Mated to the Alpha: Sold to the King novel Chapter 15

Chapter 15: 0015

Jaxen POV

The bitter thought twisted violently in my chest.

I swallowed hard and quickly took another drink.

Then another.

I desperately wanted to drown out the memories and the suffocating pressure building inside my head.

But just as I was about to finish my third glass, Callista suddenly went pale beside me.

Her hand flew to her mouth as she gagged harshly.

"What is it?"I immediately turned toward her while her mother quickly rose to her feet.

"Are you okay, dear?" she asked worriedly, but Callista simply forced herself to swallow nothing back down as she shook her head.

"It’s not a big deal," she said weakly. "I just feel a bit nauseous. The smell of the food is... a lot."

"The baby," Elara said knowingly, a soft smile spreading across her face. "It’s perfectly normal. I went through the same thing during my pregnancy too."

"Perhaps some fresh air would help," my father suggested, giving me a stern look.

Probably because he had noticed how tipsy I was getting, and knowing him, he didn’t want me embarrassing him in front of everyone. So in a way, this walk was meant for me too.

"Yes," Elara agreed. "Jaxen, I mean... Alpha Jaxen, please accompany your wife to the balcony. I’ll have a servant bring some ginger tea."

Knowing I didn’t really have a choice in the matter, I didn’t argue.

I offered Callista my arm and she took it, her grip tighter than necessary as we walked through the crowd, past the dancers and musicians, toward the balcony doors.

The night air was cool against my face, instantly bringing a small sense of relief from the suffocating atmosphere inside.

But the second we stepped outside, Callista pulled her hand from my arm and turned her back to me as she suddenly began to sob.

My brows knitted together in confusion at the abrupt change in her mood.

I had heard pregnant women could be emotional.

Was this why?

"What’s wrong?" I asked, stepping closer to her, but she quickly moved farther away from me, sobbing even harder, making unease crawl through me.

"Is it the baby? Does it hurt anywhere?"

When she still didn’t respond, I couldn’t take it anymore.

My grip tightened around her arm and I forced her to face me.

"If you can’t tell me what’s wrong, how am I supposed to help?" I snapped, all my frustration pouring into that single moment.

But the second she flinched, I let out a heavy sigh.

Fuck... I really didn’t have the patience for this right now.

Her sobs slowly turned into sniffles as her reddened eyes met mine.

"Are you in love with my sister?" she asked so suddenly that my blood turned cold.

"What... what are you talking about?" I asked carefully, my heart suddenly racing. "It’s you I married. You’re the one carrying my child. So what makes you ask that?"

Callista’s lips trembled as she lowered her gaze.

"Ever since the sentence, you’ve been acting strange," she whispered. "Distant. Like your mind is somewhere else. And even now, when that dignitary mentioned her name, you looked completely out of place and started drinking."

"Of course I looked out of place," I replied quickly. "That woman almost hurt you and our unborn child. Any sensible husband would be stressed."

The second the words left my mouth, guilt twisted violently in my chest.

Because none of that was the real reason.

Callista stared at me silently, almost like she was trying to peel my skin open and look directly into my thoughts.

Then she suddenly wiped her tears and wrapped her arms around me.

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