Mated to the Alpha: Sold to the King novel Chapter 102

Chapter 102: 0102

Lorelei POV

Hearing him call me beautiful made something inside my chest tighten painfully.

Even though I looked identical to my sister, who had always been regarded as the most beautiful woman in the pack, I had never truly felt beautiful myself.

The scars. The bruises. The years of being treated as though I was worth nothing.

Even after those wounds had faded from my skin, they had never really disappeared from my heart. I had never felt worthy enough to be called beautiful, not even when Jaxen used to say it.

But here was the Alpha King, a man who had absolutely no reason to pay any attention to a maid like me.

He had power. Status. He could have any woman he wanted.

And yet, he was looking at me as though I was something precious.

If only he knew the truth.

Or worse... what if he eventually got tired of me, just like everyone else always had?

The thought alone made my chest ache.

Tears instantly welled in my eyes, but I blinked them away before they could fall, quickly looking away from his searching gaze. I needed to change the subject before he noticed the insecurity written all over my face.

"Aren’t you tired?" I asked, my voice cracking ever so slightly despite my attempt to sound casual. "We’ve been at it all night, and I’m pretty sure you barely got any sleep."

At that, Kaelen let out a quiet chuckle before releasing my chin and rising to his feet.

Completely naked.

He had turned his back to me for a moment, giving me a clear, unobstructed view of his broad shoulders and the long expanse of his muscular back.

It was covered in angry red scratch marks.

My scratch marks.

I’d left them there during the height of last night’s madness, digging my nails into his skin like a rabid cat as he drove me completely out of my mind.

Seeing the evidence of my own desperation etched across his back sent another wave of heat rushing to my cheeks.

At the same time, though... I couldn’t stop the tiny smile tugging at my lips.

At least he wasn’t the only one who had left marks after last night.

Kaelen stretched lazily, the powerful muscles beneath his skin shifting with the movement. Despite the long red scratches running across his back, he didn’t seem bothered by them in the slightest.

"I have somewhere else to be later today," he said, looking over his shoulder at me with a knowing glint in his amber eyes. "So a long sleep will have to wait."

"Oh," I murmured, the tiny sense of satisfaction I’d been feeling quickly fading, replaced by that familiar ache in my chest, though I did my best not to let the disappointment show.

Of course he had duties. He was the Alpha King, after all.

Why would someone like him spend the entire day lying in bed with someone like me?

"But before I go..." he added suddenly, leaning back down until his messy hair fell across his forehead, framing his face. "Didn’t you say you were heading to the bathroom?"

I blinked at him, wondering if he was finally going to let me sneak away to wash up in peace.

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