Mated to the Alpha: Sold to the King

Lorelei POV

The second those words left her lips, another wave of horrified gasps swept through the crowd, and this time, most of the nobles turned toward me with open disgust.

This was exactly what Callista wanted.

Having successfully painted me as some heartless monster in front of everyone, she smoothed both hands over her swollen stomach and let out a soft, pained sigh, looking every bit like the grieving sister she wanted everyone to believe she was.

"Mom was devastated after you went missing," she continued, her voice trembling with carefully practiced sorrow. "I know the punishment looked severe, but she still missed you. We all did. We regretted what happened and wanted you back. We searched helplessly for you."

They searched for me?

Really?

Was it because they actually missed me, or because they wanted to make sure I was dead?

The thought alone made something bitter twist inside my chest, especially when my gaze shifted past Callista and landed on my mother. If what Callista was saying were true, I should have seen some regret in her eyes, but instead, all I saw was pure, unfiltered hatred.

There wasn’t even an attempt to hide it, and seeing that familiar look on her face made a low, bitter scoff escape my lips.

Callista paused her performance, her tear-filled eyes flickering toward Paul as she clearly tried to figure out who he was before continuing.

"Who would have thought you’d run all the way here with a lover? While everyone was worried sick about you and—"

"Are you done with the fake tears?" I cut her off coldly.

She immediately flinched, clearly caught off guard by how bluntly I had called her out.

"Lorelei..." Callista started again, her voice trembling as fresh tears slipped down her cheeks, and before I could react, she reached forward and grabbed my hand.

Because she was heavily pregnant, Paul hesitated for a split second, probably worried that pulling her away too roughly could hurt the baby, but I didn’t have the same hesitation.

"Let go of me," I said firmly, trying to pull my hand free.

Instead of releasing me, Callista tightened her grip, and I felt her claws slowly extend just enough to dig into my skin. The sharp sting came first, followed by a tiny bead of blood that surfaced where her nails had broken the skin.

And that was when I saw it.

That barely concealed smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

She tried to hide it behind her trembling mouth and tear-filled eyes, but I knew that expression too well. I’d seen it countless times throughout my childhood, usually whenever she’d managed to hurt me and realized she’d gotten away with it.

It was the same sinister little smile she always wore whenever she thought she’d won.

Only this time, she had no idea who she was playing with. I wasn’t that Lorelei anymore, and I wasn’t going to stand there and take it like I had done all those years ago.

Something inside me finally snapped.

I shoved her away from me with enough force to send her stumbling backward, and her heel twisted against the smooth marble floor before she came crashing down with a loud, dramatic cry, immediately clutching her stomach.

Seeing this, Jaxen’s face went white.

Whatever trance he’d been in instantly shattered as he rushed toward her and dropped down beside her.

"Callista!" he gasped, pulling her into his arms.

Callista looked up at me through a face full of tears, her body shaking as she clutched her belly and let out soft, pained groans.

"I know you hate me!" she whimpered, making sure her voice carried across the now-silent ballroom. "But my child is innocent! There was no reason to push me like that! What if you hurt the baby again?! Do you really want to see me dead?!"

I stared at her without saying a word, my expression remaining completely blank as I watched her turn what had just happened into another performance.

"You heartless monster!" my mother suddenly snarled, stepping toward me with her hand raised. "Why didn’t I kill you the day I gave birth to you?! Why are you so hell-bent on ruining our lives?! I should have slaughtered you!"

Her palm came swinging toward my face, but before it could make contact, before Paul could even move, my wolf surged violently inside me.

My heightened senses kicked in, and everything seemed to slow down.

I caught my mother’s wrist in midair, my fingers clamping around it with brutal force. The sharp crack of bone echoed through the ballroom as her wrist gave beneath my grip.

Her eyes widened in horror, and a strangled groan escaped her lips as pain shot through her arm.

"The Lorelei you knew no longer exists," I said, my voice dropping into an icy, dangerous tone as my wolf surged closer to the surface, screaming for vengeance.

A faint glow burned in my eyes while my claws slowly extended, digging into her arm through the fabric of her sleeve.

"She died that night. The night you ordered my execution."

My mother stared at me in absolute terror, and I watched the realization slowly spread across her face.

She finally understood.

My wolf was no longer suppressed.

"You bitch!" Jaxen snarled from behind me, still holding Callista against his chest as he glared at me with pure fury. "I tried to reason with you, but you’ve chosen the hard way. This time, you won’t escape. Guards!"

Jaxen’s men stepped out from the crowd almost instantly, revealing themselves from where they’d been quietly blending in with the other guests. But before they could get anywhere near me, Isaac and the rest of my own stepped forward too.

Within seconds, guns were drawn from every direction, the sharp clicks of safeties being released echoing through the suddenly silent ballroom as both sides took their positions around us.

The nobles surrounding us immediately backed away, some looking genuinely terrified while others seemed far too interested in the standoff unfolding right in front of them.

Meanwhile, Jaxen, Callista, and my mother stood frozen.

For the first time since they’d seen me, genuine confusion showed on their faces.

They clearly hadn’t expected the former maid they thought they could destroy to walk into this ballroom surrounded by enough armed protection to turn the entire place into a battlefield.

Nobody moved.

Nobody dared to.

The tension was so thick that I could practically feel it pressing against my skin.

Then, before either side could make another move or even say a word, a booming voice suddenly echoed through the ballroom’s central speakers, completely shattering the standoff.

"Presenting His Imperial Majesty... the Alpha King!"

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