Mated to the Alpha: Sold to the King

Lorelei POV

"Skye!" I practically gasped, immediately pulling my hand from Kaelen’s and hurrying a few steps ahead in excitement. "Why are you only calling me back now?"

"Sorry about that," Skye said, her voice unusually quiet over the phone. "I was just... really exhausted, and..."

"No, it’s okay!" I quickly cut her off, not wanting her to keep apologizing. "I’m sure the journey was exhausting. How are you doing? How’s everything over there?"

I couldn’t stop the smile spreading across my face as I spoke, completely forgetting about everything else for a moment. A few feet behind me, Kaelen watched with an amused, almost fond look on his face.

"Well..." Skye hesitated, letting out a small sigh. "I’m just not used to doing nothing, you know? I literally spend most of the day sitting around here, and honestly, it’s starting to make me feel weird."

A soft laugh escaped me. "Skye, you’ve been working yourself to death your entire life. You better learn how to enjoy doing nothing!"

A faint chuckle came through the phone, but something about it felt off. It didn’t have the usual warmth in her voice.

That immediately reminded me of Raven’s strange behavior the night before.

"Actually, speaking of Raven..." I paused, my smile slowly fading. "What was wrong with her last night? She was acting really weird when she called me. Is she okay?"

The second I asked, I heard Skye suck in a sharp breath, causing my brows to immediately pull together.

"Skye?" I called, but all I got was silence, making my grip tighten around the phone as the uneasiness in my chest grew.

"What’s going on?" I asked, my voice quieter this time.

For several seconds, all I could hear was the faint static from the call.

"Skye," I pressed again. "Talk to me."

"Raven is fine!" she suddenly blurted out, so quickly that it almost sounded rehearsed. "She just... hasn’t really been herself lately, you know? Since you left. She misses you a lot. She’s just taking your absence pretty hard."

Those words finally made me relax a little, at least on the surface, and for a moment, I found myself nodding along in understanding. But the longer her words stayed in my head, the more something about them started bothering me.

Then it hit me, and my eyes widened.

"Wait..." I slowly stepped farther away from Kaelen, my heart suddenly pounding harder. "How do you know about Raven and me?"

I had never told Skye about what had happened between Raven and me. As far as she knew, we had only ever been close friends. Cole was the only person who knew there was more to it, and that was only because he had been there when Raven kissed me back then.

Even Kaelen didn’t know the full story.

I already felt guilty enough keeping it from him, but I knew exactly what would happen if he found out. His possessive Alpha side would kick in, and knowing Kaelen, he would probably find a way to get jealous over a woman next.

There was a strange silence on the other end before Skye finally cleared her throat.

"She... she got drunk the night we left," she said, sounding nervous. "She was just talking and... I guess she said some things."

My stomach immediately tightened.

Raven had gotten drunk because of me?

"Really?" I asked, my voice rising slightly as worry rushed through me. "She didn’t say anything about this last night. What happened after that? Is she okay?"

"Nothing!" Skye answered way too quickly, and I frowned.

"Nothing happened. Look, I... I really have to go. Cole needs my help with something. I’ll talk to you later. Bye!"

"Skye, wait..."

Click.

The line went completely dead before I could even finish my sentence. Slowly, I pulled the device away from my ear and stared at the dark screen, completely stunned.

First Raven.

Now Skye.

Whatever was happening over there, something was seriously wrong. And judging by how quickly Skye had just ended the call, they clearly didn’t want me finding out what it was.

"Is there a problem?"

Kaelen’s deep voice pulled me out of my thoughts. I turned around and found him standing right behind me, his amber eyes fixed on me with an immediate seriousness that made it obvious he’d noticed something was wrong.

"Uh... I don’t think so," I said, rubbing my arm awkwardly as I slipped my phone back into my pocket. "It’s just... Raven and Skye are both acting really weird."

Kaelen stepped closer without saying anything, then wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me against his chest. "If it’s nothing serious, don’t stress yourself out over it."

I let myself relax against him, resting my head on his chest as the steady beat of his heart slowly calmed me down. Maybe he was right. Raven and Skye were both adults. Whatever was going on, they could handle it themselves, and as long as they were safe, that was what mattered.

And as for Raven drinking because she still had feelings for me... I knew how hard it could be to let go of someone. It had taken me time to move on from Jaxen, so maybe Raven just needed time, too. Eventually, she’d find her footing again and move forward.

Holding onto that thought, I finally felt the tightness in my chest ease.

By late afternoon, the peaceful quiet of the suite was long gone. The designer and her small army of attendants had completely taken over the dressing room, turning it into a whirlwind of clothes, makeup, hair products, and people rushing around to get me ready for the banquet.

After what felt like hours of having my hair pinned, my makeup touched up, and every little detail of my appearance adjusted, they finally helped me into the dress.

The moment I stepped in front of the full-length gilded mirror, I forgot how to breathe.

The floor-length gown was stunning.

Its deep midnight-blue silk seemed to shift with every movement, while thousands of tiny teardrop-shaped diamond crystals scattered across the fabric caught the light, making it look like I was wearing an entire night sky.

The neckline dipped gracefully off my shoulders, while the fitted bodice hugged my waist and followed the shape of my body perfectly, making every curve stand out without looking like the dress was trying too hard.

My blonde hair had been styled into an elegant updo, with a few soft curls left loose around my face, framing it perfectly and drawing attention to the graceful curve of my neck. Matching sapphire and diamond drop earrings brushed against my shoulders, catching the light every time I moved and sparkling alongside the teardrop crystals scattered across my gown.

Around my neck was the delicate necklace Nala had given me, resting right above the dip of my collarbones. It was simple compared to everything else I was wearing, but somehow, it was the little detail that tied everything together.

To finish the look, I slipped into a pair of sleek midnight-blue silk heels with thin, diamond-encrusted straps that peeked out from beneath the hem of my dress. A small structured clutch covered in a subtle dark shimmer rested in my hand.

A collective gasp came from behind me.

I turned slightly toward the attendants and found nearly all of them staring at my reflection with their hands clasped over their mouths. Even the usually composed head designer couldn’t hide the huge smile spreading across her face, looking far too proud of her work.

As for me, I could barely recognize the woman staring back at me.

She looked confident.

Radiant.

Powerful.

For a moment, I simply stood there, taking her in, because there was something almost surreal about seeing myself like this.

I truly looked every bit like the Lady of the Empire.

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