Mated to the Alpha: Sold to the King

Chapter 105: 0105

Kaelen’s POV

"You’re late," Darius said the second I stepped into the garage. He stood beside the car with his arms crossed over his chest, his expression as cold as ever.

"Sorry. I was a little occupied," I replied with a smirk as I casually slid into the passenger seat.

His expression darkened even further at my tone. He walked around the vehicle and climbed into the driver’s seat, his jaw clenched so tightly that I could almost hear his teeth grinding.

Darius wasn’t stupid.

He had watched me run after her from my office yesterday and carry her straight into my private chambers. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what had happened behind those closed doors, and judging by the look on his face, that knowledge only seemed to irritate him even more.

Before he could start the engine, I decided to push him a little further.

"She called me by my name last night," I said, leaning back against the leather seat as I watched him from the corner of my eye.

The reaction was immediate.

Darius’s grip around the steering wheel tightened until his knuckles turned white.

Seeing that I had struck a nerve, I couldn’t resist pressing on.

"Even though it was just a slip, it still made me strangely happy," I admitted. "Is that how you’ve been feeling every time she calls you by yours?"

He didn’t answer but honestly, this time, though, I really wasn’t exaggerating.

The sound of my name leaving her lips had filled me with a strange, intoxicating sense of satisfaction. My wolf had nearly lost its mind over something so simple. A feeling I hadn’t felt in such a long time.

"Even my wolf went wild," I continued with a smug grin. "I’m fairly certain she won’t be walking properly for at least a week."

"I don’t think I need to hear the details," Darius finally said, his voice low and rough with restrained anger. "That’s her private matter."

"I suppose walking in on her naked wasn’t a private matter either," I shot back, unable to keep the growl from creeping into my voice.

The mere thought that he had seen her undressed, a sight that should have belonged to me alone, was enough to make my blood boil.

Darius snapped his head toward me, meeting my glare with one just as fierce and dangerous.

The silence inside the car became suffocating as two predators silently tested each other’s boundaries.

"Thank you for respecting her privacy," I added mockingly, my voice cutting through the silence like a blade.

A low, menacing snarl rumbled from Darius’s chest, vibrating through the entire chassis of the vehicle. Without another word, he shoved the key into the ignition, started the engine, and sped out of the garage.

The moment we passed through the estate gates, it felt as though a physical weight crashed down onto my chest.

A dull, relentless ache settled beneath my ribs.

I didn’t want to leave.

Every instinct I possessed screamed at me to order Darius to turn the car around, drive straight back into the garage, and lock myself inside my chambers with Ella beside me so I could spend the entire day surrounded by her scent.

I was becoming attached to her at an alarming rate.

To anyone else, it would probably seem completely unhealthy, but I couldn’t bring myself to care. I didn’t want to fight it.

Under normal circumstances, if this had been any other pack matter, I would have dismissed it without a second thought or simply sent someone else in my place.

But today wasn’t just any meeting.

Today marked the arrival of Prince Kalu and Princess Nala.

According to the agreement we had reached, we were to meet them at a highly secured, off-grid location to perform the ritual. Once the ritual was complete, they would remain at the estate for several days as our exclusive guests.

The nature of their visit was both delicate and highly confidential. Holding the meeting outside our territory was the only way to guarantee that neither my people nor the Council would learn anything about it.

The silence lingered as Darius guided the car through the winding mountain roads, the tires clinging to the asphalt while the miles slipped away behind us.

Roughly three hours later, the dense forest finally opened up, revealing an abandoned yet heavily fortified stone monastery nestled deep within a secluded neutral valley.

Two sleek, tinted SUVs were already parked in the overgrown courtyard, surrounded by a small group of elite royal guards. They wore simple dark sleeveless tunics, loose tactical joggers secured at the ankles, and heavy combat boots. Each of them stood in perfect, disciplined silence with a silver spear gripped firmly in hand. Intricate symbols were carved along the shafts of the weapons, matching the glowing tattoos that stretched across their dark skin.

"Let’s get this shit over with," Darius muttered, the irritation from earlier gone, replaced by his usual cold, unreadable expression as he killed the engine.

The moment we stepped out of the car and our boots touched the gravel, the guards instantly shifted into defensive positions.

Without a word, they leveled their silver spears directly at us, their sharp eyes tracking our every movement until we came to a stop.

Then, moving with flawless precision, they spread out and circled us.

In perfect unison, they drove the brass ends of their spears into the stone ground.

A powerful invisible shockwave exploded across the courtyard, ripping dust into the air as the earth trembled beneath our feet. The vibration traveled straight through the soles of my boots before fading just as quickly as it had come.

It was standard protocol whenever we met.

The specialized magical pulse was designed to detect hidden silver, concealed weapons, and Liquid Lodestone, one of the deadliest substances to witches.

As much as I understood the necessity of the security measure, having our authority questioned every single time was no less irritating.

Once the pulse confirmed we posed no threat, the guards immediately broke formation.

Every one of them lowered their weapons before bowing deeply, one hand resting over their heart while the other remained tucked behind their back.

"Sava N’zari," the head guard greeted, his voice echoing through the silent valley.

Darius and I exchanged a brief glance before giving a polite, measured nod.

"Sava," we replied in unison.

With the formalities complete, the head guard stepped aside and gestured toward the monastery’s massive wooden doors.

Without another word, Darius and I followed him into the dim, shadowed interior.