Mated to the Alpha: Sold to the King

Kaelen POV

She said she loves me.

The woman I was madly, completely in love with had actually said she fucking loved me back.

I hadn’t chased down her vehicle like an absolute madman expecting to hear those words. I genuinely thought I could handle it. I thought I could sit in my empty office and let her walk out of my life.

But the second Darius called to tell me her car had cleared the gates, every ounce of my composure shattered.

I lost it.

I tore down the highway like a complete psychopath, desperate to put my heart on the line and tell her how I felt before she disappeared from my life forever.

Even if she rejected me, even if she chose not to be with me, I had convinced myself I could live with it as long as I knew I had tried.

Who knew that reckless decision would save me from making the biggest mistake of my life?

Because right now, standing on the side of a wet road with Lorelei finally in my arms, I was easily the happiest man alive.

She loved me too.

"I know you’re worried," I said, turning toward Raven as we stood beside the hood of her car. The heavy downpour that had suddenly broken out was finally easing into a soft drizzle. "Having her by my side comes with its own set of dangers, and I understand that."

I ran a hand through my wet hair, meeting Raven’s gaze with complete sincerity.

"I’m grateful Lorelei has a friend like you who’s always looking out for her. But I really do love her. I know I let my guard down once, and I know that’s why she was put in danger before. But now that she’s going to be my Luna, her safety and her happiness will always be my top priority."

In my head, we were practically married already.

Just imagining myself calling her my Luna, my wife, made the corners of my lips lift into a faint smile.

But when I looked at the solemn, unreadable expression on Raven’s face, my smile slowly faded.

Immediately, a flash of anxiety hit me. What if Raven was still planning to stand in our way? After all, she had been the one pushing me the hardest to let Lorelei go in the first place.

"I know you’ll take care of her," Raven finally said, her tense shoulders relaxing slightly as she glanced toward my car, where Lorelei was already waiting inside. "And I’m sure she can take care of herself, just like she has all these years. To be honest, when I told you to step back and let her leave, part of it was for my own selfish reasons. But seeing how miserable she was all morning, I’ll admit I started regretting it."

Hearing that Lorelei had been miserable because I pushed her away made my heart sink. The guilt cut deep, but somehow, it only made me more determined to spend the rest of my life making sure she never had a reason to feel that way again.

"Thank you for coming after her," Raven added, a faint, wry smirk tugging at her lips. "Even though you nearly ran us off the road and put all our lives at risk."

A breathless laugh escaped me. "Yeah. Sorry about that," I said, but her expression quickly hardened again, that familiar protective look returning as her blue eyes locked onto mine.

"Don’t forget the promise you’re making right now, Alpha King. You can never make her suffer like that again. If you do, I won’t hesitate to come and get her back myself."

But I held her gaze, my voice dropping into a solemn, unwavering vow.

"I promise."

When I walked back toward my car, my eyes immediately found Lorelei wrapped tightly in a thick blanket, exchanging one final, tearful goodbye with Skye.

She had chosen to return to the estate with me, but that meant letting Skye go ahead and claim the freedom she had given her.

It was a bittersweet moment.

Lorelei was gaining a future with me, but she was also saying goodbye to a trusted companion who had stood by her through some of the darkest days of her life.

When the two women finally pulled apart, a stray tear glistened in the corner of Lorelei’s eye, but she quickly wiped it away when she noticed me approaching. She gave me a soft, fragile smile.

"I think I’m ready to go back now," she whispered.

I searched her face, genuine concern lacing my voice. "Are you sure?"

As selfish as I was for wanting her back in my arms, I knew how heavy this decision was for her.

Lorelei nodded gently. "Skye can’t stay by my side forever. Besides, she’s safer with Raven than with anyone else."

I couldn’t argue with that.

Leaving them to have their final private moments, Cole and I began moving Lorelei’s luggage back into the trunk of my car.

I had briefly suggested leaving her old things behind and buying her an entirely new wardrobe now that we were officially starting over as a couple, but she had firmly insisted on keeping her belongings.

Naturally, I listened.

What my Luna wanted, my Luna got.

Once she was finally ready to leave, Lorelei said her goodbyes to Skye before pulling Raven into a tight hug. Then she turned to Cole and hugged him too, causing me to clench my jaw.

My hands curled into fists at my sides as I watched another man hold my woman, and every instinct in me screamed to pull her away. I had to dig my nails into my palms just to remind myself that Cole was her friend and nothing more.

Still, I didn’t have to like it.

Eventually, the goodbyes were over, and we were finally alone in the quiet luxury of my car.

Lorelei settled into the passenger seat, and for a moment, neither of us said anything. But somehow, the quiet between us felt strangely comfortable after everything that had happened.

Before I even turned the key in the ignition, I reached across the console and took her small hand in mine.

She glanced down at our joined hands, but before she could say anything, I lifted hers to my lips and pressed a slow kiss against the back of her palm.

"I love you," I murmured against her skin, and Lorelei immediately let out a small, awkward laugh with the tips of her ears turned pink. She immediately tried to pull her hand away, but I tightened my grip, keeping her from escaping.

"What? You don’t like hearing that?"

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