Sold To The Alphas: A BBW Paranormal Romance

by Amira Rain

  CHAPTER SIX

  Suddenly intensely curious, I turned my face to look at Chase. "What 'little treasure chest of pleasure toys from Ashcrest'? Where is it? And what's in it?"

  Chase's jewel-green eyes twinkled in the fading sunlight when he responded.

  "The 'treasure chest' is actually under your own bed, in your own cabin. You've just never noticed it before. As to what's in it...well, we'll show you sometime. Sometime very soon. But I'll just tell you now, as you can probably imagine, the 'treasure chest' is full of things to further increase your pleasure, which is something Grayson and I want, for its own sake, though we also believe that the more pleasure you experience, the faster you'll become pregnant.

  “Which is something Grayson and I both want, too, very badly, needless to say. Though we've both obviously grown to care about you deeply since we purchased you at the auction, our mutual hope of having a child was, of course, the whole reason we purchased you in the first place."

  With his eyes still twinkling, Chase paused briefly before continuing. "So, I hate to tell you, gorgeous Miss Rowan, but you're in for much more pleasure until then, until you conceive. Though I'm sure you're in for much more pleasure after that, too, no matter if it's Grayson or me who gets you pregnant. I think it's pretty obvious neither of us can keep our hands off you."

  Chase's delectable mouth curved in a lazy grin, but I found I couldn't muster even the most perfunctory of smiles. While he'd been speaking, my heart had been sinking like a stone. I'd been so preoccupied worrying about Skye the previous week that I'd mostly been able to put my fertility deception out of my mind. But now, obviously, I couldn't any longer.

  As terrible as it made me feel to continue to allow Chase and Grayson to think I might become pregnant, and maybe even soon, I was still determined not to reveal my deception until after Skye was rescued.

  The way I saw it, revealing the truth any sooner might actually put her rescue and her life in jeopardy. At best, I figured Chase and Grayson might become so distraught, angry, and distracted that they wouldn't be able to completely focus on orchestrating the raid that would secure her freedom. At worst, I thought it was possible that after learning about my deception, they might not even attempt to rescue her, as a way to get back at me.

  Chase and Grayson weren't petty, vengeful men; I knew them well enough by this point to know that for sure. However, the "crime" I felt I was committing by not telling them the truth wasn't exactly a petty one. I knew they'd both be crushed -- devastated even, once they learned the truth. I had no idea how they'd react. If they still agreed to lead their men in a raid to rescue Skye, I had no idea if they'd be able to be as effective as they ordinarily would be.

  I couldn't risk them being distracted. Not when they'd both just finalized plans for the rescue raid the day before. Now they were just waiting on a few wolf shifter friends they had further up north.

  Like Chase and Grayson and their pack, these wolves weren't evil and didn't hurt and kill for sport, and in fact, the opposite. They were protectors of sorts, like Chase and Grayson, and the only reason they weren't part of the Shadowfen pack was because they preferred a more solitary existence in a place where there weren't as many of the havoc-wreaking type of wolves around.

  After Stone, the experienced spy of Chase and Grayson's pack, had returned from his first mission spying on the wolves who had Skye, bringing news that she was okay, it soon become clear to Chase and Grayson, that they'd need more men in order to do a successful raid and rescue her.

  The shifter wolf pack holding Skye several miles away was a large one, at least double the size of Chase and Grayson's pack. This was the primary reason that the Bloodfur wolves, as Chase and Grayson had begun to refer to this other pack because of the animal blood they streaked their fur with when attacking a town, had been able to kidnap Skye in the first place.

  Being that there were so many of these Bloodfur wolves, Chase, Grayson, and their men had their hands quite full protecting the people of Greenleaf, and they hadn't been able to prevent some of the Bloodfur wolves from entering the town. Now that Stone had been able to get an accurate count of these wolves via his stealthy spying activities, it was clear that Chase and Grayson needed backup. So, they were going to wait for their friends from far up north, who, hopefully, would be arriving within a few days. If we were lucky, that is. If they didn't encounter any obstacles along the way, like any of the dozens of murderous, dark-hearted wolf packs between them and Shadowfen.

  In the meantime, I just tried to take comfort from what Stone had said after each of his two spying missions. He'd specifically said that while Skye didn't exactly look thrilled to be in captivity, she didn't appear to be in distress, either.

  She often looked a little bored, Stone had said. Because the Bloodfur wolves moved around the state frequently, they currently lived in portable tents within the forest, and Skye was being kept in one of these tents, though Stone said she often sat outside on a rock, gazing into the sky or reading the same tattered paperback book over and over.

  I knew it was likely a specific favorite of hers that she often carried around in her back pocket. I figured she'd probably been kidnapped with it on her person. Ironically, it was about a young woman kidnapped by a band of evil maniacs.

  The Bloodfur wolves brought her meals and watched her constantly, not taking their eyes off her long enough for Stone to rescue her without being caught, but other than that, they seemed to be mostly steering clear of her.

  This baffled Chase, Grayson, and me, even while at the same time, we were incredibly relieved to hear that information. I'd actually been so relieved to hear she wasn't being sexually attacked by any of the Bloodfur wolves that I'd had to sit down, dizzy and tearful.

  When Stone had said that none of the shifters had even entered her tent while he'd been spying, even briefly, I'd cried so hard, flooded with thankfulness, that Chase and Grayson had to take turns holding me for several minutes until I'd been able to stop.

  It wasn't until shortly after Stone's second spying mission that he'd been able to figure out exactly why Skye was being treated fairly well and wasn't being sexually attacked. Richard, the Bloodfur wolves' alpha, was absent from their encampment. He hadn't been seen when his men had attacked Greenleaf.

  Eventually, during his second mission, Stone had been able to very carefully eavesdrop on some of the wolves' conversations and had learned that Richard was very far south, hundreds of miles south, actually, trying to kidnap fertile women from a small town near Ashcrest.

  Figuring he had a better chance of not attracting the attention of the Ashcrest dragons if he slipped in and out of this small town rather than attacking it with his shifters, Richard had only taken one of his shifters with him.

  The shifter that Richard had taken with him was a wolf called a scenter, a rare kind of wolf with such keen smelling skills as to have the ability to detect fertile women based on scent alone. These scenter shifters were so rare as to almost be unheard of, though somehow, Richard had two in his pack, the one with him, and one back at the encampment with Skye.

  I thanked my lucky stars that Chase and Grayson didn't have one in their pack, because I knew my fertility deception would have no doubt been discovered shortly after my arrival in Shadowfen.

  Clearly, the scenter that Richard had not taken with him had somehow caught Skye's fertile scent after Richard had left on his trip, and the pack decided to move in and kidnap Skye even in his absence.

  They probably figured she would be a nice surprise for him upon his arrival home, especially if he wasn't able to abduct a fertile young woman from the small town near Ashcrest. That was why the Bloodfur wolves were treating Skye fairly well. They were saving her, healthy, unharmed, and un-impregnated, for their alpha.

  The only thing Chase and Grayson were still baffled about was why the Bloodfur's scenter had scented Skye as fertile.

  "Because the medical tests revealed her as infertile, correct?" Grayson had asked me.
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  "Because if the tests had revealed her as fertile, she would have been put up for sale at the auction along with you and the others, right?"

  Before I'd been able to respond, before I'd even begun to think of a response, Chase had spoken. "Well, maybe it's possible she's one of those 'possibly fertile' women. One of those where it's a medical long-shot, but it's still technically possible. Do you know if that's what her medical tests revealed, Rowan?"

  Rowan didn’t have an answer. "I really can't talk about this right now. I'm still too worried about Skye to even think about the precise reason she was abducted."

  Chase and Grayson had both immediately apologized and taken me into their arms, saying that they shouldn't have been so insensitive. This had, of course, made me feel like the biggest villain that ever lived. The biggest liar. The biggest fraud. Because, of course, I knew damn well why Skye had been taken. The scenter's nose hadn't been off. Skye wasn't 'possibly fertile.'

  She had been deemed completely fertile. While I'd been deemed completely infertile. I'd only switched our test results to spare her what I'd thought would be a hellish existence. Little had I known that life with Chase and Grayson would be anything but hellish.

  I knew that once Skye was rescued, which I had faith that she would be, I'd have a hell of a lot of explaining to do, and to three different people. Her, Chase, and Grayson.

  I knew Skye would forgive me. I just knew it. Being familiar with her and her caring, generous nature, I knew that once she learned the truth, she'd probably thank me for trying to save her by switching our fertility test results, even though that effort had led to a lot of deception. It was the reactions of the two men in my life I just wasn't too sure about.

  Once it had been determined why Skye had been taken, and once Stone had assured me that she was being treated decently and surely would be until Richard returned from his trip, which he wasn't supposed to do for weeks, I'd forced myself to forget about it all.

  My deception, my infertility, having to eventually tell Chase and Grayson the truth, their possible eventual reactions, just everything. Because I'd grown to care so much about them both, and because I'd grown to feel virtually addicted to the intimacy the three of us shared, I just wanted to enjoy spending time with them as long as I possibly could.

  Because I knew that it was very, very likely that eventually, they would turn me away. They both might even hate me. A scenario so painful I could barely stand to contemplate it. So, I'd been forcing myself not to think about it.However, right then in the forest, while I rested in Chase and Grayson's arms after our outdoor punishment-slash-lovemaking session, I couldn't not think about it. While Chase talked about how badly he and Grayson wanted me to become pregnant, I couldn't not think about how very soon our intimacy would likely be coming to a screeching halt.

  I'd likely be retreating back to Greenleaf, hanging my head in shame. I'd likely never be seeing Chase or Grayson ever again. All because I'd just wanted to be a good, protective big sister. I hadn't set out to hurt and deceive anyone.

  No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't return the grin that had spread across Chase's face while he'd been talking about the possibility of me becoming pregnant soon. No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't force the sides of my mouth to lift.

  After a long moment spent studying my face with his grin becoming replaced by a frown, Chase asked me what was wrong; but before I could come up with some explanation or excuse, he continued speaking. "I'm sorry, Rowan. I've been a complete, insensitive ass.

  “You probably can't even think about a happy event like you becoming pregnant while Skye is still being held by the Bloodfurs. I know it would probably kill you to not be able to call her to share the happy news the moment we get it, and now, like a complete jerk, I've just reminded you of that. Is that it? Is that why you're looking so sad all of a sudden?"

  I moved my head in the slightest of nods. "I guess I just can't talk about the whole pregnancy issue right now. I really don't even want to think about it."

  Chase tightened his arms around me, pressing his lips to my forehead. "Of course."

  On my other side, Grayson began smoothing my hair again. "Though obviously we should all continue our efforts to get you pregnant, Chase and I can both try to not bring up the topic in conversation until Skye is rescued. I know the last thing either of us wants to do is make you unhappy."

  Chase agreed, and I thanked them both, though with a heavy heart. Their kindness made me feel even worse.

  Soon the three of us headed back to Shadowfen, the two of them in wolf form, and me riding on Grayson's broad, silver-furred back. He was so enormous that it literally felt like riding a horse, which I found kind of fun, and the trip back to the village put me in a slightly better mood. Though just slightly.

  That night, I went to sleep alone, because Chase and Grayson had to deal with a problem concerning a small pack of five wolves passing through the area, causing trouble as they went. Chase, Grayson, and a few of their men planned to drive these wolves well past Greenleaf, with a warning to only return on pain of death.

  Before leaving my cabin, Grayson held me tightly, speaking near my ear in a low voice. "Whether it's me or Chase who becomes your mate for life, this is, unfortunately, what you have to look forward to. Your mate constantly being called away, frequent nights alone...for an alpha, it never ends. I just hope you can bear it."

  I squeezed him back, running my hands along the hard ridges of his back with my chest aching for the second time that day. "I can bear it. I think I can even be happy."

  I knew I could bear it. I knew I could even be happy. Probably even very happy. Though I knew I was likely never going to get the chance to be happy in Shadowfen in the long term. All I had was the present.

  I tossed and turned all night. I shed a few tears while a warm April rain pattered against the windows, the weather mirroring my mood perfectly. A brisk wind periodically whipping through the trees even made noises that sounded like deep, sad sighs.

  Chase and Grayson returned in the wee hours of the morning, and not wanting to disturb me, they slept in their own beds in their own cabins. Little did they know they wouldn't have been disturbing me at all, as my troubled mind had barely allowed me to sleep anyway.

  Late in the morning, they came by to share a quick breakfast with me before heading out on a patrol with some of their men. It had stopped raining, but the skies opened up once again, not more than a few minutes after they'd left, soaking the bright green grass around the cabin with big fat raindrops.

  Wanting to get some fresh air and do some quiet thinking, I took a mug of mint tea out on the porch, which the overhanging roof shielded from the rain. And that turned out to be a mistake.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  I'd just wanted some time to watch the rain, sip my tea, and be alone with my thoughts out on the porch. What I got was an unexpected visit from Rose. Rose and Jack, that is. Jack, Rose's giant black raven, sat perched on her shoulder, as usual.

  Since the day when she and I had met, when she'd told me she knew that I had a secret, she'd been back to the village to visit with Flora a couple of times, though she hadn't come near my own cabin, which I'd been relieved about. It wasn't that I had any kind of problem with her or disliked her; I didn't.

  In fact, despite the fact that I could see how people might find her irritating at times, she struck me as an interesting person that I would have ordinarily liked to get to know better. And of course, like everyone else in the village seemed to, I felt a bit bad for her, just because she was older, lived alone, and seemed to be lonely.

  Not to mention that she also obviously had some struggles with frequent bouts of drinking too much, which her loneliness didn't help, I was sure.

  I was just relieved to not have seen her the previous week because I really didn't want to hear her have any more "intuitions" about me. I'd become pretty convinced that she wasn't really psychic, but instead had just coincidentally made a few lucky guess
es that had fed right into my guilty conscience about my deception, making her seem to really be psychic.

  However, while I was about ninety-nine percent convinced about this, it was the one percent of uncertainty that troubled me and I didn’t welcome another meeting with Rose. I just didn't want that ninety-nine percent of certainty to become a smaller number. I had no desire to feel as rattled as I had the first time Rose had come to my cabin to visit.

  But, whether I liked it or not, Rose was back. While I sat out on the covered porch, sipping my tea and watching the rain, she came tottering around the side of the cabin with Jack on her shoulder. Raindrops beaded on his black feathers and rolled down Rose's dark gray rain poncho.

  She waved, and I waved back, silently cursing myself for making the mistake of taking my tea outside, feeling mean at the same time for having this thought. She was, after all, just a harmless elderly woman, and I knew it was unkind to begrudge her a few minutes of conversation if she was lonely.