Mated to the Alpha: Sold to the King

Kaelen POV

Everything for tonight’s banquet had been taken care of, and by everything, I meant Darius had handled practically all of it while I spent most of the day with Lorelei.

Now, I was dressed in a bespoke midnight-blue suit that had been tailored specifically to match her gown, complete with sharp black satin lapels and subtle diamond-cut gold cufflinks.

I should have been ready to leave by now, but for the past ten minutes, I had been pacing back and forth across the main hallway like a caged fucking animal, waiting for Lorelei so we could head to the venue together.

Darius stood near the archway, casually leaning against one of the pillars as he watched me pace for what had to be the hundredth time.

"Relax," he drawled, the amusement in his voice impossible to miss as a lazy smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth. "It’s not like she’s running away."

I immediately snapped my head toward him, my jaw tightening as I opened my mouth to tell him to shut the fuck up.

But before I could say a word, the sharp click of heels echoed through the upper hallway.

Darius’s attention instantly shifted past my shoulder, and when his eyes widened slightly, I turned around to see what had caught his attention.

Then I saw her, and everything around me seemed to fucking stop.

My throat went dry, my entire body going still as I stared at Lorelei standing at the top of the grand staircase, surrounded by the warm golden glow spilling from the crystal chandeliers above.

I had imagined this moment more times than I could count over the past few days. I’d pictured her walking toward me in that midnight-blue gown, wondered how she’d look when she finally wore it.

But nothing, absolutely fucking nothing, could have prepared me for the woman standing in front of me.

The deep-blue silk hugged every curve of her body perfectly, while thousands of tiny teardrop-shaped diamond crystals caught the light with every little movement, making her look like she had stepped straight out of a fucking constellation. The off-the-shoulder neckline left her collarbones exposed, drawing my eyes over the delicate curve of her neck before my gaze traveled back to her face.

She didn’t just look beautiful.

She looked like royalty.

Like she belonged at the center of every room she walked into.

And for the first time in my life in such a long time, I genuinely understood what it meant to be completely fucking speechless.

Her green eyes stayed locked on mine the entire time, a nervous little smile tugging at her lips as she slowly made her way down the stairs. Something about the way she looked at me made my chest tighten until it almost fucking hurt.

"Damn..." Darius muttered beside me.

Under normal circumstances, another man staring at my woman like that would have been more than enough to earn him a broken jaw. But right then, neither my wolf nor I had the slightest interest in what Darius was doing. We were too completely captivated by Lorelei to even acknowledge that he was there.

Before I could stop myself, my feet were already moving.

I crossed the floor in quick strides, taking the stairs two at a time until I reached her landing. The moment I got close enough to see every little detail of her face, Lorelei’s breath caught.

A faint flush spread across her cheeks, deepening beneath the intensity of my stare.

"Do I... look okay?" she asked quietly, her hand hovering nervously near her waist.

I reached for her without thinking, gently cupping her cheek as my thumb brushed across her soft skin.

"Okay?" I repeated, my voice coming out rough with disbelief. How could she possibly look at herself like this and think okay was enough to describe it? "You look like a fucking goddess, Lorelei. You’re the most breathtaking woman I’ve ever laid eyes on."

Her blush deepened instantly, and her long lashes fluttered as she looked away for a second.

"Kaelen..."

"I’m serious," I interrupted, my gaze dropping briefly over her before returning to her eyes. "And I’m fucking jealous. I hate knowing I’m not going to be the only man looking at you like this tonight."

Lorelei looked up at me through her lashes, and the shy expression on her face suddenly changed. A tiny spark of confidence appeared in her green eyes, followed by a smile that immediately made me suspicious.

"Well..." she murmured, her voice soft enough that only I could hear her. "You’re the only one who gets to take it off tonight."

At her words, my entire body went still.

She had said it so innocently, with that perfect little mix of shyness and confidence, that I was almost certain she had no idea what those words had just done to me. How hard it had made me.

My jaw tightened as heat rushed through me, my wolf practically roaring at the implication. I had to take a slow breath and remind myself that we were standing in the middle of the hallway, because if I let myself act on every thought running through my head right now, we were definitely going to be late.

My grip on her jaw tightened slightly as I pulled her face closer, my breath brushing against her lips.

"You are being exceptionally naughty," I growled, keeping my voice low. "You’re damn lucky this is a mandatory event. Otherwise, I’d carry you straight back upstairs, throw you onto my bed, and tear that dress right off you."

But Lorelei didn’t look intimidated in the slightest. If anything, the small, satisfied smile playing on her lips told me she knew exactly what she was doing to me.

That woman was going to be the death of me.

I forced my thoughts back under control and took a deep, shuddering breath before reluctantly releasing her chin. I stepped back, then held out my arm toward her.

"Ready?" I asked, my voice still rough with the effort it was taking to stay composed.

Lorelei slipped her hand into the crook of my elbow, and the simple touch sent a warm jolt straight through me.

"Ready," she said with a smile.

We had barely reached the bottom of the staircase when I noticed Darius again.

But this time, the relaxed expression he’d been wearing earlier was completely gone. His face had turned serious, his entire posture shifting into full security mode as he approached us.

He gave Lorelei a brief, respectful glance before stepping close enough that I immediately knew something was wrong. He leaned toward me, keeping his voice low enough that no one else could hear as he whispered.

"A bomb was found in your car."

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