Mated to the Alpha: Sold to the King novel Chapter 126

Chapter 126: 0126

Lorelei POV

"Won’t he have a problem with this?" I asked quietly, unable to keep the lingering hesitation out of my voice.

The instant Kaelen’s name left my lips, something flickered across Darius’s face.

His expression darkened for the briefest moment before it disappeared just as quickly beneath a warm, reassuring smile.

"I’ll handle Kaelen," he said smoothly. "You’ve been cooped up inside the estate for far too long, Ella. You deserve to have a little fun."

His words should have put me completely at ease, but they didn’t.

I couldn’t help noticing the strange reaction he always had whenever I mentioned the Alpha King. It was never obvious. The change was so subtle that most people probably wouldn’t have caught it before it vanished.

But I did.

Growing up, I had survived by studying the smallest shifts in people’s expressions. A slight tightening around the eyes, a twitch of the jaw, the faintest change in their tone. Missing those tiny warning signs had often meant the difference between escaping punishment... and enduring it.

Compared to that, Darius might as well have been shouting.

Still, I wasn’t about to ask questions.

I already had far too much on my mind without trying to unravel whatever was happening between the Alpha King and his Beta.

After we finished our ice cream and spent a little more time sightseeing around the city, Darius decided it was time to shop for clothes suitable for a nightclub.

A short while later, I found myself staring down at a tiny piece of fabric a boutique attendant had excitedly placed in my hands.

I could actually feel my face heating up.

"Is this... a top?" I asked, holding it up by its thin straps for Darius to inspect.

He was lounging comfortably in a plush leather armchair inside the boutique’s private VIP section, looking far too relaxed for my liking.

One dark brow lifted as an amused hum escaped him.

"It’s a dress."

I stared at him in disbelief before looking back at the so called dress.

"It barely covers anything!" I exclaimed, holding it farther away from myself as though it had suddenly transformed into a weapon of mass destruction.

"That’s kind of the point," Darius replied, completely unfazed.

I looked at him as if he’d just lost his mind, but he only smiled.

"You wanted to experience a real nightclub, didn’t you?" he asked. "This is what people usually wear to places like that."

I felt my cheeks grow even hotter, but I forced myself to walk into the spacious mirrored changing room and slipped into the dress.

A few minutes later, I stepped back out, keeping my gaze firmly fixed on the floor.

I couldn’t bring myself to look at Darius.

The dress barely covered the tops of my thighs. It was an ultra daring micro mini made from shimmering liquid gold chainmail that caught every ray of light with the slightest movement.

The halter neckline flowed into a dangerously low draped cowl that plunged to just above my belly button, leaving an almost scandalous amount of my cleavage exposed.

The sides were completely open, revealing my waist and ribs, while the back dipped all the way down to my lower back. With the front and back panels split by high slits that climbed past my hips, it honestly felt like I was wearing more skin than actual fabric.

"So..." I said awkwardly as I slowly lifted my head, but the words died in my throat when I found Darius staring at me.

His eyes were slightly widened, and the glass of water the boutique staff had handed him remained suspended halfway to his lips, as though he’d forgotten it was even there.

His gray eyes slowly traveled over me, lingering on the exposed skin of my chest before drifting lower, and the intensity of his gaze only made me feel even more self conscious.

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