Mated to the Alpha: Sold to the King

Chapter 87: 0087

Lorelei POV

"It’s healing well," the healer commented after unwrapping the bandages on my ankle and examining the swelling, gently pressing here and there.

"The remedy the other healer used is incredibly effective. I will reapply a fresh bandage, give you a few additional medications, and prescribe something to help with the residual pain."

"Thank you," I forced myself to mutter, though my gaze kept shifting anxiously toward Skye, who was quietly standing in the corner of the room.

"Rest well for the next two days. Absolutely no unnecessary pressure on that foot," the healer said after finishing the fresh bandages and packing his medical supplies back into his kit. "I will check on you again the day after tomorrow."

"Yes, sir," I replied.

Silently, Skye reached for the bottles of medication, carefully placed them on the nightstand, and then escorted the healer out of the room. Even after the door clicked shut behind them, she still didn’t say a word.

Instead, she began tidying up the room, but I could tell she was only pretending to keep herself busy to avoid the elephant in the room.

"I only told you my name and that I was kidnapped by rogues," I began, my voice breaking the heavy silence.

She paused in the middle of what she was doing before slowly turning to face me. The second our eyes met, tears welled up uncontrollably, blurring my vision until I could barely see her.

"I never told you where I was really from," I choked out.

Her expression immediately softened. She walked over to the bed and sat down beside me, gently taking my trembling hand in hers.

"Ella... Lorelei," she said softly. "You don’t have to tell me anything if you don’t want to. Don’t force yourself."

"But I want to," I said, my voice trembling. "You deserve to know. You have been nothing but good to me since the day we met, and I’ve been hiding so much of my mess from you."

"Okay," she murmured gently, giving my hand a reassuring squeeze as I took a long, shaky breath, trying to calm the frantic pounding of my heart.

"I’m from the Silver Fang pack," I began, the words tasting like ash in my mouth. "My father is the Beta there, and I have a twin sister named Callista."

Skye listened quietly as I spoke, her thumb gently stroking the back of my hand, offering silent comfort as the floodgates finally opened.

I told her almost everything.

I told her about the curse I’d been born with, how badly I had been neglected and treated like dirt by my own parents, and about my so-called mate who had betrayed me, slept with my sister, and gotten her pregnant.

I told her how I had been framed for attempted murder and barely escaped with my life, only to be ambushed and kidnapped by rogues.

The more I spoke, the harder it became to hold myself together. Tears streamed endlessly down my cheeks until I could barely form coherent words. Before long, the only sound left in the room was my broken, breathless sobs.

"I try so hard not to think about it," I said, my voice cracking completely as my body trembled beneath the crushing weight of those memories. "I try to bury it deep down and convince myself it was all just some terrible nightmare, that I’m really just Ella now. But it always finds a way to come back, no matter how hard I try to push it away."

Skye’s grip around my hand tightened, but she didn’t interrupt me. She simply sat there, letting me cry as months of repressed pain poured out all at once.

Even through my blurred vision, I could see the shine in her own eyes. Tears clung to her lashes as she fought to blink them away, staying strong for my sake.

When I finally managed to pull myself together enough to stop crying, I wiped my face with trembling hands and forced myself to add one last thing.

"Maya is not a good person, Skye. She was one of the maids back home who made my life a living hell. If anything, she was the worst of them. I don’t know how on earth she managed to make it all the way here to the estate, but please... don’t ever mention her name to me again."

Hearing that, Skye nodded rapidly. "I’m sorry," she whispered, her own tears finally spilling over. "It’s all my fault. I shouldn’t have brought her here."

But I quickly shook my head, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze. "You didn’t know," I said softly.

How could she have? Even I had never, in a million years, imagined I would run into someone from a past I thought I had left completely behind.

The distance between the Lunar Empire and the Silver Fang pack was simply too great for this to be anything other than a cruel twist of fate.

"I can’t believe I fell for her innocent act," Skye muttered, her expression hardening. "She seemed so quiet and shy that I actually felt sorry for her, not knowing she was a snake. I bet she’s only apologizing now because she sees you’re living a better life."

I lowered my gaze to my hands but said nothing.

I had once been a victim of that same innocent act too, and that was exactly why I hated Maya so much.

And Skye was probably right. Maya was most likely only apologizing because she wanted to secure better treatment for herself. Too bad I didn’t even want to acknowledge her existence.

After that day, I forced myself to push Maya out of my mind.

Maybe it was because of my injured foot, but my lessons with Mrs. Whitmore were postponed, so I spent most of my time resting in my room with Skye keeping me company.

Three days later, after the healer’s second examination, he finally gave me some good news. Thanks to the medication, I could walk short distances without my crutch.

That was when I decided it was finally time to step outside.

After breakfast, Skye helped me get dressed in something casual: a pair of high waisted cream linen shorts and a soft, oversized sage green knit sweater.

But the second I stepped out of my bedroom, I froze.

Instead of Paul appearing beside me like a shadow, as he always did, a completely unfamiliar guard was standing in the hallway.

My brows immediately furrowed.

"Who are you?" I asked, unable to hide the confusion and unease in my voice.

The man immediately straightened his posture and bowed his head respectfully. "I’m the new guard assigned by the Alpha to..."

"Where’s Paul?" I cut in, making the guard hesitate.

"Paul is... no longer assigned to this post, miss." He finally replied. "I’ve been instructed to take over his duties."