Mated to the Alpha: Sold to the King

Chapter 110: 0110

Kaelen POV

"Is she the one?"

Nala’s question made me freeze just as I was about to instinctively step forward after watching Ella’s retreating figure disappear at the top of the staircase.

"What?" I turned to look at her, my brows pulling into a deep frown.

"That woman," Nala clarified, tilting her head ever so slightly. "Is she the one your heart has chosen to anchor itself to?"

For a moment, I stared at her, forcing myself to remain perfectly still even as the snake coiled around my shoulder let out a soft hiss and slithered higher along my neck.

Its forked tongue flicked lightly against my cheek, the strange, ticklish sensation enough to make most men panic, but I barely noticed it.

"How do you know it’s a woman?" I asked sharply. "Last time I checked, I never told you any details."

Hearing that, a knowing smile tugged at the corner of her lips.

"Have you forgotten who stands before you?" she asked quietly. "I am Nala of N’zari, daughter of High Priestess Amara, granddaughter of the Seer of the Veil. Eyes may be deceived. Hearts are not."

She stepped closer until only a small distance separated us before gently placing her cool hand against the center of my chest, directly over my racing heart.

"And yours has spoken her name long before your lips ever would."

Every muscle in my body went rigid beneath her touch, and my jaw tightened. But with nothing more than a graceful flick of her wrist, she recalled the serpent.

The snake immediately unraveled itself from around my neck before melting seamlessly back into an ordinary white braid that settled against her shoulder as though it had never been anything else.

"To speak truth," she continued, "I wondered if your heart would ever remember warmth. It has not... not fully. Yet hope has found its way in."

I found her words as cryptic as ever.

Nala had always spoken in riddles, rarely offering anyone a straightforward answer.

Or perhaps the truth was simpler.

Maybe part of me simply refused to understand what she meant.

The part of me that was still bruised. Still guarded. Still convinced that refusing to put a name to whatever I felt for Ella was the safest way to keep myself from getting hurt again.

Either way, I didn’t ask her to explain.

And, as always, Nala didn’t push.

The moment the maids escorted Kalu and Nala toward the guest wing, the quiet bustle of the foyer slowly faded, leaving only Darius and me standing there.

Without wasting a single second, Darius stepped into my line of sight, his expression hard and unreadable.

"When do you plan on asking them about Ella’s condition?"

My fists immediately clenched at my sides.

Fuck.

Did he really have to be this relentless?

But as irritating as his obsession was, he wasn’t wrong.

It would be selfish of me to let an opportunity like this slip away simply because I was afraid they might confirm that Ella was the woman from his past.

Besides, even if she really was...

So what?

So far, I had the upper hand.

Things between Ella and me had been progressing, slowly but steadily. If they continued in the right direction, I was confident I could make her choose me over him.

"During dinner tonight," I muttered as I absentmindedly adjusted the buttons on my shirt. "Let them rest first."

Darius seemed satisfied with that answer. The tension in his shoulders eased slightly before he turned to leave.

But the question that had been burning in the back of my mind finally escaped before I could stop it.

"What if she chooses me?"

His steps halted instantly, and his entire body went rigid.

"What if she really is the woman you’ve been searching for," I continued, keeping my voice steady, "but she chooses me anyway?"

For a long moment, he didn’t answer.

Then he slowly turned to face me.

His gray eyes had darkened, though this time they weren’t filled with the hostility I had expected.

"You can’t fight a woman’s heart, Kaelen," he said quietly. "If she willingly, of her own free will, decides she wants you... then I’ll respect her choice."

Hearing that, a wave of genuine relief swept through me, and I gave him a firm nod.

For all his coldness, his ruthlessness, and his calculating nature, Darius was, in his own way, an honorable man.

I, however, couldn’t say the same about myself.

Because even if she didn’t choose me, I already knew what kind of man I was.

I would find whatever means necessary to make her want me.

Which was exactly why she needed to get pregnant as soon as possible.

If she carried my child, there was no way she would ever leave me.

Even if she wanted to.

She wouldn’t.

A child would bind her to me, to this estate, and to this empire forever. Werewolf instincts where offspring were concerned were absolute. She would never abandon her own blood, and I would make damn sure she never abandoned the father either.

With that thought lingering in my mind, I turned away from Darius, allowing my gaze to drift toward the staircase where she had disappeared only moments ago.

Almost as if I were moving in a trance, my feet carried me upstairs toward her room.

The guards stationed outside her door immediately bowed and stepped aside the moment they saw me approaching.

I reached for the door, and my fingers hovered over the handle. For a brief second, I was tempted to simply walk in.

But then I stopped myself.

After a moment’s hesitation, I lowered my hand and knocked instead.

"Come in," her soft voice called from the other side of the door.

The sound of it alone sent my heart racing all over again.

Fuck.

Why was I so nervous?

We had literally just had sex last night, and I had been wrapped around her all morning. Seeing her once again really shouldn’t be affecting me this much.

Taking a slow breath to steady myself, I turned the handle and stepped inside, only to find her sitting on the edge of the bed with her back to me, quietly staring out the window.

Her maid, Skye, noticed me first.

Her eyes flew open in alarm, and she shot to her feet so quickly that the chair beneath her toppled backward, crashing loudly against the floor.

"What has gotten into..." Ella began, turning around to scold her. But before she could say another word, Skye bowed so deeply that her head was practically level with her knees.

"Good evening, Alpha," she greeted, her voice trembling.

The second those words left the maid’s lips, Ella’s gaze snapped toward me. The instant our eyes met, surprise flashed across her face before her expression quickly settled into a guarded mask.

She rose to her feet as well, lowering her head in a stiff, formal bow.

"Good evening, Alpha," she murmured.

Ah... Alpha again.

Hadn’t we literally just talked about this?

Hearing that formal title leave her lips stirred something unpleasant inside me, and I hated every second of it.

It felt like we’d taken ten steps backward.

Or was she only acting this way because her maid was still in the room?

"Leave us," I ordered calmly, never taking my eyes off Ella.

"Yes, Alpha."

Skye didn’t hesitate. She quickly set the chair back in place, lowered her head, and hurried out of the room, closing the door quietly behind her.

The moment the latch clicked shut, my body moved on instinct.

Before she could even react, I crossed the distance between us, caught hold of her arm, and gently pulled her against my chest.

She stumbled into my embrace with a soft gasp, her hands instinctively rising to brace themselves against my shoulders.

Ignoring the tension that instantly stiffened her body, I wrapped my arm around her waist, lowered my head, and buried my face in the crook of her neck, breathing in deeply.

Her scent washed over me in an instant.

Sweet.

Warm.

Intoxicating.

It swept away the lingering metallic stench of blood that had clung to my senses all day, quieting the restless tension that had refused to leave my mind.

"Enough with the formalities," I murmured against her skin, my arm tightening around her waist. "Didn’t we already talk about this?"

I pulled back just enough to look into her eyes.

"Did you miss me?"