Sold as the Alpha King's Breeder-Chapter 1320 - 75 : A Miracle from the Stars

*Zara*

I was speechless as my mother and father continued to describe their relationship to me. They could tell that there was some disillusionment going on in my mind. It was probably written all over my face as I did my best to steady my breathing.

I hadn’t spent my childhood being ignorant exactly. I knew that my parents weren’t perfect people and therefore, the relationship couldn’t have been perfect, but they were giving the impression that the conflicts that arose throughout their relationship had been serious ones. My mother clearly didn’t want to share those troubles with me, even as I stood before her as an adult asking her about them.

“We love each other very much Zara,” Father assured me for what felt like the tenth time since we’d started the conversation.

“These conflicts have only made our love stronger,” Mother added, giving me a hug that felt more desperate than comforting.

I believed them and wasn’t at all worried about their relationship like they seemed to think. I was much more concerned about my career and just the nature of what I had been trying to do with my life for all these years.

My parents’ past and relationship only seemed to echo what I was beginning to learn as truth—that love would happen with or without me.

The three of us turned when a knock sounded at the door. I tried to repress the grimace that wanted to form on my face when Tallula pushed the door open.

“Come with me please, Lady Zara,” she said in a no-nonsense tone. “We have much to do in preparation for you to be the future Luna of Drogomor.”

I sent my parents a pensive smile before reluctantly following the old maid, who immediately started to announce that I would need to be fitted for more appropriate outfits befitting a future Luna and that I would be meeting with Luna Estella in order to learn what would be expected of me in my future role.

After being bathed by the rough-handed maids and then measured once again, I was dressed in yet another new gown. This one was a soft rose color and actually much more comfortable than the one I had worn to breakfast.

“You’ll do,” Tallula said once the maids finished curling my hair and securing it with a matching silk ribbon.

She led me down the stairs and through another long hallway.

“This is the library,” Tallula said, pushing the ornate door open to reveal the most gorgeous array of books I had ever seen.

It was a cozy library with dark furniture and large bookshelves spanning from the floor to the ceiling. There was a celestial skylight with swirling galaxy patterns painted around the window.

In the center of the large room, standing beside a massive mahogany desk, was Luna Estella. Her warm brown eyes met mine and she nodded politely. “Are you ready to get started with our lessons?” she asked.

I was shocked that she almost sounded excited.

I had only a few short interactions with the Luna of Drogomor by this point, but I had decided during our first meeting that I liked her a lot. She seemed to be warm and friendly to everyone she met.

I offered her a tentative smile. “Ready as I’ll ever be.”

The Luna laughed lightly. “I’m sure you’ll do just fine,” she said. She nodded to the head maid. “Thank you for escorting Zara to me, Tallula. You may go.”

Tallula nodded. “Yes, Luna.” She turned to go but then looked at Luna Estella. “That one will require much work.”

I winced as she shut the door with a foreboding click behind her, but Luna Estella just laughed again, more amused this time. “She is a strict one, that Tallula,” she said, “which is definitely a good thing. She needed to be strict in order to corral Noah as he grew up. He was quite the handful for as long as I’ve known him, but I heard he was especially so as a toddler.”

I glanced at her, almost forgetting that she was Noah’s stepmother and not his birth mother.

Although Luna Estella was a generally kind person, the training was intensive. I was struggling to keep up as I jotted down notes in a small notebook that the Luna had given me.

“As the future Luna, you will be expected to gain competency in a broad range of areas vital to helping govern the sprawling Drogomor territory and its vast membership,” she explained as she pointed at a map that showed the large territory.

After I had memorized the map and the important landmarks like the infirmary and the central plaza, Luna Estella took me on a tour of the land, but it was far from peaceful. She quizzed me on the history and facts of the pack as we drove through and stopped at various landmarks.

After the tour, it was back in the library for more lessons on critical skills like overseeing the distribution of resources, settling civil disputes, managing the mate pairs, planning elaborate rituals and festivals, and even enforcing laws alongside the Alpha. I would be expected to do all that while promoting unity and prosperity the entire time.

When I thought my brain was incapable of soaking up any more facts or responsibilities, Luna Estella took me out again into the town to oversee some changes that were happening around their shopping district. We met with various vendors and discussed ways of improving how things were run.

I had to resist the urge to let my feet drag when we finally made it back to the mansion for dinner.

I found my parents in one of the sitting rooms, enjoying some warm tea. They smiled as I approached them.

“How were your studies as future Luna?” Father asked with just a hint of teasing as he took in my tired appearance.

“Fine,” I said, forcing myself to straighten up. “There’s a lot to learn, but Luna Estella is a very patient teacher.”

Even though she could be a bit strict, I thought to myself.

“You’re going to be a fine Luna,” Mother said.

I couldn’t help but blanch slightly. My parents seemed to be in a much better mood than they had been when they arrived just this morning.

“I’ll do my best,” I said slowly. Then I tilted my head curiously. “How was your day?”

“It was a wonderful day,” my mother said, grinning. “We were treated to a tour of Drogomor and then we were escorted to the best spa in town.”

My father nodded. “Everyone is quite welcoming here,” he said.

I felt some tension leave my body despite the grueling day I’d just had. It warmed my heart to see that my parents were enjoying their time here, and it seemed like they were much more at ease with the idea of my staying here in Drogomor.

I looked around and realized that we were in a generally secluded spot in the mansion. There were walls surrounding us, and most of the other occupants of the house were likely preparing for dinner.

I took the plush chair that was between my parents and hesitated, wondering if I should bring up the sigils on my back. If it was likely put there as some kind of protective design, perhaps they would have been aware of their existence. But if they didn’t know, would it just cause them more unnecessary worry, I wondered.

I decided to ask a different question. I looked at my mother first, then at my father. “Do you think you could tell me the truth about the night that you found me?”

My parents glanced at one another, concern furrowing their brows. When I turned to look at my father fully, however, he seemed to turn his face away from my curious gaze.

Mother took my hand gently in hers. “Don’t mind your father,” she said, squeezing my hand. “We’re just a little surprised to hear you ask since you haven’t done so since you were a little girl.”

“I know,” I admitted, feeling a little guilty for bringing it up out of nowhere. “I haven’t stopped wondering though.”

Mother shared another intense look with my father and then nodded. “That doesn’t surprise me,” she said finally with a deep sigh. “You’ve always been a curious child.”

“Did I really come from the stars?” I asked after a quiet moment.

My mother sucked in a sharp, surprised breath but eventually shook her head. “Don’t misunderstand, Zara,” she murmured, squeezing my hand again when I averted my gaze. “Your arrival was very much like a miracle from the stars, and you brought an immense amount of love and joy into our lives. But the truth is that you were left at the Moon Goddess’ temple.”

“That’s where we found you,” Father added, and he gave me a fond look. “That’s where we found our little miracle bundle. When no one came forward to claim you, our Alpha granted us permission to adopt you.”

I looked away from them and at the small coffee table between us, digesting this. “I suspected that it was something like that,” I admitted quietly.

Although I was frustrated that there were still so many mysteries surrounding my existence, I still felt some weight lift off me at finally being told the truth by my parents.

“Thank you for telling me all of that,” I said quietly.

“Of course,” Mother said at once. She tilted her head a bit so she could look at my face. Her large eyes were still filled with worry. “May I ask what brought on the question?”

I took a steadying breath before telling them about the sigils on my back. “They shimmer and can only be seen beneath the moonlight,” I finished, watching their expression carefully.

It was evident then from their lack of surprise that they were in fact aware of their existence, which immediately put me at ease. It obviously wasn’t a cause for concern to them, which meant that it wasn’t a curse of some kind.

“Yes, it is something of a protective charm,” Mother explained. “When you were a baby, you had a lot of trouble sleeping. While it is normal for babies to wake up several times a night, you would go long, concerning periods of time without sleeping at all. The sigils on your back were put there to help you sleep peacefully.”

I let out a long breath that I hadn’t realized I had been holding. Not only was the charm protective, but it was for something as minor as helping me sleep as a child. I felt a little silly now for being worried about it but then again, I had no way of knowing what it was put there for.

It did make me wonder why my parents had never bothered to mention it if it was for something so trivial.

Learning about this part of myself that I was never aware of just caused more questions to arise.

“Who was it that put the sigils on my back?” I asked finally.

My mother’s eyes were suddenly bright as she answered. “We took you to Winter Forest to see a Dream Dancer. Her name was Sasha Black.”