Mated to the Alpha: Sold to the King

Chapter 108: 0108

Lorelei POV

"Are you okay?" Skye asked as she rushed to my side. She caught my arm just as my knees buckled, helping me lower myself onto the edge of the bed.

I clutched my chest as my heart slammed violently against my ribs, pounding so hard I could barely breathe.

No.

No.

No.

I screamed the word over and over in my head, refusing to believe what Maya had just told me. It couldn’t be true.

After making sure I was steady on the mattress, Skye turned sharply toward Maya, her expression hardening into a stern glare.

"Do you have any idea what happens to people who lie about the Alpha King?" she demanded, her voice taut with warning. "That’s practically asking for a death sentence, Maya."

Maya frantically shook her head, looking both terrified and desperate.

"I’m not lying! I swear on my life to the Moon Goddess that I’m telling the truth. I overheard Mr. Hawke talking on the phone while I was being led out of his office," she explained.

"He was talking about the girls who had been sold into sex trafficking, and right in the middle of the conversation, he mentioned the Alpha King. I don’t know exactly what was said after that because I couldn’t hear everything, but I know the Alpha was part of that conversation. I’m a hundred percent certain of it."

My chest constricted even further. My entire body shook uncontrollably, and no matter how desperately I tried to draw in a deep breath, the air refused to fill my lungs.

But why?

Why was this destroying me so completely?

From the very beginning, I had suspected him. My original plan had always been to escape this place and never look back.

So why did this feel like someone had ripped my heart out of my chest?

Was it because he had saved me in the woods? Because he had apologized to me? Because he had given me a comfortable room and elevated my status, even if it was only because I had slept with him?

Or was it because, for the first time in a long time, I had finally started letting my guard down? I had finally allowed myself to believe that maybe I could trust someone again.

Only to have that hope come crashing down around me.

"You said it yourself," Skye argued, desperately trying to find a loophole. "You didn’t hear the rest of the call. Just because his name was mentioned doesn’t automatically mean the Alpha King has anything to do with the operation."

That was exactly what I wanted to believe.

But my heart was hurting too much to think rationally.

"Let’s assume you’re right," Maya shot back, finally lifting her gaze from the floor. "Let’s assume the Alpha King, the most feared man across all the territories, is somehow completely oblivious to a human trafficking ring operating right under his own roof. Are you really willing to take that risk and put your life in his hands?"

Skye opened her mouth to argue, but no words came out.

She knew Maya had a point.

Deep down, I knew it too.

If there was even the slightest chance, even one percent, that Maya was telling the truth, then going directly to Kaelen would be nothing short of suicide.

"Ugh... this is so frustrating!" Skye groaned, dragging an agitated hand through her hair. She turned to me, and the frustration on her face slowly melted into concern. Letting out a quiet sigh, she stepped closer and gently wrapped her fingers around my still trembling hands.

"Ella... what do you want to do?" she asked softly.

I frantically shook my head.

"I don’t know," I admitted, my voice barely above a whisper as I struggled to hold back the tears burning behind my eyes. "I don’t know what to believe anymore."

Don’t cry.

Don’t cry.

I couldn’t fall apart right now, especially not in front of someone like Maya.

"It feels overwhelming right now, but we’ll figure it out together," Skye said, giving my hands a reassuring squeeze. "Whatever you decide, just know I’m with you every step of the way."

I finally looked up at her. My vision had already begun to blur with tears, but for the first time since Maya had spoken, the crushing weight pressing against my chest eased ever so slightly.

Despite the storm of fear and doubt raging inside me, it felt comforting to know that someone was standing beside me through all of this.

That thought alone gave me just enough strength to nod.

I forced a small, shaky smile.

Honestly, now really wasn’t the time to drown in self-pity.

This whole nightmare involved the Moon Goddess knew how many innocent lives. Even Maya, as much as I still resented her for everything that had happened between us, didn’t deserve to be here. She was a victim.

And she wasn’t the only one.

There were all the other women who had been sold into sex slavery. It had already been months since I was brought here. There could have been dozens of victims before Maya.

The thought of the hell they were being forced to endure made my stomach churn.

"We can’t jump to conclusions without investigating first," I finally said, doing my best to keep my voice from cracking as I looked at Maya. "The rogues who sold you to Hawke... do you remember any of their names?"

Maya frowned as she searched her memory.

"Just one," she muttered. "I think his name was... uh... Dam... Dax..."

"Drax," I finished for her.

A cold shiver instantly raced down my spine as memories of my own encounter with those monsters came flooding back.

Maya’s eyes widened, and she nodded frantically.

"Yes! Drax. That’s it! That’s his name!"

So it really was the same pack of rogues.

Had they turned human trafficking into a full-time business?

If we could find them, we could probably trace the rest of the victims. They had to know where the women were being taken after they were sold.

But I didn’t have that kind of reach or power... not yet.

Right now, my immediate focus had to be Hawke.

How was I supposed to get close enough to uncover the truth without exposing myself?

That was a puzzle I would have to solve very carefully.

"What about Raven?" I suddenly asked, partly because I desperately needed something else to focus on, but also because I genuinely wanted to know. It had been almost four months since I disappeared. I had no idea how she was doing or how she had handled my sudden disappearance.

"Miss Raven only came back to the pack once after you went missing," Maya said, referring to the night she had left me in Cole’s hands before returning to the pack. It was the last time the two of us had seen each other. "She barely stayed for two days before leaving the estate again. No one has seen or heard from her since."

My chest tightened all over again.

Did she know I had been taken by rogues?

Had she tried to look for me?

Or was she still out there searching for me?

The endless questions pounded inside my head until it began to ache. No matter how hard I fought to keep myself together, a single tear escaped and rolled down my cheek.

I quickly wiped it away with the back of my hand.

"That’s all, I guess," I said, clearing the tightness from my throat. "You can go now, Maya. I’ll send for you once I figure something out."

Maya slowly rose to her feet before bowing deeply.

"Thank you... thank you for hearing me out," she said softly.

I could only manage a stiff nod in response.

With that, she turned and walked toward the door. But the moment she pulled it open, Isaac was already standing on the other side with his hand raised, as though he had been about to knock.

With the door now wide open, his gaze slipped past Maya before settling on me.

"Miss Ella, the Alpha has returned," Isaac announced calmly. "He brought several guests with him. Would you still like to come downstairs and meet with him?"