Mated to the Alpha: Sold to the King

Chapter 122: 0122

Lorelei POV

At her words, my smile almost slipped.

Tonight?

She was actually serious?

I didn’t even know if I had a single outfit in my wardrobe that was suitable for a place like that. But then again, with my little secret hanging over my head, refusing wasn’t exactly an option.

So I smiled.

Or... at least I tried to.

Nala narrowed her eyes at me before leaning in just enough for me to catch the mischievous glint dancing in them.

"Tell me something, Ella." Her smile lingered. "Why didn’t you come to breakfast this morning?" she asked, and my heart skipped a beat.

"I was just tired," I replied, hoping that would be enough.

"How strange." She hummed thoughtfully before a soft laugh escaped her. "The Alpha King also claimed to be unwell this morning. He left the table and returned to his chambers."

A knowing smile curled across her lips.

"One might begin to wonder if the two of you share the very same illness."

The little smile I’d been forcing disappeared almost instantly.

I wasn’t stupid.

I knew exactly what she was trying to imply.

That Kaelen had shut himself away because I’d skipped breakfast.

The thought made my chest tighten, though I wasn’t entirely sure why. Still... if he was keeping to himself, maybe that wasn’t such a bad thing. At least I wouldn’t have to spend the entire day avoiding him.

Not wanting to give Nala the satisfaction of seeing me flustered, I looked past her instead to where the ritual preparations had already begun.

Right in the center of the pavilion, a massive circular sigil had been carefully drawn across the stone floor using a dark violet powder that shimmered faintly, almost as though tiny sparks of magic were trapped inside it.

Four heavy chalices sat around the circle, one at each cardinal point, each filled with a thick, smoking liquid that carried the sharp scent of crushed nightshade mixed with raw copper.

The two female N’zari attendants moved quietly around the sigil, chanting softly under their breath as they carefully placed smooth black obsidian stones along the intricate markings.

Their movements were perfectly synchronized, every step carrying an eerie kind of grace as they circled the sigil. The low chant spilling from their lips rose and fell in a steady rhythm, vibrating through the stone beneath my feet until I could almost feel it inside my chest.

The moment the last obsidian stone was set into place, the dark violet powder erupted with light.

A blinding glow spread across the entire sigil, throwing long, flickering shadows across the pavilion walls.

"Place your feet inside the heart of the sigil."

Prince Kalu’s voice rang through the pavilion, completely stripped of its usual playful warmth as he stepped up to the edge of the glowing circle.

I swallowed hard, my eyes fixed on the sigil while my heart pounded so violently it felt determined to break free from my chest.

This was it.

For a brief second, I found myself looking toward Darius.

He didn’t say anything. He simply met my gaze and gave me the smallest nod, silently reassuring me that everything would be okay.

I held onto that.

Taking one slow, steady breath, I slipped off my sandals before stepping barefoot into the center of the glowing sigil.

The instant both feet touched the stone, a violent surge of static shot through my entire body.

I gasped.

The air around me turned painfully cold, cold enough to sting my skin, while the thick liquid inside the four chalices began bubbling violently. Dense streams of gray vapor poured from each one, curling through the air until they completely surrounded me.

Somewhere beyond the mist, Kalu raised both hands.

His fingers twisted into strange, intricate patterns as another chant rolled from his lips. The language was unlike anything I’d ever heard before. Deep. Ancient. Every word seemed to shake the air itself.

The glowing lines beneath my feet suddenly flared brighter.

Then the cold came.

Not the kind that made you shiver.

The kind that hurt.

It spread through the soles of my feet before racing up my legs, sinking deeper and deeper until it reached my chest.

"Vash’kora!" Kalu roared, his golden eyes blazing.

A scream tore from my throat.

An unbearable pain exploded inside my chest, right where the invisible cage had imprisoned my wolf for the last ten years. It felt as though an unseen hand had reached inside me, grabbed hold of something buried deep within my soul, and violently ripped at it.

The rusted chains.

I could feel them.

One after another, they began to snap apart.

The sound echoed inside my head like deafening gunshots.

My legs gave out beneath me, sending me crashing to my knees as another wave of agony ripped through my body.

Images flooded my mind without warning.

The damp room from my childhood.

The bitter taste of the suppression liquid being forced down my throat.

The cruel faces of the people who were supposed to be my parents.

More chains snapped.

Again.

And again.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The four chalices shattered all at once.

Dark liquid spilled across the glowing sigil as the violet light burst into one final blinding flare before disappearing completely.

Then everything fell silent as the thick mist slowly began to thin around me.

I collapsed forward, catching myself with both hands against the cold stone as I struggled to catch my breath. Sweat trickled down my neck while I squeezed my eyes shut, desperately reaching inward.

Searching.

Waiting.

Looking for the familiar warmth that was supposed to be there.

For my wolf.

But...

There was nothing.

Nothing at all.

The cage was gone. I could feel that much. The chains had been ripped apart, and the door stood wide open.

Yet the darkness beyond it remained completely still.

"Ella!"

Darius’s voice shattered the silence.

Ignoring whatever Prince Kalu had told him, he rushed straight into the pavilion and dropped to his knees beside me. His hands hovered uncertainly near my shoulders, trembling as though he wanted to hold me but was afraid of hurting me.

"Are you okay?" he asked, his voice filled with worry. "How do you feel?"