Mated to the Alpha: Sold to the King novel Chapter 133

Chapter 133: 0133

Lorelei POV

With that, he walked over to the food cart and lifted the lids off the plates. The food had gone a little cold by now, but it was still perfectly edible. Returning to the bed, he sat beside me on the edge of the mattress, picked up the utensils, and began feeding me himself.

He was unbelievably gentle with every bite, slowing down whenever I did and patiently waiting until I had finished chewing before offering me another, which felt completely out of character for a man like him. As I chewed, one thought kept circling through my mind.

There was no way this man was involved in the trafficking of innocent women.

If he really was, then he had to be the most twisted, heartless monster alive to pull off an act this convincing.

Once he noticed I had stopped opening my mouth for the next bite, Kaelen quietly set the utensils down and reached for the tall glass of milk on the tray.

"Drink this," he said softly as he brought the rim of the glass to my lips.

My eyes stayed fixed on his amber ones as I leaned forward and took a slow sip, but almost immediately, my brows furrowed.

The taste was... different.

There was a faint bitterness beneath the usual creamy sweetness, subtle enough that I almost questioned whether I had imagined it. Then again, maybe it was simply because the milk had gone cold after sitting out for so long.

When I leaned back to show I was done, Kaelen gently shook his head without lowering the glass.

"This is good for you," he murmured, his voice calm but firm. "Especially after almost having another episode. Drink it all, Ella."

His explanation made enough sense. After everything that had happened earlier, after how violently my body had trembled, it wasn’t unreasonable to think I needed it.

So I closed my eyes and forced myself to finish the entire glass, swallowing every last drop until it was empty.

Only then did he finally set it back on the cart before gently brushing his thumb across the corner of my mouth, wiping away the small drop of milk that had been left behind.

****

"I’m... I’m sorry, but I can’t go with you to the nightclub," I said softly to Princess Nala.

She was lounging across a plush silk daybed, looking every bit like the spoiled royalty she was.

The sun had just begun sinking below the horizon, washing the sky in deep shades of orange and violet. One of her guards stood faithfully beside her, lazily fanning her.

In front of her rested a low table overflowing with vibrant exotic fruits. Another guard knelt beside it, holding a golden fork while Nala reclined with her head tilted back, her eyes closed as she idly twirled one of her long braids around her finger.

This was so much harder than I had expected.

I had rehearsed this exact conversation a thousand times on my way here, yet now that I was actually standing in front of her, the words felt like jagged blades scraping their way up my throat.

"That does not sound very fair to me now, does it?" Nala finally said after a few agonizing seconds of silence.

She slowly opened her shimmering golden eyes before lifting a perfectly arched brow in my direction.

"Why?"

My first instinct was to lie.

To tell her Kaelen hadn’t given me permission to leave the estate.

But I quickly abandoned that idea.

Princess Nala was, after all, terrifyingly observant, and getting caught lying to her would only make this situation worse.

I didn’t have much of a choice.

"I saw someone from my past outside the estate today," I admitted, my voice barely above a whisper. "And..."

"And now your feet hesitate to leave the estate because you fear crossing their path once more," she finished for me, sounding almost bored as her golden eyes studied me calmly. "Am I speaking true?"

I swallowed before giving her a stiff, reluctant nod.

Nala let out a quiet hum and lazily flicked two fingers through the air.

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