alpha King's Breeder
Chapter 168
Chapter 168: Still A Prisoner
**Rosalie’s POV
Without my baby nearby, without being able to communicate to anyone, and without being able to do anything, the world seemed to be slowly slipping away from me.
It didn’t matter that I was a queen now, nor did it matter that I had this magical blood that could cure people. I was beginning to feel completely alone, and hopeless.
Most of the time, I’d sit in my tent and stare at the wall, and I started to question whether everything that happened was real, or was it all just a long nightmare?
Except for occasionally, I’d get the idea that someone was watching me. Whether it was through the two small windows on either side of the tent or some other smaller hole I was unsure of, but I would get goosebumps on my arms, and the hairs on the back of my neck would stand up under the weight of unseen eyes.
That was the only feeling that reminded me that I was alive.
!
It reminded me a lot of how I had felt back on the islands when Ethan had first arrived. I hadn’t known it at the time, but he was standing outside in the garden near the cottage Soren had let me live in, his eyes, watching me through the open window.
Was that what I was experiencing now? Was Ethan watching me?
I shook my head; it really didn’t matter. I longed to see my son, my friends, my pack, or even face my enemies. The only person 1 didn’t want to have any contact with was Ethan.
The battle, killing, and blood were slowly eating away his heart, and he was less and less of the person that I fell in love with a long time ago.
With his soul dissipated, his strength grew. Maybe one day, he would become the true Rogue King. To me, however, it would be the same. I wasn’t going anywhere.
Only in my dreams did I see hope.
I dreamed of my people coming into Ethan’s camp and confronting him so that I could be released to them.
I dreamed of being with Rowan, holding him, kissing him, and rocking him to sleep. He would reach out to me with giggles, showing me how much he’d missed me.
I started to talk myself into sleeping more and more because life was way better while I was asleep than awake. So I laid down again, praying to the Moon Goddess that she’d bless me with dreams that could rescue me from my desperation.
Soon, I drifted off. Then I smiled at the sight of Rowan. We were in a meadow together, and he was a little older. He was picking white wildflowers and making a daisy chain. I walked closer to watch what he was doing, and realized that he was creating a crown for my head.
One that looked exactly the same as the one his father had given me on my birthday!
He gave it to me and ran away laughing, but my heart sank as the crown dropped from my hand and fell on a pool of blood…
My eyes snapped open with my heart thumping and my heartbeat pounding against my eardrum.
“Shh… it’s okay, it’s okay,” I heard a low voice whisper in the dark, and a large hand caressed my face.
I jerked away as soon as I realized who it was and demanded, “Get away from me!”
Why did he have to plague me so? Not only was I a prisoner in his horrible camp, but now, he’d turned my beautiful dream into a nightmare!
Helit a lamp to give me some light. I could see his face. He seemed to be worried and… hurt?
However, he didn’t say anything, and he didn’t move. I couldn’t tell what was going through his mind, and I really didn’t want to know
and I couldn’t help but ask in a quivering voice, “How long are you going to keep me as your prisoner here?”
I didn’t know why I even tried to ask. He never gave me a satisfactory answer anyway.
His face sank. Soon, anger replaced whatever little concern or sadness was left on his face.
“Forever!” he roared. Seemingly irritated by my question, he added, “And do NOT try me again!”
His unusually loud voice startled my already unstable nerves, and I could no longer keep my tears from falling.
Thated to show him my weakness, so I took a deep breath to calm myself. Now that I was fully awake and alert, I wiped off my tears, pulled myself together and turned my back towards him. There was no point continuing the conversation.
However, he wasn’t done with me. I heard him also working on soothing his own breathing behind me.
After a long silence, finally, he sat down on the edge of my cot and willed me to look at him. I knew I would not win the fight, so I turned around
“Look, Rosalie,” he tried to level his tone, “I didn’t come here to fight.”.
I scoffed, “Right, that really seems like the case.”
He ignored my comment. “I need you to do something for me,” he told me.
Tlooked up, waiting for what he was going to say.
“Your people have sent a representative. Georgia has been in contact with him. It seems… they want you back and are refusing to listen to reason. They are vowing to start a war if you’re not released at once.”
| stared at him blankly for a moment before I said, “Then give me back.”
He shook his head. “I can’t do that.”
“You mean you won’t do that,” I corrected him. “Why not, Ethan? Don’t you know that a caged bird doesn’t sing?”
His crimson eyes stared into mine, and I thought perhaps he was pondering my response, but then he shook his head again. “I won’t budge on this, Rosalie. You are my mate, and you will stay here, but I need you to go ask them to retreat.”
What?
He continued to clarify his request. “I need you to tell them you’re here because you want to be, you’re happy here, and they should leave you, leave us, alone.”
I looked at him in disbelief. How could he?!
I also burst into laughter, and I could hardly stop, while he just sat there expressionlessly.
“Ethan!” I was so angry that my voice was trembling due to fury. “Are you really just so arrogant that you believe everyone should just do exactly what you want them to?! How could you even bring yourself to ask for that?!”
Strangely, he kept his cool. “Rosalie, I know you’re upset with me right now, but I want you to listen.”
“Why would I listen to a monster like you!” I raised my voice.
“Because I’m asking you this for your people, not for me. It’s best for everyone, and you’re smart enough to figure that out”
My eyes widened, and I forced myself to evaluate the situation with a cool mind.
Ethan was right. The fight between my pack and Ethan’s group could be, and should be, avoided. There were people important to me in both parties, and the last thing I wanted to see was those who I cared about get hurt or killed because of me.
What was more, with other forces watching, undermining either of our numbers wouldn’t do either of us any good.
I bit down hard on my lip. Unfortunately, Regardless of how much I wanted to defy him…
“really have no choice, do 1?” I asked him.
“You do, but you should know that I’ll fight with anything or anyone who wants to take you away from me. Rosalie, you know much
you.
“App! I than just stopt I’ll do it I’ll do it, okay?!”
I saw him swallow hard, but he didn’t insist on finishing what he wanted to say. Eventually, he took a deep breath and looked me in the eye. “I will escort you to make sure that you are not harmed and that you can’t get away. Tell them to back off before they get hurt.”
His words were clear. If I wanted to avoid unnecessary blood being shed, I’d have to consent to stay here with him and tell my people to stand down.
“Fine,” I told him. “I’ll do it to avoid a war because I don’t want any more blood on my hands, but you have to know, Ethan, I’m not staying here because I want to be with you. I’m staying here because you’re forcing me to.”
He slowly shook his head. “In time, you’ll grow to feel the mate bond, too.”
“Do you really believe that?” He didn’t answer, but he didn’t have to. It was clear that he did.
I took a few minutes to prepare so that when I faced my people, I didn’t look like quite a mess.
He waited patiently for me to get ready.
Once I was done, Ethan, Talon, and several other guards escorted me through the woods to a clearing where about two hundred of my officials and elite warriors were waiting, led by Commander Landon.
They seemed to be the representatives of a much larger army.
“Your Majesty!”
“She’s here. Her Majesty is here!”
“Your Majesty, thank the Moon Goddess you’re alright!”