Mated to the Alpha: Sold to the King

Chapter 113: 0113

Kaelen POV

"Now... tell me what this favor truly is."

He asked, but I actually hesitated.

The silence that followed settled heavily over the table, pressing against my chest as I thought about what I was actually about to do.

I was really going through with this.

I was about to ask them for a cure for her suppressed wolf, knowing full well it could end up pushing her straight into Darius’s arms.

Yes, I was confident in myself.

But after the way she had acted just hours ago, so distant and cold, I couldn’t deny the uneasiness creeping into my chest.

Part of me wanted to take it all back.

To forget this conversation had ever happened. To protect what little I already had with her instead of risking it.

But then I looked across the table and found Darius already staring at me.

His gray eyes bored into mine with such intensity that it almost felt as though he were daring me to say the words already sitting on the tip of my tongue, leaving me with no room to retreat.

"There is a woman," I began.

Kalu immediately raised an eyebrow, genuine curiosity flashing across his face.

"A woman?" he repeated.

"Vara esha... Azhan na’veth." (The same woman... the one I told you about.) Nala answered instead, leaning back in her chair with a knowing smirk.

The moment Kalu heard her words, realization dawned across his face. His eyes widened slightly before a slow, amused grin spread across his lips.

"Azhan vorak en’shara loth na’veth?" (The great Alpha King wants our help with his lover?) he said with an entertained chuckle. "Hah... shava. Esha ven tora na’keth." (How interesting. Let’s just hope this one doesn’t run away too.)

"Vorak shen tora... sha’ven?" (His fortune has hardly favored him already... who knows?) Nala added smoothly.

I sat there in silence, the awkwardness growing thicker with every passing second until I finally couldn’t tolerate it anymore.

I cleared my throat loudly, drawing both of their attention back to me.

"What’s so funny?" I asked, keeping my voice carefully controlled.

Kalu simply waved a dismissive hand, though the amusement hadn’t quite left his eyes.

"Pay us no mind, Alpha King. My sister merely found amusement in the moment. Please... continue."

At that, I drew in a slow breath, forcing down the irritation threatening to rise to the surface.

"This woman’s wolf has been suppressed," I said. "I don’t know exactly how long it’s been that way or what caused it, but..."

"You wish to know whether the suppression can be undone?" Kalu finished, saving me from having to explain the rest.

"Yes," I answered flatly.

I watched Kalu as he tapped his fingers thoughtfully against the table, his expression growing more serious.

"I will need direct access to her first," he said. "I have treated many cases involving suppressed wolves before, but I have also come across some that lay beyond my abilities. It all depends on the nature of the seal."

The moment those words left his mouth, Darius’s fist tightened against the table until his knuckles turned white.

I let out a slow, unsteady breath as suddenly, the stakes felt much higher than they had just moments ago.

"But where is she?" Kalu asked, glancing around the otherwise empty dining hall.

"Yes... where is this mysterious woman?" Nala added, her golden eyes gleaming with curiosity. "Will she be joining us?"

The very second those words left her lips, I heard approaching footsteps.

Then her sweet, intoxicating scent reached me.

Instinctively, my head snapped toward the doorway just as Ella stepped into the dining hall.

She moved slowly, almost hesitantly, as though she wasn’t entirely sure she belonged there, and the moment my eyes landed on her, my heart began racing all over again.

She was wearing the rich emerald green satin slip dress I had personally picked out when I had her wardrobe replaced.

Seeing it on her now, paired with the delicate cream silk scarf draped gracefully over her shoulders, stole the breath straight from my lungs.

She looked...

God.

She looked absolutely breathtaking.

Elegant without trying.

Beautiful in a way that made it almost impossible to look anywhere else.

Beside me, even Darius unconsciously straightened in his seat the instant he saw her.

His eyes slowly traveled from head to toe, and for the first time that evening, the stoic mask he had worn all night cracked with unmistakable surprise.

But I ignored him because all my focus was on her. I could tell from the stiffness in her movements that she was nervous.

Her gaze found mine first, but the instant our eyes met, she lowered her head almost immediately.

The small gesture sent a sharp ache straight through my chest.

Then her eyes shifted toward Darius.

I watched the tension leave her shoulders ever so slightly, and another stab of pain tore through me, deeper and far more bitter than the first.

Finally, her gaze settled on the twins.

"Shai... sethara ven." (You spoke true. She truly is beautiful.) Kalu murmured, his eyes following Ella with open admiration.

"Ven tora?" (Have I ever spoken falsely?) Nala replied, a knowing smirk playing across her lips.

I watched Ella swallow her nervousness before lowering her head slightly.

"I’m sorry I’m late. I had a..." Her voice trailed off as she let out a quiet breath, bowing her head a little farther to compose herself.

Then she offered everyone at the table a polite greeting.

"Good evening, everyone. I apologize for keeping you waiting."

With hesitant steps, she walked toward the table, her hands tightly clutching the edges of her cream silk scarf.

Almost instinctively, I started to rise from my seat, intending to pull out a chair for her.

But Darius was faster.

He smoothly pushed back his chair and stood, the tension that had weighed on him all evening melting away as a warm smile finally returned to his face.

"Sit here," Darius said gently, his voice noticeably softer than it had been all day as he pulled out the chair beside his own.

Without the slightest hesitation, a bright, genuine smile bloomed across Ella’s face, instantly replacing the anxious expression she had worn only moments before.

"Thank you, Darius," she said softly before taking the seat beside him.

I remained frozen in place.

The rejection burned like acid in my throat as she settled so naturally into Darius’s orbit without sparing me so much as a glance.

"Varen sha’tel?" (Do your eyes also see what mine see?) Kalu asked, his voice laced with undisguised amusement as he observed the silent exchange unfolding across the table.

"Eshan rei keth sol Arakai. Vara esha doren keth du’vai theren, it seems. Vara shai... theren va shanor ven tora enough to keep her from drifting away." (My eyes are as sharp as the desert sun. She is being drawn by two different threads, it seems. The true question is which thread will prove strong enough to keep her from drifting away.)