Mated to the Alpha: Sold to the King

Chapter 94: 0094

Kaelen POV

"When I said she could do whatever she wanted, I didn’t say she could have her hands all over him," I growled, pacing back and forth across the polished floor of my office.

One of the men I had discreetly assigned to keep an eye on Ella had just returned with a report about her playing nurse for that damn guard. She had been fixing his pillows, wiping his face, and fussing over him every chance she got.

It was driving me absolutely insane.

What made it even worse was that Darius remained sprawled across the sofa, looking infuriatingly relaxed.

How the hell was he so calm?

I knew for a fact he was just as pissed off about this as I was.

"What did you expect? It’s your own fault for bringing her to that cell," Darius scoffed darkly as he aggressively flipped another page of the book in his hands. He tried to pretend he was still reading for another second before finally snapping. With an irritated growl, he slammed the book shut and rose to his feet.

"Why the fuck did you even bring her down there in the first place?" he demanded. "You knew exactly how she would react."

"If you really want to know," I replied, forcing myself to look away from his accusing stare, "I wanted her to see your true nature. Who the hell would’ve guessed she’d have such a massive soft spot for a simple guard?"

The answer immediately drew a snarl from Darius, his upper lip curling back over his teeth.

"You crazy bastard."

"Don’t blame me," I shot back, throwing my hands up in defense. "She’s already seen me at my worst. She knows exactly how ruthless I can be. I figured it was only fair she realized that the gentle Beta she’s grown so attached to is just as much of a monster."

That only seemed to infuriate him even more.

Without another word, he raised the heavy book still clutched in his hand and hurled it straight at my head.

I sidestepped it effortlessly, and the hardcover slammed harmlessly into the wall behind me.

"Well, look where that brilliant plan got you," Darius hissed. "You practically threw her straight into another man’s arms."

"Dammit, why am I taking all the blame here?" I snapped, my Alpha aura flaring with irritation. "I wanted to refuse her request to visit the medical wing. You’re the one who spoke up and told me to let her go. You’re just as responsible for this as I am."

"I only said that to get back at you for dragging her down there in the first place," Darius shot back, his jaw tightening. "And aren’t you the one who ordered me to release that bastard anyway?"

"Didn’t you see the way she wrapped her arms around me?" I countered, the memory of her body pressed against mine making my chest tighten all over again. I could still feel the phantom warmth of her tears soaking through my shirt. "We both know you would’ve given in too if she’d begged you like that. You’re only pissed because she came to me instead of you."

Darius’s jaw clenched so tightly I thought I heard the bone creak.

He couldn’t deny it.

Instead, he turned his head away and stared out the window, clearly trying to get a grip on his temper.

"But why did she hug me like that?" I continued, partly because I wanted to get under Darius’s skin even more, but mostly because I couldn’t stop replaying it in my head. "First she kissed me in the woods, and now this. It’s almost as if she’s affected by me the same way I’m affected by her."

"Oh, please," Darius said with an irritated scoff, dragging a frustrated hand through his dark hair. "If that were actually true, she’d be all over you every chance she got. She’s just too kind for her own good. She’s a healer at heart. The same reason she’s fussing over that guard is the same reason she’s being nice to you. You’re not special."

A low growl rumbled in my chest as his words landed a direct hit to my ego.

"Fuck," I muttered, looking away as I let out a slow breath. "If I’d known this would happen, I would’ve quietly killed him in his sleep," I grumbled, the last part under my breath.

"We can still do that," Darius said, sounding far too eager as a dark glint returned to his gray eyes. "Just throw him off the estate somewhere. Stage an accident during one of his patrols. It would be easy."

Ah.

Look at the bastard I’d created.

Yet somehow I was still the one everyone called the monster.

"You know she isn’t nearly as naive as you seem to think," I said with a sigh, rubbing the bridge of my nose. "If she were, how else did she immediately figure out something was wrong with that guard the moment she stepped outside? Besides, she already seems to trust him completely. Killing him now would be a foolish move. Let’s just let this one slide."

Hearing that, Darius let out a quiet chuckle, the mocking sound echoing through the otherwise silent office.

"Never thought I’d see the day you’d willingly say those words," he murmured, though there was still a dangerous edge beneath his amusement. "Aren’t you worried she might end up falling for him? Compared to us, the guy has a much cleaner reputation. She also seems to pity him a lot more than she pities either of us, which honestly makes me wonder... if she really is associated with rogues, why does she seem so soft?"

I went completely still.

A heavy silence settled between us as my fists slowly clenched at my sides until my knuckles turned white.

Pity.

She just pitied him.

There was no reason I should let that get under my skin.

And yet...

Here I was.

Now, the very same guard, still wrapped in heavy bandages beneath his uniform, was kneeling in the center of my office with his head lowered before us.

Normally, whenever I acted on impulse like this, Darius was the one who talked sense into me.

This time, however, my Beta simply stood by the window with his arms crossed, silently watching as the guard remained on his knees with his head bowed to the floor.

"I promise you, Alpha," Paul said, his voice unsteady. "There is truly nothing going on between us. Miss Ella was simply being kind. She felt guilty about what happened. That is all."

"I know that," I replied coldly, crossing my arms over my chest to hide how tightly my fists had clenched. "This is simply a formal warning in case you ever mistake her pity for something more."

But even as the words left my mouth, it felt as though I was trying to convince myself more than him.

My own territorial wolf refused to believe it.

That she just pitied me.

That realization only made my mood even worse.

"I would never, Alpha," Paul answered immediately. "Miss Ella is kind, but I know my place. She is far above someone like me. I would never overstep my boundaries."

I silently studied the top of his bowed head.

The quiet stretched across my office until the tension became almost suffocating.

Not knowing what else I could possibly say without sounding completely pathetic, I let out a slow, heavy sigh.

"Once your injuries have fully healed, you may return to your post by her side," I said quietly. "However, you will be assigned a second guard of her choosing. I trust there won’t be any mistakes this time."

A wave of visible relief spread across Paul’s face.

"Thank you, Alpha," he said, lowering his head even further until his forehead nearly touched the carpet. "I won’t fail you again."

He better not.

Because if there was a next time, I wasn’t going to let Ella’s tears stop me from killing him.

"You will not speak a word of this to anyone," I said.

Then, with a dismissive wave of my hand, I gave the order in a flat voice.

"Get out."