Mated to the Alpha: Sold to the King

Chapter 115: 0115

Lorelei POV

The exact second those words left his lips, my heart practically stopped beating.

My hands instantly curled into tight fists beneath the table, my nails digging painfully into my palms as my mind prepared itself for the absolute worst, just like it always did.

The entire table fell deathly silent.

Everyone froze, their eyes fixed on Kalu.

His expression had turned incredibly serious, and the dark gravity settling over his features could only mean terrible news.

Then, without warning, the corner of his lips twitched.

A second later, Kalu burst into a loud, booming laugh, instantly shattering the suffocating tension that had settled over the room. Beside him, Nala leaned back in her chair with a wide, amused smile.

"Ah, why so serious?" Kalu chuckled, shaking his head as he looked around at our pale faces. "One would almost think I had killed someone right here at the table."

"This isn’t the time for jokes," Kaelen snapped, his voice vibrating with barely restrained agitation.

But Kalu simply waved a dismissive hand, his laughter gradually fading into an amused smirk.

"Who said I was joking?" he replied. "I speak no lies, Alpha King. I merely stretched the truth a little."

"Then speak more clearly," Kaelen demanded, leaning forward as his amber eyes flared with impatience. "Can it be reversed or not?"

Kalu let out a quiet sigh before folding his arms across his chest.

"Her wolf was sealed away before it was ever given the chance to grow into itself. I can remove both the physical and spiritual seal, yes," he explained. "But once the cage is opened, it will be for the beast within to decide whether it wishes to awaken."

As I listened to his explanation, my mind immediately flashed back to my fight with Chelsea, when the overwhelming rage had pushed me so far that, for the first time in my life, I had actually felt my wolf stir.

"Does it..." I asked before I could stop myself. "Does it get triggered by strong emotions?"

Kalu’s eyes shifted toward me, and a flicker of genuine interest appeared in his gaze.

"It can," he replied. "Powerful emotions, rage, fear, desperation. Any of them can awaken a suppressed wolf, even if only for a brief moment."

He tilted his head, studying me more closely.

"Have you felt her stir before?"

I hesitated as I felt Kaelen’s and Darius’s intense gazes settle on me.

"Once," I whispered, keeping my eyes on Kalu. "When I was really angry."

"And that is precisely it," Kalu said, snapping his fingers. "Even if we perform the ritual and lift the suppression, she must still choose, in her own time, to awaken fully. What was once only a magical barrier has now become one of the mind as well. It may take months, it may take years... or it may happen tomorrow."

Was that good news?

I honestly didn’t know.

On one hand, I was relieved that something could actually be done about the empty ache that had haunted me for so many years.

But on the other hand, knowing it could still take years before I truly felt my wolf again made my chest tighten painfully.

No.

I silently shook my head.

I couldn’t allow myself to think like that.

This was progress.

Real progress.

For the first time in ten years, the heavy iron door imprisoning my wolf will finally be unlocked, and that alone was enough to give me hope.

Slowly, I forced a genuine smile onto my face.

"So," Kaelen spoke up, his voice cutting through the quiet clinking of cutlery as his amber eyes remained fixed on the prince. "When exactly will this ritual take place?"

Kalu let out a long, theatrical groan before throwing his head back against his chair.

"Ah, Vesh..." he complained dramatically. "My sister and I have traveled all the way from the N’zari Kingdom. We have not even had a proper moment to rest since our arrival, I have scarcely touched my meal, and already you wish to put me to work? Tell me, are you truly so heartless that you would drain me dry?"

Hearing the genuine irritation in the prince’s voice, Kaelen lowered his head slightly, his jaw tightening as he reluctantly admitted, "I apologize. That wasn’t my intention."

Kalu let out an elegant sniff before picking up his fork again.

"There is no haste, Alpha King," he said. "My sister and I intend to remain at your estate for at least a week. Miss Ella..." He paused, his sharp gaze settling on me as a small, reassuring smile tugged at his lips. "...you shall be hearing from me tomorrow morning. We will begin our preparations then."

My smile widened, becoming completely genuine.

"Thank you," I whispered, feeling the crushing weight of ten years of grief lift ever so slightly from my shoulders. "Thank you so much for this."

Kalu chuckled softly and waved a dismissive hand.

"Do not offer your thanks to me, Miss. They belong to the king seated at the head of this table, for he is the one paying a price for my services."

The moment those words left his mouth, my breath caught in my throat.

Wait.

This wasn’t just a simple royal favor?

Kaelen had actually traded something valuable for this?

My head immediately turned toward the head of the table, my eyes searching Kaelen’s face.

But this time, he wasn’t looking at me.

His gaze remained fixed on his plate as he cut his food with slow, precise movements, his expression giving absolutely nothing away.

My heart began pounding painfully against my ribs.

Why?

Why would he do something like that for me?

The rest of dinner passed in a blur.

Kalu kept the conversation alive with his dry sense of humor, constantly slipping in sly remarks at Kaelen’s expense, while Kaelen simply ignored every one of them as though he hadn’t heard a thing.

For a while, I couldn’t stop stealing glances at him, trying to read through the stoic mask he had carefully put back on.

But with Darius sitting beside me, it didn’t take long for my attention to drift elsewhere. His quiet comments about the food and his calm presence gradually pulled me out of my own thoughts.

Once dinner finally came to an end, I instinctively rose to my feet and immediately began stacking the empty plates together.

"Eshai... whatever are you doing?" Nala’s sharp voice suddenly rang through the dining hall.

I froze instantly, a stack of heavy porcelain plates balanced awkwardly in my hands.

It was only when I looked down that I realized what I had done.

Without even thinking, I had started clearing the table as though I were still back home.

Years of living as a maid had turned it into second nature.

"Do not bend yourself so low, darling. Let the maids carry what is theirs to carry," Nala said, her golden eyes following my stiff movements with obvious amusement.

"Ah..." I choked out awkwardly, my cheeks burning with embarrassment as the maids waiting nearby hurried over to take the dishes from my hands. "Right... I’m sorry."