Mated to the Alpha: Sold to the King

Lorelei POV

"Your Queen Luna!"

The words barely left his mouth before stunned gasps rippled through the crowd.

My eyes widened and my breath caught in my throat because I definitely hadn’t expected him to announce me as his wife yet, and I certainly hadn’t expected him to do it in front of the entire fucking ballroom.

"Wife?"

"The Alpha King is married?"

"Since when?!"

Whispers immediately broke out among the higher ranks, spreading through the ballroom as everyone stared between Kaelen and me, clearly trying to process what they had just heard.

And as if his words alone weren’t enough to make his point, Kaelen wrapped a strong, possessive arm around my waist and pulled me firmly against his chest.

The smooth silk of my midnight-blue dress brushed against his matching suit as he held me securely at his side, making it very clear that he had no intention of letting anyone question where I stood.

Jaxen, Callista, and my mother looked like someone had just pulled the ground out from under them.

Jaxen’s face had gone completely pale as he stared at Kaelen, his mouth opening and closing like he couldn’t figure out what to say.

"Alpha King..." he finally stammered. "That’s... that’s not possible. Surely, you’re mistaken. Lorelei is just a maid. An outcast..."

A deep, primal growl suddenly rumbled from Kaelen’s chest, cutting him off so abruptly that Jaxen froze.

The sound was so vicious that it seemed to vibrate through the entire ballroom, sending a shiver down my spine.

"I came into this banquet in the best fucking mood," Kaelen said, his voice dangerously calm despite the anger burning beneath every word. His amber eyes glowed as his wolf pushed closer to the surface. "There was even a good chance I would’ve overlooked your past insolence, Alpha Jaxen. But I walk in and find you putting your hands on my woman and disrespecting her in front of everyone?"

His grip tightened slightly around my waist.

"That..." His eyes narrowed on Jaxen, the threat in them unmistakable. "I cannot tolerate."

Seeing Kaelen’s wolf fully baring its teeth through his blazing eyes, I felt the sheer weight of his Alpha aura slam down over the entire room.

That was enough to completely break Jaxen.

He immediately dropped to his knees, trembling so violently that his entire body shook as he lowered his head until his forehead was almost touching the floor.

"Forgive me, Alpha King!" Jaxen gasped, his voice shaking uncontrollably. "I had no idea! Please... I had no idea!"

It was a magnificent sight.

Seeing Jaxen, the same man who had once stood so proudly above me while I begged at his feet, now reduced to trembling on his knees like a frightened animal, filled me with a deep, almost intoxicating satisfaction I hadn’t even known I was capable of feeling.

But it was Callista’s expression that made my lips curl into an even colder, more triumphant smile.

She stared at the scene in front of her, her pale face caught between complete confusion and barely contained fury. She looked like she couldn’t make sense of anything happening around her.

Why was her husband, the powerful Alpha she had stolen, the man she had schemed, lied, and manipulated her way into getting, now kneeling like a pathetic coward before a ruler she had never even met?

And why was I standing right beside that same ruler, securely held against the Alpha King’s side, while she was left clutching her pregnant stomach and watching her so-called husband grovel on the floor?

She didn’t understand.

Why wasn’t I the one on the floor?

Why wasn’t I the one trembling and begging for my life?

I was almost certain those questions were screaming on repeat inside her head.

After all, she had spent years destroying me. Years scheming against me, making sure everyone treated me like I was worthless and convincing the entire pack that I was nothing more than a cursed shadow destined to be forgotten.

She had stolen my mate.

She had taken my place.

She was carrying his heir.

Yet here I stood, dressed in diamond-encrusted silk, wrapped securely in the protection of the most powerful Alpha in the room and, most importantly, being honored as his Queen.

And Callista had no choice but to stand there and watch every second of it.

I could see the raw rage burning behind her eyes, mixed with a sudden, almost desperate helplessness. She clearly wanted to say something, do something, anything that could turn the situation back in her favor. She probably wanted to put on another one of her little performances and somehow regain control of the room.

But for the first time in her life, she couldn’t.

Callista could only stand there frozen, her hands curling into fists so tightly at her sides that her manicured nails dug into her palms, drawing tiny beads of blood that stained the pristine fabric of her light-pink dress.

Meanwhile, Kaelen’s hold around my waist tightened, his large hand resting firmly against me as his thumb moved in slow, possessive circles over my hip. He looked down at Jaxen’s trembling figure with a calmness that somehow felt far more terrifying than outright rage.

"Alpha Reed," Kaelen said quietly, yet his voice carried enough authority to reach every corner of the now-silent ballroom. "For putting your hands on my woman and threatening her in front of the entire empire, what punishment do you think is appropriate for such an offense?"

Jaxen’s entire body shuddered even harder.

His forehead remained almost pressed against the marble floor as his mouth opened and closed repeatedly, but nothing came out. He looked like a fish gasping for air as he desperately searched for anything he could say, any excuse he could make, any plea that might somehow save him from the Alpha King’s wrath.

But before he could even form a sentence, a smooth, refined voice cut through the heavy silence.

"Alpha King."

I turned my head just in time to see an elderly man stepping forward from the sea of bowed nobles. His silver hair was slicked neatly back, and his tailored velvet robes brushed against the floor with every measured step.

Two equally distinguished men followed closely behind him, both carrying an unmistakable air of authority. The moment they approached, the surrounding guests instinctively moved aside and lowered their heads even further.

I immediately remembered the brief lessons Mrs. Whitmore had forced on me, causing my eyes to widen as a soft gasp slipped from my lips when I realized they were members of the High Council.

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