Sold as the Alpha King's Breeder-Chapter 1714 - 156 : A Scheming Dance

*Kellan*

My hand tightened slightly around the quiver as I lined up my shot. I narrowed my eyes slightly as I focused on the target on the other side of the field.

I had only recently started learning archery. It was something I was always interested in, but there were so many other skills I had to master as a future Alpha. Archery had been pretty low on the priority list when placed next to hand-to-hand combat and wielding a blade.

I took up the sport as more of a way to unwind than anything else. There was little time for hobbies like this lately. Father and Mother weren’t getting any younger, and I was quickly approaching the age where it would be odd if I didn’t become Alpha within the next year or two.

The idea of it caused a knot to form in my stomach.

I had known pretty much my whole life that I was going to be Alpha. It wasn’t something that was forced upon me at a young age, but it was something that seemed so far off that I didn’t really fully wrap my head around it.

Even now, I didn’t really have my mind wrapped around it.

I let an arrow fly, cursing inwardly when it was just a bit short of the bullseye.

It wasn’t that I didn’t want to be Alpha. I did want to. There was nothing more that I wanted than to take care of this pack. I felt a protectiveness over the land and the people. I knew it was my place to take over once my father stepped down.

I wanted the position and the honor, but I just wasn’t sure if I would be ready in just a year or two.

It started to hit me more that I was going to be Alpha when the lessons started to become more intense, and my father started to include me during the more important meetings and duties. As a young man, I was expected to mainly sit in on the boring economic meetings about the various shops and trading Drogomor was involved with.

Lately, though, I wasn’t just shadowing when military and political matters came up. My father was having me make a lot more decisions lately, ones that could very well affect the entire pack in a huge way.

That kind of pressure had been new to me, and I wasn’t sure that I enjoyed it. I spent my whole life in my father’s shadow, quietly observing and learning. It was what I knew and what I was familiar with.

When Father announced that he would be retiring within the next couple of years, my future suddenly became very real.

I drew back before letting another arrow fly. This time, the tip sunk right into the center of the target. I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I had been holding.

“Nice shot.”

I started slightly before turning to face my mother.

It was natural to look up to my father since I would one day assume the role he currently occupied, but I couldn’t help but admire my mother’s strength and bravery growing up either. She definitely wasn’t the typical Luna. Her history alone made her the strongest woman I’d ever known.

My mother was gentle, so it was hard to imagine all the hardships she had to endure as a young woman. My siblings and I grew up on the tales of the evil dark lord Malphas kidnapping our mom and baby Briella. Our father always told the tale of how our mother took down the dark dictator almost single-handedly.

Our mother would blush and point out that our father came to rescue her and played a huge role in Malphas’ eventual demise.

She was a role model to all she met, and we were all very fortunate to have her as our Luna.

“What can I do for you, Mother?” I asked.

My mother didn’t answer right away. She was still staring at the bullseye I had just shot, pride glinting in her green eyes. “Am I not allowed to spend some time with my son?”

I chuckled and shrugged. “You are,” I said. “You just normally don’t wander out here in the cold weather to do so, especially when your son is blowing off some steam.”

Her eyebrows rose in motherly concern. “Is there something on your mind that would require you to blow off some steam?”

I shrugged my shoulders. “Just the usual future Alpha duties,” I said, grinning to show her that she didn’t really need to worry about me.

It didn’t really work. The concern in her eyes only seemed to grow as she gazed at me. “I know that we’ve always assumed that you would be Alpha,” she started.

“You don’t need to worry about that,” I said quickly, hating that I had implied I didn’t want the role. “I have always wanted to be Alpha, Mother. There is nothing else I would rather do with my life. The responsibilities that I have had to assume lately have just increased, and I am adjusting to it.”

She must have seen the seriousness in my eyes because she nodded and visibly relaxed. “If there’s anything your father and I can do to make the transition easier, just let us know. You are our son first, Kellan, and our heir second.”

I chuckled lightly. “I know,” I said. “Now, please stop worrying. You’re going to get even more gray hairs than you already have, lady.”

My mother narrowed her eyes at me before she laughed, knowing very well I was only teasing. Our mother didn’t look her age. If she wasn’t so recognizable, our people would probably assume she was my sister.

That was gross.

We walked to the target together so that I could retrieve the dozen or so arrows I impaled into it. “So did you need something from me?” I asked as I yanked the arrows out of the wood.

“I just wanted to let you know that we are holding a ball next week in your honor,” she said casually as if we were discussing something mundane like the weather.

My hands froze on one of the arrows. I turned my head to raise an eyebrow at my mom, who was starting to look way too innocent. “Why, Mother,” I said in mock surprise, “you aren’t up to your old matchmaking ways again, are you?”

My mother just grinned and shrugged her slim shoulders. “Why would you say something like that?” she asked, blinking at me. “You wound me, son of mine. I just figured it has been ages since we’ve had a ball and that with your father ready to announce his retirement, we would throw one in your honor to officially announce that you plan to become Alpha of Drogomor.”

She wasn’t fooling me for a second. It was no secret that she had been trying to match me with a nice girl for the better part of my adulthood.

I just shook my head, knowing that I wasn’t going to win any kind of argument against having this ball. I just nodded like the good son I was. “Very well, Mother. Thank you for letting me know. I’ll be there.”

My mom grinned and patted my shoulder. “I’m glad to hear it since you don’t really have a choice.”

I hesitated briefly outside my dad’s office a couple of hours later. I didn’t want to sound like I was complaining about the ball or anything, but I did feel like I needed guidance from him.

I rolled my eyes as I thought about all of my mother’s previous attempts to send me on dates with other women my age. They had all been nice. That was a plus for having a mother with matchmaking abilities. She was going to find a nice young woman for me to meet.

It was too bad that the issue wasn’t about me having trouble finding a girl. I had tons of opportunities to find myself a mate, and there had been girls that I had been attracted to, but it just all boiled down to the fact that I just didn’t have the time.

I could barely find time for myself at the end of the day after accompanying my father to various meetings and learning all the complicated ins and outs of being an Alpha for a bustling and continually growing pack community.

How would I find time to have a meaningful relationship with a whole other person when I could barely carve out an hour for myself to shoot some arrows?

I rapped my knuckles against the wooden door. I wait for my father’s voice to allow me entry before turning the knob and letting myself in. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

My father looked up from over his glasses, his eyebrows rising as he focused on me. “Sit down, Son,” he invited, gesturing to the seat across from him. “You look like you have a lot on your mind.”

“No more than usual,” I said. I shut the door behind me and took the seat my dad offered. I sighed heavily as I leaned back slightly in the cushioned chair. “I just have the rising suspicion that my mother is scheming again.”

Dad chuckled knowingly. “So she told you about the ball then,” he said, and it wasn’t a question.

“She did,” I said in confirmation. “I just wish that she would drop the whole thing. She knows better than anyone that you can’t really force relationships.”

My dad raised an eyebrow at me. “She also knows more than anyone that a little push in the right direction can go a long way.”

This wasn’t a good sign at all. It sounded like my dad was on my mom’s side. Typical. “So she is definitely scheming then,” I said flatly.

Dad grinned. “Oh, without a doubt,” he said. He pinned me with a stern look. “And you’ll be on your best behavior and suck it up anyway.”

I put my hands up in a placating gesture. “Relax, old man,” I said teasingly. “I have no intentions of trashing a perfectly good ball that my mother spent so much time planning.”

“Hmm,” Dad hummed. “I seem to remember two little rascals who attempted to sabotage one of the balls we threw for your birthday.”

I grinned unabashedly at the memory of Briella and me working together to try and have the ball canceled. It was an elaborate plan that included sending fake messages to the staff in charge of decorating and preparing the food.

“I have matured immensely since then,” I assured my father.

“Barely,” my dad said but then reached out to ruffle my hair like he used to do when I was much smaller.

I laughed and swatted his hand away. My shoulders drooped. “I just don’t think I need a relationship right now,” I said seriously. “There’s enough on my plate as it is as I learn how to be Alpha.”

“Just keep an open mind and treat this like a ball that isn’t for you,” Dad said helpfully. “Although, I will say that what we truly need isn’t always clear to us.”

I chuckled at the sage-like advice. “You’re sounding older and older by the day, old man.”

My father just shrugged and smirked, showing me that I had gotten my sense of humor mainly from him.