Mated to the Alpha: Sold to the King

Chapter 111: 0111

Lorelei POV

"Did you miss me?"

The question made my breath hitch as I stared up into Kaelen’s amber eyes.

Did I miss him?

Of course I did.

He was all I had been thinking about since he left.

But whether I missed him or not didn’t matter anymore. Not now, when there was a very real possibility that he was actually the enemy.

I forced my gaze away, settling it on his chest instead.

"Why would I miss you?" I muttered. "We were literally together this morning."

The second those words left my lips, his arm tightened around my waist.

I couldn’t see his expression with my head lowered, but I could feel the weight of his gaze burning into the top of my head.

"Look at me."

His voice remained calm, but the command in his tone left no room for refusal.

I didn’t want to.

I really didn’t want to.

Yet somehow, I still found myself slowly lifting my head until our eyes met once again.

This time, though, he wasn’t simply looking at me.

He was studying me.

The slight crease between his brows told me everything I needed to know. He was trying to read every emotion crossing my face.

"Something’s wrong," he murmured, sounding almost as though he were speaking to himself, causing my throat to tighten, and I had to force myself not to look away.

Maya’s words kept replaying inside my head like a poisonous loop.

Even worse, the image of him smiling at that woman downstairs flashed through my mind.

Goodness.

Why did it bother me so much whenever he smiled at another woman?

"Nothing’s wrong," I lied.

"Ella."

"I said nothing’s wrong!" I snapped.

The words exploded out of me far louder and harsher than I had intended.

Before I could stop myself, I jerked backward, wrenching myself completely out of his embrace.

The sudden movement caught even me by surprise, but Kaelen remained exactly where he was, staring at me as though I’d suddenly grown a second head.

"I’m sorry," I whispered, catching my breath as I reminded myself that I was still speaking to the Alpha King. Running a frustrated hand through my hair, I finally looked away from him. "I’m just... tired."

Yeah, that was it.

I was tired.

Tired of everything.

Tired of feeling like shit over emotions I didn’t even understand.

Right at that moment, my stomach let out a loud, violent growl.

Heat instantly rushed to my cheeks, and I bit my lip, silently cursing myself in embarrassment.

"Sorry about that," I muttered quickly, my hand moving to clutch my stomach as I continued avoiding his gaze, even though I knew perfectly well his werewolf hearing had caught every bit of it. "I haven’t had lunch yet."

"In that case, would you mind joining me for dinner tonight?" he asked.

My eyes snapped back to his.

"What?"

This time, Kaelen cautiously took a step forward, closing part of the distance I had just created between us.

"That’s actually why I came up here," he said softly. "We have important guests. People I’d like you to meet."

At his words, my mind immediately drifted back to the royal witches I had seen downstairs.

What other guests could he possibly be talking about?

It had to be them.

But why on earth would he want me to meet them?

Still, refusing now would only make him suspicious, and that was the last thing I needed. Especially now that I had already decided I was going to start sneaking around the estate in search of information about Hawke.

"Okay," I whispered.

As I watched him, I saw the tension in his shoulders visibly melt away.

"Okay," Kaelen echoed, a faint softness returning to his voice. "I’ll see you in the main dining hall at eight."

I simply gave him a tight nod, instinctively wrapping my arms around myself as though the small gesture could somehow put a little more distance between us.

For a long moment, he remained where he was, a flicker of hesitation lingering in his eyes as though he wanted to say something else.

In the end, however, he simply turned around and walked out of the room.

The moment the door clicked shut behind him and I was completely alone again, my knees gave out beneath me.

I collapsed onto the mattress, buried my face in the pillows, and let out a long, frustrated groan.

*

By the time evening finally arrived, I was absolutely starving.

Over the past few weeks, I had gotten so used to eating more than three meals a day that surviving on just one meal so far made it feel like my stomach was folding in on itself. Honestly, I was surprised I’d even managed to hold out until eight o’clock without passing out.

Even though it was only dinner, Skye insisted that since I would be dining with royalty, I had to make a proper effort with my appearance.

She practically raided my closet, determined to put together the perfect outfit.

From what I’d noticed over the past few weeks, Skye had an incredible eye for fashion. She had a natural talent for putting outfits together and somehow managed to make even a simple pair of jeans and a plain top look effortlessly stylish.

Tonight was no different.

She worked her magic once again.

As I stood in front of the full-length mirror, I barely recognized the woman staring back at me.

She had chosen a rich emerald green satin slip dress that flowed elegantly past my knees, hugging my curves in all the right places without revealing too much.

She then draped a lightweight, cream-colored silk scarf over my shoulders, letting the long ends cascade loosely down my back. It softened the entire look, adding just the right touch of effortless elegance without making me feel overdressed for a simple dinner at home.

My hair had been neatly styled into thick blonde French curls that spilled gracefully over my left shoulder, framing my face perfectly. It was simple, almost casual, yet there was something about it that carried a quiet confidence, the kind that looked effortlessly expensive.

The bite marks and hickeys Kaelen had left scattered across my neck and shoulder hadn’t faded yet, though I’d managed to hide most of them beneath a layer of concealer. Besides, since the sun had already set, they were hardly noticeable from a distance anyway.

"You’re really so talented at this," I couldn’t help but say, turning from side to side as I admired my reflection in the mirror. "Have you ever thought about studying fashion design?"

Skye let out a soft laugh and waved the compliment away.

"Oh, please. These are just the high-end clothes the Alpha and Beta bought for you. Besides, you’re so pretty that everything looks good on you. Honestly, I think you could wear rags and still make them look like luxury."

Her words drew a genuine smile from me.

It was small and fleeting, but real.

Unfortunately, it disappeared the moment my hand drifted to my chest, pressing lightly against my racing heart.

The anxiety crashed over me like a tidal wave.

Not only was I about to sit at the same table as a group of incredibly powerful and dangerous witches, but this would also be the first time I would be having a proper dinner with Kaelen.

Would Darius be there too?

I really hoped so.

As strange as it sounded, having the Beta around might actually make the atmosphere a little less suffocatingly awkward.

Taking one last deep breath to steady my nerves, I turned away from the mirror and headed for the door.