Mated to the Alpha: Sold to the King

Chapter 104: 0104

Lorelei POV

But why?

The question lodged itself in my throat.

Before I could even begin to make sense of it, he leaned forward and captured my lips in a deep kiss, completely indifferent to the audience standing only a few feet away.

I could practically feel the weight of Chelsea’s furious glare burning into the side of my face from across the room.

But I didn’t care.

In fact, I deliberately kissed him back just as deeply, letting out the softest moan against his lips for a little dramatic effect.

Served her right.

Once we finished breakfast, Kaelen instructed the maids to change the sheets after they cleared away the dishes.

Thankfully, while they were busy loading everything back onto the cart, I managed to slip out of bed unnoticed and pull on one of Kaelen’s oversized shirts. The soft fabric hung halfway down my thighs, completely swallowing my frame.

Meanwhile, Kaelen disappeared into his walk-in wardrobe to get dressed before leaving for the day.

"I already asked your maid to bring your clothes up so you can change," he said a few minutes later as he stepped back into the room.

He was now dressed in a charcoal-black button-down shirt with tailored black trousers, looking breathtakingly handsome as always.

But I kept that thought firmly to myself and offered him a small, quiet smile instead.

By then, the maids had already left, leaving only the two of us in the room.

He clearly needed to go, yet he made no move toward the door.

Instead, he remained standing there, his amber eyes slowly traveling over me as I stood wrapped in his oversized shirt.

The way he kept hesitating made it seem as though he didn’t trust me enough to leave me alone in his private chambers.

Honestly...

I wouldn’t have blamed him if that were true.

Eventually, he let out a reluctant sigh that seemed to come from deep within his chest before finally forcing himself to turn toward the door.

Without another word, he walked out, leaving me alone in the large, silent room.

The moment the door clicked shut behind him, I slowly climbed back onto his bed.

His scent still lingered on the sheets, surrounding me from every direction.

As I lay there staring up at the ceiling, only one thought kept repeating itself over and over inside my head.

I needed to tell him the truth.

Yes, he had been a jerk in the past, but lately... he had been nothing but kind to me.

Maybe Skye had been right all along, and he really had nothing to do with me being sold into this place.

Now that he seemed so invested in me, maybe I could finally uncover the truth and get justice with the Alpha King on my side.

Or maybe... maybe I was still being far too naive.

Even as the doubt lingered in the back of my mind, I found myself praying I was wrong.

I truly hoped he had nothing to do with the nightmare my life had become.

*

Not long after, a soft knock sounded at the door, and Skye stepped inside carrying a neatly folded bundle of my clothes.

The moment she crossed the doorway, her eyes widened as they swept across the Alpha King’s massive, luxurious chambers.

"I can’t believe I’m actually standing inside the Alpha King’s private bedroom," she whispered, her voice filled with awe.

Then her gaze landed on me. Or more specifically...

On me sitting on his bed while wearing one of his oversized shirts, and a knowing smile slowly spread across her face.

The look alone was enough to make my cheeks burn all over again. Thankfully, she was kind enough not to say a single word about it.

After changing into a fresh, simple dress, I made my way back toward my own room.

As I walked through the hallways, I couldn’t help noticing that the guards stationed along the corridors bowed much more deeply than they ever had before.

For a brief moment, I wondered why, but I was far too exhausted to give it much thought.

The instant I reached my room, I collapsed onto the mattress.

Every muscle in my body ached, and I was still sore enough that even rolling onto my side felt like too much effort.

Sleep claimed me almost immediately.

The last thing I remembered before drifting into a deep, dreamless sleep was the soft click of the door closing behind Skye as she quietly let herself out.

Surprisingly, when I finally opened my eyes again, the room was already blanketed in deep shadows.

I reached over to the small clock on my bedside table and saw it was already past five in the evening.

Shouldn’t Kaelen be back by now?

That was my very first thought as a small, unexpected wave of disappointment washed over me. Groaning quietly, I pushed myself up from the bed, every muscle protesting the movement, and decided to stretch my legs.

The moment I stepped outside my bedroom, I found Isaac standing at his usual post beside the door.

"Is the Alpha back?" I asked immediately, not even bothering to hide the anxiety in my voice.

"No, Miss Ella. There has been no news from the Alpha," Isaac replied formally, making me let out a quiet sigh of disappointment.

I bit my lip as I glanced down the empty hallway before looking back at him.

"What about Skye? Where is she?"

"She is currently helping the kitchen staff prepare your dinner, since you missed lunch today."

"Ah," I murmured, my hand unconsciously resting against my flat stomach. Now that he mentioned it, I could feel the dull ache of hunger beginning to settle in. More than that, I realized I had never actually been to the kitchens since arriving here.

"Is it okay if I visit the kitchen?" I asked, looking up at him. "I just really want to see Skye."

Mostly because I needed to talk to her in private and tell her about my plan to finally confess the whole truth to Kaelen tonight.

Isaac hesitated for only a brief moment, his sharp eyes sweeping over the hallway before he gave a firm nod.

"I will escort you, Miss Ella. Please follow me."

We had barely taken a few steps down the corridor when I spotted Skye walking toward us.

My face instantly lit up.

"Skye! We were just coming to see you," I said with a smile.

But Skye didn’t return my excitement. She only managed a weak, strained smile that immediately made my stomach tighten.

Something was wrong.

I could feel it.

"Ella..." she called softly, her eyes flicking nervously toward Isaac before settling back on me. "Can I talk to you? Privately... there’s something really important I need to tell you."

"Sure," I said, the lightheartedness draining from my voice.

I glanced at Isaac, who immediately took the hint. He gave a respectful nod before taking several steps back down the hallway, giving us enough space to speak without being overheard, though his eyes remained alert, silently keeping watch.

Once we were alone, I walked closer to Skye.

"What is it? Did something happen?"

"Don’t get mad," Skye began hesitantly, and my brows knitted together.

Why would I get mad?

"It... it’s about Maya."

The moment her name left her lips, my blood turned ice cold.

Every trace of warmth I had been feeling just moments ago disappeared, replaced by a violent rush of panic and the deep, festering anger I had buried for so long.

"No," I said, the word slipping out almost instinctively as I took a step back, shaking my head. "I told you I never wanted to hear anything about her. Not even her name, Skye. So why are you bringing her up again?"

"Please, Ella, just listen to me," Skye pleaded, reaching out as though she wanted to calm me. "Just talk to her. Please."

"I don’t want to!" I snapped, my voice echoing more sharply than I intended through the quiet corridor as my chest began rising and falling with each unsteady breath. The fragile peace I had managed to build throughout the morning shattered in an instant.

"Do you have any idea how much I suffered because of her? Because of all of them?" I demanded, my voice trembling with anger. "She deserves to suffer! Whatever crime she’s being accused of, she’s guilty, and I’m not doing a single thing to help her!"

Hot tears of frustration burned at the corners of my eyes.

I thought that would end the conversation. I thought Skye would see the pain written all over my face and finally let it go.

Instead, she stood her ground.

Her own voice started trembling as she took a cautious step toward me.

"But that’s the thing, Ella," she whispered. "She didn’t commit any crime. She was kidnapped too."