Mated to the Alpha: Sold to the King

Lorelei POV

It dripped steadily, staining the front of his shirt red.

Seeing those drops of blood, I finally understood what Nala had meant.

This wasn’t simply magic.

It was physically tearing his body apart.

Across the room, the healer watched with wide, fascinated eyes, furiously scribbling notes into his journal without looking away for even a second.

The harder Kalu fought against the poison lodged inside Skye’s abdomen, the more her face twisted in pain.

Low, broken groans escaped her lips, and every sound she made felt like a knife twisting deeper into my chest.

My body instinctively lurched forward, desperate to hold her hand or comfort her somehow, but I forced myself to remain where I was.

I couldn’t risk disrupting whatever Kalu was doing.

Several agonizing minutes passed before the black ripples finally began to move again.

With visible effort, Kalu forced the poison higher and higher through her body, driving it past her chest until the concentrated venom gathered around her throat.

Suddenly, Skye’s body jerked violently. She gasped, her back arching off the bed as she began choking.

A second later, a violent coughing fit ripped through her body.

She coughed up a thick stream of blood so dark it was almost black, splattering across the white sheets beneath her.

Only then did Kalu finally pull his hands away, only to stagger backward, his legs briefly threatening to give out beneath him.

Before anyone could rush forward to catch him, he caught his balance on his own.

One of the female attendants immediately handed Kalu a clean cloth.

Without a word, he snatched it from her and pressed it firmly against his bleeding nose. His breathing was heavy and uneven as he struggled to steady himself after expending so much magic.

"My body feels as though it has been dragged across burning coals and crushed beneath a boulder," Kalu muttered, shooting his sister a sharp glare. "My magic will not return to me properly for several days. I hope this has pleased you."

Nala’s lips curved into a small smile as she stepped closer and gently brushed one of his white locs back behind his ear.

"It has," she replied softly. "You have done well."

For the briefest moment, the irritation on Kalu’s face eased, but then, almost as if he had caught himself, he quickly stepped backward to escape her touch.

I barely noticed.

The moment I realized Skye’s breathing had finally settled into a slow, steady rhythm, I rushed to her bedside and tightly wrapped both of my hands around hers.

The frantic rise and fall of her chest was gone. The painful tension that had twisted her features only moments ago had completely disappeared, as if the unbearable weight crushing her from the inside had finally been lifted.

Seeing this, a shaky breath escaped my lips.

She was alive.

"Her body has been pushed into complete exhaustion," Kalu said, drawing my attention back to him. His voice sounded rough from the strain. "She will remain beneath a deep sleep for several hours. Give her one or two days, and her strength should begin returning fully."

Relief crashed over me so suddenly that my knees almost gave out.

"Thank you..." I whispered, my voice trembling as tears welled in my eyes again.

Overcome with gratitude, I instinctively started lowering myself to my knees, but before I could bow, Nala reached out and caught my arm, gently but firmly stopping me.

"Do not," she said as she helped me straighten back up before meeting my gaze. "There is no need to lower yourself or offer us thanks."

Kalu, on the other hand, immediately looked offended.

"What is this us you are speaking of?" he protested, lowering the cloth from his nose just enough to glare at her. "Speak only for yourself, Ekan. I nearly sent one of my lungs out through my mouth while saving her. The smallest thing I deserve is a proper expression of gratitude."

Nala sighed as though she had expected that response.

"I will personally find the finest women available to keep you pleased while your strength returns tonight," she said smoothly, and Kalu’s entire expression brightened in an instant.

"Ah. Now those are words that bring sweetness to my ears," he purred, a satisfied grin spreading across his face.

He then turned to me and gave an exaggerated, gentlemanly nod.

"Care well for your friend, little miss. What was required of my hands is now finished."

Without another word, he turned on his heel and strode out of the medical ward.

Even after he disappeared through the doorway, Nala’s hand remained lightly wrapped around my arm.

When I looked back at her, the gentle warmth she had worn moments ago was gone. In its place was a calm, calculating seriousness that sent a chill down my spine.

She held my gaze for a long moment before finally speaking.

"Now," she said quietly. "Speak."

Her golden eyes hardened.

"Who placed courage inside themselves to poison you?"

Seeing how deadly serious her expression had become, I gently led her toward a quiet corner of the ward, away from the healers and attendants bustling around Skye’s bed.

Keeping my voice low, I finally told her everything.

I told her about Hawke’s hidden operation, Chelsea’s attempt to kill me, and the moment Kaelen discovered my true identity.

I left nothing out.

The more I spoke, the darker Nala’s expression became. Her golden eyes narrowed into sharp slits as she silently absorbed every horrifying detail.

"For a woman this pack believes to be nothing beyond the Alpha King’s mistress," she said dryly, "you have gathered a frightening number of people who wish to see you dead."

A bitter laugh almost escaped me, but I didn’t have the energy. If only she knew this was barely a fraction of the others I had dealt with back home.

After a long moment, Nala let out a quiet sigh. The tension eased from her shoulders, and the coldness in her expression softened into something much gentler.

"Still," she murmured, giving me a small, approving smile, "there is one matter worthy of celebration."

I looked at her in confusion until she added,

"You finally placed the truth before him. At least now, neither of you stands blindly before the other."

Do we, though?

Just thinking about the way Kaelen had looked at me after learning the truth made my heart beat in an uneven rhythm. His reaction had been impossible to read, and no matter how many times I reminded myself that I had hidden my identity only to survive, it did nothing to ease the heavy knot of dread twisting inside my stomach.

Nala noticed the change in my expression. She studied me for a brief moment before speaking again, her voice much softer this time.

"So..." she began softly. "What name truly belongs to you?"

Ever since she realized I was hiding something, she had never once asked who I really was.

This was the first time.

Without the slightest hesitation, I met her golden eyes and quietly answered,

"Lorelei."

"Lorelei," Nala repeated slowly, as though savoring the sound of it. A faint, genuine smile touched her lips.

"It is a beautiful name."

Exhaustion settled over me like a heavy blanket. Everything that had happened today finally caught up with me, leaving me physically and emotionally drained.

All I could manage in return was a small, weary smile.

Because at the very least, Skye was alive, and right now, that was all that mattered to me.

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