Mated to the Alpha: Sold to the King

Chapter 121: 0121

Lorelei POV

Until I had proof, I couldn’t bring myself to let my guard down, and since Kaelen was already beginning to notice the distance between us, I needed to act fast.

Taking a slow, steady breath, I lifted my chin, forcing myself to look as cold and composed as possible.

"You know I spared your life," I said, directing my words at Paul, though the warning was meant for both of them. "Which means one wrong word from me to the Alpha, and I can take it all back."

At my words, Paul’s gaze flickered, hardening into something sharp as he clearly hadn’t expected me to threaten him.

Honestly, it still made my stomach twist.

I hated doing this. I really didn’t want to do this, but after hours of agonizing over it, I knew fear was the only card I had left to play if I wanted to guarantee their silence.

I forced my gaze away from Paul’s face, unable to bear the guilt twisting in my chest.

"I need you to help me plant a bug in Mr. Hawke’s office," I said, keeping my voice calm, clear, and firm.

The moment the words left my mouth, Isaac’s brown eyes widened ever so slightly. The surprise lasted only a second before his usual composure returned, leaving his expression as unreadable as ever.

"Why do you need a bug in his office, Miss?" Isaac asked calmly.

"I hate him," I replied bluntly.

And I did.

"I want to get rid of him."

That was the truth too.

"So you’re trying to find dirt on him?" Paul asked.

I nodded once.

"You should know..." Isaac said quietly, his tone laced with caution. "He’s been with the empire for more than a decade. The Alpha trusts him deeply."

Those words drove another sharp, agonizing pain straight through my chest, shaking the fragile hope I had been desperately clinging to.

The Alpha trusts him.

Why?

Why would Kaelen trust someone like Hawke?

"I think he’s hiding something," I said, forcing my voice to remain steady as I looked between the two of them. "And because I hate him so much, I need that information to get rid of him. So, are you going to help me or not?"

The hesitation lingering on their faces made something hot and defensive flare inside my chest. My fists clenched tightly at my sides.

"You know, I’m only telling you this because of what happened last time," I said, my voice dropping into a quiet, bitter tone. "Otherwise, I would’ve just snuck around and done it myself. And if something had happened to me, then so be it. I just thought that since you both swore so desperately to always have my back, you’d help me this once."

I let out a quiet, humorless laugh.

"I guess I was wrong."

The color immediately drained from Paul’s face.

"Miss Ella..." he began, panic and guilt flashing across his features as he instinctively stepped toward me, his hands lifting slightly. "No, that’s not what I meant..."

"Then what did you mean?" I asked, cutting him off.

I let my voice crack just enough as I looked up at him, allowing desperate tears to gather in my eyes.

It made me feel awful, manipulating his loyalty like this.

But I didn’t have a choice.

Paul’s jaw tightened as he exchanged a long look with Isaac. Isaac stayed silent, his eyes lingering on me for a moment before giving the slightest nod.

"Fine," Paul said at last, keeping his voice low despite the obvious defeat in it. "We’ll help you."

At that, a huge wave of relief crashed over me so hard my knees almost gave out.

"Really?" I asked, just to be sure.

In response, he gave a stiff nod before lowering his head respectfully.

I could tell just how difficult this was for them. They were imperial guards. Sneaking around the estate like common spies and planting bugs on people went against everything they had been trained to do. But right now, my survival depended on it.

"Do you really think they won’t rat you out?" Skye whispered anxiously as we continued down the corridor toward the ritual site, the two guards following a few steps behind us at a respectful distance.

I simply shrugged, silently praying everything would work out.

From what I’d been told, the ritual was being held in a secluded pavilion deep inside the estate’s private gardens, a sacred place so heavily guarded that only a select few people were ever allowed in.

By the time we got there, Kaelen was nowhere to be seen.

Instead, Darius was already waiting alongside Prince Kalu, Princess Nala, and two cloaked N’zari attendants.

My eyes instinctively searched the pavilion anyway, hoping to catch even the slightest glimpse of familiar amber eyes.

Nothing.

Frowning, I turned to Darius.

"Where’s Kaelen?" I asked.

The exact second his name left my mouth, something about Darius changed.

His expression hardened so suddenly that I instinctively took a small step back, completely confused by the reaction. His jaw tightened, the muscle in his cheek ticking, yet when he finally spoke, his voice remained surprisingly calm.

"You call the Alpha King by his name so casually now," he said, his gray eyes locking onto mine. "Aren’t you worried?"

I blinked, only then realizing what I’d done.

I hadn’t even thought about it. I’d said Kaelen’s name without hesitation, like it was the most natural thing in the world, as though I’d been doing it for years.

"Oh..." I quickly shook my head. "He... he gave me permission to use it."

For a brief second, something flickered across Darius’s face before disappearing just as quickly.

"Looks like the two of you have gotten pretty close."

I couldn’t tell whether it was a question or a bitter observation, but I answered anyway, hoping to ease whatever was bothering him.

"He’s been treating me really well these past few days," I said. "I guess it’s only natural that I’d feel a little more comfortable around him."

Darius didn’t say another word.

Instead, he just stood there staring at me.

His gray eyes searched mine with an intensity that made me shift uncomfortably where I stood. It was almost as if he wanted to say something, something he’d been holding back for a long time, but for whatever reason, he couldn’t bring himself to let the words out.

"Why are you two still standing out there?"

Prince Kalu’s loud, melodic voice suddenly echoed through the pavilion, effortlessly cutting through the heavy silence between us.

"Come, come. We do not have the whole day to waste."

The interruption seemed to snap Darius back to himself.

Clearing his throat, he finally looked away from me before stepping aside.

"This way," he said politely.

I nodded and walked past him, but I couldn’t stop myself from glancing back.

That entire interaction had felt... strange.

The more I thought about it, the more I realized Darius hadn’t really been himself lately. Even when he smiled or tried to reassure me, it never quite reached his eyes. Everything about him felt forced, almost as though he were carrying a weight too heavy for him to hide.

Was something wrong?

Before I could think any further, my attention shifted to Princess Nala, who looked nothing like the exhausted, pale woman I’d left behind last night.

If anything, she looked even more radiant than before.

Today, she’d traded yesterday’s outfit for something far more casual... and far more revealing.

She wore a sleeveless crimson silk crop top, if you could even call it a top, since it only covered her chest, leaving her midriff completely exposed. It was paired with a matching flowing skirt that was split high along one side, revealing flashes of her thigh every time she moved.

Her long white braids had been woven into an intricate crown atop her head, with two thick strands left loose to frame her face.

The second she noticed me looking, a slow, knowing smile spread across her lips.

Without a hint of hesitation, she sauntered over until she was standing right in front of me.

"Did you have a good night, darling?" she asked smoothly.

At first, I almost nodded and told a polite lie, but then I remembered who I was talking to. There was no point, not when she could literally hear the slightest change in my heartbeat.

So instead, I shook my head.

"What about you?" I asked, quickly throwing the attention back at her.

Nala let out a dramatic sigh, pressing the back of her hand against her forehead as though she had endured some terrible tragedy.

"As for me? I slept like a stone at the bottom of a river. My strength has returned in full." She grinned. "I could wrestle three river beasts before breakfast and still ask for a fourth."

Her hands came together excitedly.

"Which means I have reached a decision. Our visit to this club will happen tonight."