Sold AS The alpha King's Breeder

Chapter 1006: Chapter 56 : Family Dinner

*Sasha*

I was a lot more tired than I thought. On the remaining boat ride to Winter Forest, I stayed in the cabin resting. I had a lot to think about, so I didn't mind the solitude.

Lucas came to see me a lot, bringing me food and talking to me. I was too exhausted to hold a conversation for long and I didn't expect him to sit around watching me nap all day.

When I was awake and Lucas wasn't around, I thought about everything The Immortal said about my powers and the darkness in me.

Lucas hadn't said anything but I could tell he was worried, and not just because I was so tired. He'd seen something the night he rescued me and it worried him.

Was it my display of power? I hadn't had a chance to talk to him about it yet.

The power inside of me didn't feel evil or dark, but I couldn't deny that it was strong and dangerous. I needed to know more about it and learn how to control it.

By the second day, I realized that my exhaustion wasn't just from the power I used. It was because of what The Immortal said. Staying in bed under the covers was a way I could hide from the truth.

I didn't want to be dangerous, especially to the people I cared about. How could I prove him wrong?

“How are you feeling today?" Lucas asked, bringing me breakfast.

I yawned and stretched my arms in the air. “Better. I'm just a little confused about what happened."

Lucas sat on the edge of the bed and took my hand. “You don't need to worry about that now. Hopefully, my mom will have some answers."

“Lucas, were you afraid of me?"

He creased his brow. “Why would you think that?"

“Because… you looked scared when you first got to me in the dining hall."

“I didn't know what to think. I've never seen power like that, and I was scared for you."

I quickly told Lucas about what The Immortal said about me and my power.

“And I'm wondering, is he going to keep coming after me? Is he going to try and convince others to kill me?"

Lucas wrapped his arms around me and hugged me to his chest.

“Shh, Sasha. You know I won't let anything happen to you. He could send a thousand minions after you to end you and I would stop them all."

I sniffled and nodded. “Only a thousand? If he sent one more, would that be too many?"

Lucas chuckled and slipped his fingers through my hair. He kissed my forehead and held me across his lap.

“I don't believe what he said. I've known plenty of evil people in my life and you, my love, are not one of them, okay?"

“O-okay...."

The ship docked that afternoon and we went right to Lucas's mom's house.

Oliver and his men tagged along as well. Lucas told me that his mother, Maeve, was planning a big family dinner since he hadn't been home in a while.

“She wants to meet you first, before throwing you to the wolves."

I chuckled nervously as I followed him inside.

Lucas's childhood home was large. It had four bedrooms and three bathrooms. The floors were hardwood and it had many nice decorations and features, nothing too gaudy.

He led me through the foyer, the pristinely clean kitchen, and out the back double doors to a deck.

There was a woman in the back garden. I thought she was gardening at first because she was hunched over. When she stood up, I saw she had several fresh blossoms in her hand.

She held an arm up, waving to us, and tossed the flowers in a basket over her arm.

“Lucas, my boy!" she hurried to the deck, pulling her gardening gloves off.

Maeve pulled Lucas to her in a tight hug.

He glanced at me, his cheeks reddening slightly.

“Hi, Mom."

“I was just picking some fresh flowers to brighten up the dinner table tonight. Oliver is going to be there, so is Matt."

“Matt!?" Lucas pulled away from his mom.

I caught the surprised tone in his voice.

“Is that a problem?"

Maeve's voice changed too. She wasn't the loving, devoted mother; suddenly, she was an authoritative voice, daring Lucas to challenge her.

Lucas shook his head. “I'm sure it is fine. Anyway, Mom, this is Sasha, my mate."

He grabbed my hand and pulled me closer.

I got the feeling that Lucas and his family weren't as tight-knit as I thought.

“Oh, Sasha, you are beautiful." Maeve came over and cupped my cheeks. “How did my son ever get so lucky?"

I felt a blush rise on my cheeks and I glanced sideways at Lucas.

“Honestly, most days, I feel like I'm the lucky one." I squeezed his hand.

Maeve dropped her hands from my face. “Huh." She sighed and picked up her basket of flowers. “Dinner will be ready in an hour. You two should change out of your travel clothes."

She disappeared inside.

I looked down at my outfit. We changed just before getting off the boat.

“Um… I thought we had changed out of our travel clothes."

Lucas rolled his eyes. “Some things, you just have to roll with."

We headed to the room Maeve assigned to us. I washed up for dinner and changed into something a little nicer.

As well-decorated as the house was, it didn't feel like a home. It felt like a showroom. Everything was stiff, perfect, and sterilized. I didn't get the vibe that a happy family lived here, the kind that sat around

the living room playing games together or sharing stories.

The outward appearance was stunning but it was all surface. Underneath it was completely different.

Oliver, Maeve, and another man, presumably Matt, were already at the table when Lucas and I arrived.

I recognized Matt's name and his eyes seemed familiar, too. He must have been around when I was a kid. Someone that was part of Lucas's friend group and no one I would spend any real time with.

I caught Lucas's eyes as they locked on Matt. A muscle in his jaw jumped and I guessed he was gritting his teeth.

Something had happened between them.

Brady and Phoebe sat together on the opposite end of the table to Maeve. Brady shot me a wink and Phoebe smiled at me. At least there were a couple of familiar faces around.

Automatically, Lucas held my chair out for me. I smiled gratefully and sat down.

Maeve watched me closely. I felt like I was under a magnifying glass as she seized me up to see if I was good enough for her son.

“It is so nice to have everyone here for dinner. I miss having you all around."

“Right," Lucas muttered.

I saw him flick his eyes toward Matt again. Anger blazing in his eyes.

Oliver hadn't spoken a word. He sat next to Matt but appeared tense and ready to spring. I wondered how long it would take for Lucas to lose it launch over the table and punch Matt.

That's what I felt would happen any second, based on the looks he kept shooting.

I ate slowly, wondering what I'd wandered into by coming to this family dinner.

“How are things going in the Dark Realm?" Maeve asked.

Lucas continued to stare at Matt but he replied to his mom.

“I have a new job I'm working on. The library project I was assigned had to be postponed due to… unforeseen circumstances. Archeologists are working on the new discovery now."

“New discovery, that sounds intriguing," Maeve said. She raised an eyebrow. Content rights by NôvelDr//ama.Org.

“It really was. You should have seen what was hiding under the library," Brady chimed in.

I was grateful he was there, helping to lighten the mood.

“Are you working on that project as well?" Maeve asked.

Brady shook his head. “No, but Lucas dragged me into it, as usual."

Lucas grinned at Brady, but I could see how tense and strained it was.

“Brady, are you and Phoebe staying long?"

“No. We've got to get back to Egoren. There's a lot of planning to do."

Phoebe absently played with the engagement ring on her finger.

Silence descended again and the atmosphere got heavy.

I felt so awkward. The tension in the room was palpable, not just between Matt and Lucas but the rest of the room was stiff too.

Maeve was making conversation but it wasn't genuine. It all felt scripted or obligatory.

I started to put the pieces together. Something horrible had happened between Matt and Lucas and that created a wedge between the rest of them.

Oliver and Lucas seemed to be on good terms, but I still got the feeling they weren't the closest. What could have happened to be this big of an elephant in the room for this family after so many years?

The meal seemed to last forever. I barely spoke and focused on my food. Most of the time passed in silence, nothing but the sound of forks clinking against porcelain.

Beside me, Lucas only seemed to get tenser. I doubted he would relax until the meal was over and Matt was long gone.

“Sasha, what is it that you do? Lucas has told us so little about you."

I started, not expecting to be addressed directly. Quickly, I swallowed what was in my mouth and smiled.

“I'm a student right now. I was doing a work-study project under Lucas, and that's how I got involved in the library project."

“Is that what they call it now, a work-study?" Matt asked, speaking for the first time. He jeered at Lucas.

Under the table, I heard Lucas's knuckles crack.

“I'm sure that's what she was doing 'under you.'" He laughed again, his distasteful joke hitting silence.

I grimaced and glanced at Lucas. His face was red. I reached under the table and grabbed his leg. He exhaled deeply and closed his eyes. I could see some of the tension melting away.

After dinner, Lucas retreated to his room quickly, nearly toppling his chair when he pushed away from the table.

“Excuse me. Thank you, dinner was lovely."

I followed Lucas upstairs and shut the door behind me.

“What was that about? I mean, there are family dinners, and then there's… that."

Lucas scoffed and shook his head. “Sometimes, I think my mom purposefully tries to provoke me."

“By inviting Matt?"

Lucas nodded. He sighed and sat on the end of the bed. I went to him and stood between his legs, hanging my arms around his neck. He hugged my hips.

“Mat and I were like brothers growing up. I trusted him more than anyone and my mom practically adopted him into the family. That was a long time ago."

I kissed the top of his head and ran my fingers through his soft, curly hair.

“What happened?"

“Matt proved himself to be a coward and I never want anything to do with him again. I'm shocked my mom does...."

“He did something bad?"

“Before I was old enough to get my wolf, Matt and I were ambushed by rogues. Instead of standing and fighting with me, or going for help, Matt ran and hid. He left me to get mauled and die.

“No," I gasped, covering my mouth with my hand.

“Even without my wolf, I was strong. I fought them off and killed them. Unfortunately, the rogue was the parent of a nearby child… a lot of bad things happened after that. And no one ever believed that Matt

just took off."

I hugged Lucas's neck, comforting him. There was nothing else I could say or do but be there for him.

Lucas leaned into me and took a deep breath, his hands holding me tightly. I could feel the anger and frustration radiating from him. It was understandable; Matt had betrayed him in the most fundamental way possible.

“I'm sorry, Lucas," I said softly, rubbing his back.

He sighed. “It's not your fault, Sasha. I just hate being in the same room with him. My mom knows that, but she still insists on inviting him to family events."

“I'll be here for you, always," I said, kissing his forehead.

Lucas looked up at me, his eyes searching mine.

“I love you," he said, pulling me into a deep, passionate kiss.

I melted into him, feeling the heat and intensity of his desire. Our bodies were flush against each other, and I could feel his arousal pressing against me.

I moaned softly, surrendering to the wave of pleasure that engulfed me. Lucas pulled me onto his lap, his hands roaming over my body as we kissed deeply. I ran my fingers through his hair, tugging on the soft curls, and he growled low in his throat. His hands slid under my shirt, touching my skin with a hunger that made me shiver.

I pulled away from his mouth, gasping for air. "Lucas, we can't... not here," I protested weakly.

But Lucas was already pulling off my shirt, his lips trailing hot kisses over my chest. "I need you, Sasha," he whispered against my skin. "I need to feel you, to forget everything else."

Wanting to forget everything but the two of us, I was lost… lost in the intensity of his touch, lost in the depth of his passion. I was lost in everything that was Lucas.