Mated to the Alpha: Sold to the King

Chapter 92: 0092

Lorelei POV

"Don’t tell me you’re crying over a mere guard."

This time, it was Kaelen who spoke.

His gaze remained fixed on me, his amber eyes following the tears as they rolled helplessly down my cheeks.

But I couldn’t stop them.

This wasn’t fair.

No wonder Paul had looked so defeated back at the orphanage.

No wonder he had barely spoken during the drive back to the estate.

He must have known this was waiting for him, and if I had known, I never would have acted so recklessly.

Realizing I wasn’t getting through to Darius, I slowly turned my full attention to the Alpha King. Closing the short distance between us, I stopped right in front of him.

"Please," I whispered, looking up at his cold, unreadable face through blurred vision. "Let him go. I swear it will never happen again."

Kaelen’s expression didn’t change. His face remained as hard and unyielding as stone, and with every second that passed, panic and desperation consumed me.

Before I could stop myself, I stepped into his space and wrapped my arms around his waist, burying my face against his chest.

The instant I did, Kaelen’s entire body went rigid. He froze as though I had just done something completely unimaginable.

"Please..." I sobbed against his shirt, clutching the fabric tightly in my fists. "I’m begging you."

A heavy silence settled over the torture chamber while Darius stood motionless, watching us with an expression that had become impossible to read.

Kaelen remained completely stiff beneath my touch. But when it became obvious I wasn’t going to let go, a low, defeated growl finally rumbled deep in his chest.

"Ah, fuck," he muttered, letting out a long, frustrated sigh.

He looked down at me for a brief moment before lifting his gaze to Darius.

"Release him."

Hearing that, my heart leaped into my throat.

I pulled back just enough to look up at him, but Kaelen had already turned his face away, his jaw locked into a hard line.

But I didn’t care about his coldness anymore. Whether he was shutting me out or not didn’t matter.

All I cared about was that I had managed to get through to him.

"Thank you," I whispered, wiping the remaining tears from my face.

The sound of iron chains clattering echoed through the room as Darius finally moved to release Paul. The moment the restraints came off, my former guard collapsed heavily onto the stone floor, coughing up a mouthful of blood.

Damn.

They really hadn’t gone easy on him.

My stomach churned at the sight. How could such a simple mistake have led to this? If I had actually died from that fall, what would they have done to him?

I didn’t even want to imagine the answer.

Letting out a relieved sigh, I instinctively stepped toward Paul. Then I stopped and turned back to Kaelen, deciding to try my luck one last time.

"Can we get the healer for him?"

Kaelen’s expression hardened again.

"I’ve already shown him..."

"Please..." I interrupted softly, pressing my lips together as my fingers nervously fidgeted with the hem of my sweater.

Almost immediately, he let out a sharp, ragged sigh. His tongue pressed against the inside of his cheek as he threw his head back in obvious frustration before finally calling out,

"Guards!"

Two guards immediately stepped forward from the shadows.

"Get the healer. Take him to the medical wing immediately."

"Yes, Alpha."

They moved to lift Paul to his feet. He was barely conscious, his body hanging limply between them, and the moment they carried him away, all the tension finally drained from my body.

"Happy now?" Kaelen asked flatly, his gaze lingering heavily on me.

"Yes," I replied, nodding as I struggled to hide the small, genuine smile tugging at my lips. "Thank you, Alpha."

I bowed deeply to him before turning to Darius and offering him the same respectful gesture.

"Thank you, Darius."

To my surprise, Darius didn’t say a single word. His gaze remained distant and cold, giving nothing away.

That was a little strange, but I tried not to dwell on it. Instead, I forced myself to remember the kindness he had shown me before today, refusing to let the horrifying scene I had just witnessed erase it.

With that, I turned and headed toward the exit when Kaelen’s fingers suddenly wrapped around my wrist, pulling me to a stop.

"Where do you think you’re going?" he asked.

Ah, right.

I had completely forgotten that I couldn’t just walk away from the Alpha King without asking for permission.

"If you permit me, Alpha, I would like to accompany Paul to the medical wing," I said carefully.

Kaelen’s grip didn’t loosen. If anything, it tightened, his thumb absentmindedly brushing over my pulse.

"Why?" he asked.

I blinked at him, stunned out of my mind.

What did he mean, why?

"I want to make sure he’s okay," I answered anyway.

"He’ll be fine," Kaelen replied.

"I know that," I said after a brief hesitation. "I just feel guilty about what happened. I want to make sure he receives the treatment he needs, if only for my own peace of mind."

"No."

The single word came out cold enough to make my heart skip a beat.

"Showing him mercy is already more than he deserves for failing to protect you," Kaelen continued, his gaze once again turning icy. "You don’t need to hold his hand."

Who said anything about holding his hand?

Frustration immediately bubbled inside me, but before I could respond, Darius spoke.

"Let her go, Kaelen," he said, the softness in his tone finally returning. "He was her guard, after all. You wouldn’t want her sneaking off to see him behind your back, would you?"

Those words made my eyes widen in horror.

As relieved as I was that Darius still seemed to have my back, I hadn’t wanted him to put it like that.

Why on earth would I ever sneak around? I knew my place more than anything, and I knew even a little kindness should never be taken for granted.

My heart pounded as Kaelen stared silently at his Beta. The tension hanging in the room was thick enough to suffocate me.

Finally, he let out a sharp, frustrated grunt before releasing my wrist.

"Fine," he muttered, turning his back to me. "Do whatever you want."

Wait...

Really?

Just like that?

"Thank you," I said, bowing even deeper than before.

I only hesitated for a second before hurrying after the guards, quickening my pace until I caught up with them.