Sold as the Alpha King's Breeder-Chapter 1262 - 17 : Too Many Creeps

*Zara*

A day had passed since we set up the post. Gia and I were back in my room, looking through the messages we’d received. I knew this was going to be harder than I thought.

“We have over one hundred messages?!” I murmured, bewildered to have received so many. “Okay, let me go through one of the first ones.”

Gia peered over my shoulder. Her tone was just as surprised as I felt. “Damn. Well, he’s surely got to be in there, right?”

“One would hope,” I said. Then I began reading the first few messages, my expression shifting from hopeful to horrified.

“This one says ‘Hey there, sexy, I am exactly who you’re looking for. Let’s meet up again?’ I’m not looking at the attached picture. I’m almost certain it won’t be of his face,” I said.

This got a low chuckle from Gia, who said quickly, “Sorry, not the time. It was just funny how you said that.”

I acknowledged that with a snicker, then moved onto the next few.

‘I can give you a night of a good time, give me a chance.’

‘I’ve been looking all over for you, please respond.’

‘I really need a mate, we’re probably fated. Hit me up?’

“These responses are so desperate,” I grumbled, letting out a sigh.

“Well, you could try to contact them and see if they can describe their wolf. If it’s a similar match, then you’re one step closer to finding your guy,” Gia suggested. “Some of these profiles even have a picture of their form.”

“Yeah,” I said, unsure. “I guess I can go through and deny the ones who are obviously not him. But Gia, there are so many messages here. This will take hours, maybe even days!”

“Well,” Gia said, her tone somewhat amused. “I happen to have a little bit of time on my hands. Let’s go through these together, shall we? Come on, we need to find your guy. We’ll make it fun!”

She had a point. This was incredibly important to me, and so I nodded, feeling determination surge through me. Gia had a way with words that helped me feel better.

Though, after several hours of searching, we still had no luck. “A beautiful jet-black wolf with piercing blue eyes,” Gia mumbled. “You sure it’s not this guy?”

“Yes,” I grumbled. “The eyes on that one are dull, and his fur is a shade of lighter gray, not jet black. Plus, the way he started his message was disturbing, to say the least.”

Gia said with a chuckle, “What? Who doesn’t start a relationship with a list of fetishes they have?” She was clearly teasing, and I bumped her with my shoulder, shaking my head.

“Not all of us are as risqué as you, Gia,” I said.

She gasped, covering her face, and erupting into giggles. “Oh Zara, that–hah! Well played, I deserved it,” she said, very amused by my quick wit.

Despite this situation growing increasingly frustrating, I was able to relax because my best friend was here.

“You did,” I agreed, but my smile quickly began to fade.

Gia took notice of this and frowned.

“Hey. What’s up? We’ll find him, Zara, I know we will,” she said softly.

“I know. I just... hope we do so in time, Gia. I won’t be able to put much time into the search anymore when... well,” I muttered, running my hand through my hair.

I wondered if I should tell her.

“When what?” she said, noting I’d trailed off.

I grinned sheepishly and avoided her gaze.

Lowering my voice, I said, “Well... I have a baby on the way.” I quickly added, “Please just keep this between us.”

“It will be kept between us, I promise,” Gia said softly, and then she squealed. “Oh, Zara, this is wonderful news! Kind of! It is wonderful news, right?”

I snickered at her reply, having to cover my mouth, and I let out a few giggles. “For the most part, it is. I really need to find my baby’s father, though. I want to start a family and am excited about my child, but I also want to be able to carry on with my life, you know? I want to raise them with loving parents like mine were.”

“Yeah,” Gia said softly, seeming to go quiet in thought. “Yours were very happy. I always looked up to them and kept them in mind while looking for someone.”

I winced, knowing she couldn’t follow the example of her own parents. “They are quite the inspiration,” I said, trying to think of something to reassure her.

She looked over at me and provided a faint smile. “Oh, you’re thinking about mine again, aren’t you? Don’t worry, Zara,” she said.

“I know, it’s just–”

She reached out and put her hand over mine, staring into my eyes firmly.

“No arguing. You pushed me to realize that it was okay to encourage my parents to get a divorce. They weren’t meant for each other. They weren’t compatible,” she said.

“That is true. But as a consequence, you didn’t have both parents for your teenage years,” I said.

Gia beamed at me. “You’re still on that, huh? I’d rather them be separate and happy than together and miserable. Some things don’t work out. It’s a hard truth. You should never keep silent on hard truths.”

“I don’t,” I replied, then wrinkled my nose. “I wish certain people would understand the hard truths I have to give and do something about it, though.”

“Is this in reference to your first client, AKA the thorn in your side?”

“You bet,” I said. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

“It’d be ironic if he turned out to be your mate,” she said in a teasing tone.

I groaned, shaking my head.

“No way,” I replied. “I know for a fact that he isn’t.” Rather than dwell on and argue that some more, I looked at another message. “Speaking of which, though, let’s keep going through this stuff.”

A few hours later of continued no luck, a knock came on the door. Gia and I looked up, and I murmured, “Come in.”

I knew who it was by the woodsy, vanilla scent that wafted into the room before he opened the door. When Noah entered the room, my breath caught involuntarily. Though we did nothing but argue, I couldn’t deny the subtle attraction that pulled us together.

"I came to check on you," he said, his gaze lingering on my face.

I steadied myself, keeping my tone cool. "I don’t need your concern."

He raised an eyebrow. "Funny, because you clearly need guidance to stop chasing fairy tales."

I bristled, my eyes flashing. "The only fairy tale here is your impending marriage."

Gia looked between us, a knowing smile on her lips. "Well, aren’t you two charming," she said pointedly.

***

*Noah*

I looked between Zara and her friend, Giovanna, knowing I should probably leave them but not wanting to.

I said, “Anyway, like I said, I came to check up on you. What with the current... situation and your fatigue.” I tried to keep my tone cold and guarded, but a bit of curiosity slipped through. I wondered what they were up to.

Giovanna studied me for a moment, as if trying to decipher what I was saying. Finally, she said softly, “Oh, I know why you insisted she stay put, no need to talk in code.”

No longer mincing my words, I nodded. “Yes. The child you have on the way, the one belonging to the mysterious missing mate who seemed to have abandoned you.”

“That’s not what happened,” Zara said with a defensive growl, crossing her arms tightly across her chest.

“And you must be Zara’s problem client, Noah!” Giovanna said with an amused tone. “I can see why you earned that title.”

My eyes fixed on her, and I couldn’t help but smirk. “I have a reputation now, don’t I?” I asked. I winked at Zara. “I must have left quite the impression, beautiful.” This earned me an eye roll.

I grew serious, though, and raised a brow. “Really. How have you been feeling? You’ve not been too stubborn to go see Calvin, right?”

“Do you really think I’m that stubborn, Noah?” Zara asked.

“Yes,” I replied flatly.

“When it comes to my health, and my child’s, no, I’m not,” she said.

Giovanna looked back and forth between us with a hint of amusement. She commented, “Well, you two are charming. I will say it is nice that he cares this much.”

Zara said, “Don’t encourage him.”

Meanwhile, I scoffed. “Of course, I’d care about a woman who happened to make a stupid decision to wander through the Dark Realm while carrying a child.”

Giovanna clicked her tongue, furrowing her brow. “That was a pretty rash decision. At the same time, I think I understand why she did so. She doesn’t give up easily and she has a knack for knowing more about these things than anyone.”

“Regarding fairy tales of fated mates?” I asked, narrowing my eyes.

“It wasn’t fairy tales,” Zara said in an irritated tone. “You were there when I found the Luna Lily. I know you know that Serena isn’t meant for you, yet you’re carrying on anyway. If you would just understand how bad this is going to go—”

“Zara... not every marriage is a fairytale... Sometimes the best path forward is the one right in front of you. You were right when you said I needed to grow up and be the future Alpha that this pack needs. She has her flaws, but Serena is a good woman.”

Zara let out a sigh, then asked in a softer voice, “How are the wedding plans going?”

I thought I detected a hint of sadness in her tone. I wondered why she was still going on about how Serena and I weren’t meant for each other. It wasn’t like she was going to verify it was a ‘no’ in her case for me.

Either way, I snorted. “They’re fine, and it seems like you’re fine too,” I said. “I hope you continue to be fine, and all those happy fun details. See me if you need help with something.”

Both Zara and Gia blinked at me as if I’d grown an extra head.

“I... I will,” Zara muttered, prompting me to roll my eyes. There was a note of concern in her tone, though, that I didn’t want to hear right then.

With that, I left her and her friend to do whatever it was they were up to. The two options I had were to return to my study or go to the gym. I clenched my jaw upon realizing that my hobby at the gym might be compromised.

There was a good chance that the moment I went into the gym, Serena would appear talking about another detail for the wedding. She was covering all the fine details, so why she asked me for input she’d just ignore, I didn’t know.

Maybe it was to try to get me involved. I could tell that she was putting in an effort, even if she was going a little overboard.

I headed to my study to hopefully take my mind off things for a few hours.

Hopefully, I’d be left alone in there.