Mated to the Alpha: Sold to the King

Lorelei POV

He really had come back last night.

Considering how ridiculously packed his schedule was, I was honestly surprised he hadn’t already slipped out before I even opened my eyes.

I had fully planned on being mad at him today. I had practically rehearsed all my cold-shoulder moves in my head last night, ready to make him feel guilty for leaving me alone all evening.

But one look at him sleeping beside me and all of that disappeared.

His messy red hair was scattered all over the white silk pillowcase, his usual sharp expression completely softened by sleep, and somehow, just seeing him there made it impossible for me to stay annoyed.

A small smile tugged at my lips as I reached over and gently ran my fingers through his thick hair, brushing a few strands away from his forehead. My eyes slowly traced over his familiar features, from the straight bridge of his nose to his sharp jawline before finally settling on his lips.

I couldn’t resist.

Leaning closer, I was just about to give him a soft morning kiss when his amber eyes suddenly opened.

"What are you doing?" he murmured, his voice low and raspy from sleep.

I nearly jumped out of my skin.

A startled squeak escaped me as I scrambled backward, completely forgetting that I was already sitting near the edge of the mattress. The second I shifted too far, my hips slid right off the sheets, and I lost my balance.

I didn’t even have time to scream before Kaelen’s eyes snapped fully open and his arm shot around my waist, catching me before I could hit the floor and dragging me straight back against his chest.

"Don’t be so clumsy," he muttered, sounding more like he was scolding me than anything else.

My embarrassment instantly became unbearable, so I buried my burning face into the crook of his neck, refusing to look at him.

"What about my kiss?" he asked after a moment, his voice dropping into a soft, teasing rumble.

My cheeks burned even hotter.

I pressed my nose deeper into his warm skin and mumbled, "I changed my mind. You don’t get one after keeping me waiting all night."

"I really didn’t plan to," Kaelen said softly, placing a firm hand on my shoulder and gently pulling me back until I had no choice but to look at him. The sincerity in his expression made it ridiculously hard to stay mad at him. "Something came up at the border at the last minute. I couldn’t just ignore it."

I knew it was probably something serious, but I still crossed my arms over my chest. "You could’ve called. You didn’t even know if I was sitting here waiting for you all night."

The thought of me actually waiting for him seemed to hit him hard because guilt immediately crossed his features.

"I’m really sorry, baby," he murmured, his amber eyes searching mine. "If I’m ever going to be late again, I’ll call you first. I promise."

I still wasn’t ready to let him off that easily, so I narrowed my eyes at him. "Are you leaving again today?"

Kaelen hesitated, rubbing the back of his neck. "Well... I do need to finish setting up the convocation..." He trailed off when he noticed my expression immediately fall, causing him to quickly add, "But I’m sure Darius can handle it."

My disappointment disappeared so fast that I couldn’t even pretend anymore, and a huge smile spread across my face as I immediately snuggled back into his chest with a satisfied little sigh.

Kaelen chuckled softly before wrapping both arms around me and pulling me closer.

"Did Raven call you?" he asked. "I asked her to."

I nodded against his shoulder. "Yeah. I just didn’t realize how lonely it would feel with Skye gone. And now you’re always busy too."

I paused, suddenly feeling a little embarrassed by how needy I was about to sound, but I couldn’t keep it to myself anymore.

"I don’t want to sound like some clingy girlfriend," I admitted quietly, "but... I just want you around me. All the time."

The confession left my face burning, but at least I had finally said it out loud.

"I feel the exact same way," Kaelen admitted, his fingers slowly running through my hair. "Whenever I’m away from you, you’re the only thing I can think about. Half the time, I’m just wondering how quickly I can finish everything and get back to you."

His voice softened as he continued, "It’s just... I’m still the Alpha King, and a lot of this stuff isn’t exactly something I can ignore. I’m trying to clear as much of my workload as I can so we can actually leave the estate and spend some proper time together. What do you think?"

"Okay," I whispered, relaxing completely against him. "I’d like that."

The tension finally left his body, and Kaelen let out a quiet, relieved sigh. But then a playful glint suddenly appeared in his eyes as he leaned closer to my ear.

"Now... what about my kiss?"

I couldn’t help laughing at how persistent he was. Pulling back just enough, I gave him a quick peck on the lips.

"That’s all you’re getting," I teased.

His face immediately fell into an exaggerated frown. "Is that my punishment?"

I nodded with a completely serious expression, even though I was already fighting a smile.

But Kaelen didn’t seem particularly impressed.

His hand slid up the back of my neck, his fingers slipping into my hair as he gently tilted my head toward him.

"Then I guess I’ll have to apologize properly," he murmured, his eyes dropping to my lips. "Forgive me."

Before I could even respond, his lips met mine again, stealing the rest of my protest with a deep, desperate kiss that made my ridiculous little punishment completely useless.

*

Later that afternoon, Kaelen and I were taking a quiet walk through the gardens, the warm sunlight spilling over the blooming hedges as he casually held my hand.

When my phone suddenly vibrated inside my pocket.

I pulled it out, and the second I saw Raven’s name flashing across the screen, my eyes widened.

I quickly answered, but instead of Raven’s familiar voice coming through the speaker, I heard another voice.

"Lorelei?"

My entire face lit up.

"Skye!"

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!