Mated to the Alpha: Sold to the King

Chapter 84: 0084

Lorelei POV

More shocked gasps echoed across the field as the truth was finally laid bare.

Realizing she was completely trapped, Abigail’s defensive anger shattered. She dissolved into frantic tears, sobbing so hard she could barely stay on her feet.

"And why didn’t you say anything until now?" Kaelen asked, turning his icy gaze back to the first girl. "You do know that what she did amounts to attempted murder."

The weight of his words made the witness drop straight back to her knees in terror.

"I was scared, Alpha!" she sobbed, clutching her chest. "She threatened me! She said I would get into massive trouble if I spoke a single word. Everyone here knows Abigail is a bully who always gets what she wants. I just... I didn’t want to become her next target."

Hearing that, Kaelen’s expression darkened into something truly monstrous. A suffocating pressure settled over the entire field.

"So we have a bully and an attempted murderer," he said dangerously as he turned his attention back to Abigail.

The blonde girl was sobbing openly now, her entire frame shaking as she still weakly tried to pull away from Paul’s grip.

"Please!" Abigail begged, looking up at Kaelen with terrified, tear-streaked eyes. "I didn’t mean to. I just..."

"You just what?" Kaelen’s voice was pure ice. "You just pushed someone off a cliff?"

She broke down completely. Her knees gave out beneath her, forcing Paul to hold her upright by her arms.

"I just wanted to scare her!" she cried. "I didn’t think she would actually fall off the edge. I didn’t..."

"You didn’t think."

Kaelen finally let go of my waist and stepped away from my side, walking directly toward the sobbing teenager.

His towering size cast a long shadow over her trembling frame, making her look impossibly small against the wrath of the Alpha King.

He stopped mere inches from her and looked down at her as though she were an insect.

"That’s your problem," he said. "You didn’t think. Now, what do you suggest your punishment should be?"

"Please, Alpha," Abigail sobbed even harder, snot and tears mixing across her pale face. "I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to... it won’t happen again. I promise."

"Since you can’t seem to answer," Kaelen said coldly, "I’ll decide your fate for you."

With that, he turned to face the crowd, his gaze sweeping over them.

"Abigail will be expelled from this orphanage immediately. She will be transferred to the Empire’s juvenile correctional facility, where she will serve six months of hard community service and mandatory counseling. Her name will be permanently placed on official record for committing attempted assault. If she ever commits another crime, she will face adult consequences."

Abigail’s face drained of all color.

"No... please... I don’t want to go there..."

"Furthermore," Kaelen continued, completely ignoring her pleas, "she will write a letter of apology to Miss Ella, and that letter will be read aloud in front of the entire orphanage."

The crowd was dead silent. Not a single person dared to breathe as the absolute law of the Alpha King settled over the field.

"Take her away," Kaelen ordered.

Paul nodded and began dragging Abigail away, her screams echoing across the field long after she disappeared into the crowd.

Then Kaelen slowly turned his piercing amber gaze toward the first girl.

"As for you," he said.

The girl immediately flinched.

"You witnessed a crime and chose to stay silent. That alone is a punishable offense under my law. To ensure it doesn’t happen again, and as a warning to others, you will be assigned to kitchen duties for the next three months. You will help with every meal, every dish, and every cleaning shift. You will work alongside the staff and learn what it means to take responsibility for your silence."

The girl’s face went pale, but she quickly bowed her head toward the dirt.

"Thank you, Alpha. I understand. I accept my punishment."

"And as for the entire orphanage staff, who did absolutely nothing about the repeated allegations of bullying," Kaelen continued, his tone turning even darker and making the adults in the front rows visibly flinch, "you allowed one child to terrorize others while you looked the other way. That gross negligence ends today."

A tense silence swept across the field.

"This orphanage will undergo a full review. Every staff member will be required to attend training on identifying and addressing bullying. If I hear of any similar incidents in the future, there will be devastating consequences."

The senior staff members shifted uncomfortably on their knees, sweat rolling down their necks, but none of them dared utter a word in their defense.

"This orphanage is meant to be a sanctuary," Kaelen said. "Not a place where children are allowed to torment one another. If I discover that any of you have ignored complaints or dismissed concerns, you will be removed from your positions immediately and face public punishment."

With that final declaration, Kaelen lowered his gaze to Frank, the head of the orphanage, who was also on his knees and positioned closest to us.

"I trust you’ll personally ensure these changes are implemented without delay, Frank."

Frank nodded quickly. "Of course, Alpha. We’ll make sure it’s done exactly as you have commanded."

Kaelen held his gaze for a moment longer before turning away.

"Everyone is dismissed," he commanded flatly.

The crowd quickly dispersed, people practically scrambling to get away from his terrifying presence.

Once the field had cleared, Kaelen finally turned his attention to me for the first time.

"We’ll be leaving for the Empire immediately after breakfast," he said.

Then his gaze dropped to my bandaged leg, and his expression softened.

"Does it still hurt?" he asked quietly.

The sudden shift in his demeanor made my breath hitch. I could only shake my head slowly as I stared back at the Alpha King. Except right now, he seemed like a completely different person.

****

After breakfast, it was finally time to leave, but the atmosphere in our small shared room was heavy.

As Emily helped me pack the last of my things into a small bag, she suddenly let out a dramatic sigh and dropped a stack of folded shirts onto the mattress.

"Why on earth didn’t you tell me you and the Alpha were together?"

The question was so sudden and blunt that I was left completely flustered.

"We aren’t together," I said honestly, adjusting my weight on my crutch. "We’re just..."

"Look at how I made a complete fool of myself!" Emily cut in, groaning loudly and gripping her hair as if she were reliving a horrifying near-death experience. "I really, truly thought he and I had a genuine connection yesterday. Ahh, just kill me now. The humiliation!"