Mated to the Alpha: Sold to the King novel Chapter 157

Chapter 157: 0157

Lorelei POV

It dripped steadily, staining the front of his shirt red.

Seeing those drops of blood, I finally understood what Nala had meant.

This wasn’t simply magic.

It was physically tearing his body apart.

Across the room, the healer watched with wide, fascinated eyes, furiously scribbling notes into his journal without looking away for even a second.

The harder Kalu fought against the poison lodged inside Skye’s abdomen, the more her face twisted in pain.

Low, broken groans escaped her lips, and every sound she made felt like a knife twisting deeper into my chest.

My body instinctively lurched forward, desperate to hold her hand or comfort her somehow, but I forced myself to remain where I was.

I couldn’t risk disrupting whatever Kalu was doing.

Several agonizing minutes passed before the black ripples finally began to move again.

With visible effort, Kalu forced the poison higher and higher through her body, driving it past her chest until the concentrated venom gathered around her throat.

Suddenly, Skye’s body jerked violently. She gasped, her back arching off the bed as she began choking.

A second later, a violent coughing fit ripped through her body.

She coughed up a thick stream of blood so dark it was almost black, splattering across the white sheets beneath her.

Only then did Kalu finally pull his hands away, only to stagger backward, his legs briefly threatening to give out beneath him.

Before anyone could rush forward to catch him, he caught his balance on his own.

One of the female attendants immediately handed Kalu a clean cloth.

Without a word, he snatched it from her and pressed it firmly against his bleeding nose. His breathing was heavy and uneven as he struggled to steady himself after expending so much magic.

"My body feels as though it has been dragged across burning coals and crushed beneath a boulder," Kalu muttered, shooting his sister a sharp glare. "My magic will not return to me properly for several days. I hope this has pleased you."

Nala’s lips curved into a small smile as she stepped closer and gently brushed one of his white locs back behind his ear.

"It has," she replied softly. "You have done well."

For the briefest moment, the irritation on Kalu’s face eased, but then, almost as if he had caught himself, he quickly stepped backward to escape her touch.

I barely noticed.

The moment I realized Skye’s breathing had finally settled into a slow, steady rhythm, I rushed to her bedside and tightly wrapped both of my hands around hers.

The frantic rise and fall of her chest was gone. The painful tension that had twisted her features only moments ago had completely disappeared, as if the unbearable weight crushing her from the inside had finally been lifted.

Seeing this, a shaky breath escaped my lips.

She was alive.

"Her body has been pushed into complete exhaustion," Kalu said, drawing my attention back to him. His voice sounded rough from the strain. "She will remain beneath a deep sleep for several hours. Give her one or two days, and her strength should begin returning fully."

Relief crashed over me so suddenly that my knees almost gave out.

"Thank you..." I whispered, my voice trembling as tears welled in my eyes again.

Overcome with gratitude, I instinctively started lowering myself to my knees, but before I could bow, Nala reached out and caught my arm, gently but firmly stopping me.

"Do not," she said as she helped me straighten back up before meeting my gaze. "There is no need to lower yourself or offer us thanks."

Kalu, on the other hand, immediately looked offended.

"What is this us you are speaking of?" he protested, lowering the cloth from his nose just enough to glare at her. "Speak only for yourself, Ekan. I nearly sent one of my lungs out through my mouth while saving her. The smallest thing I deserve is a proper expression of gratitude."

After a long moment, Nala let out a quiet sigh. The tension eased from her shoulders, and the coldness in her expression softened into something much gentler.

"Still," she murmured, giving me a small, approving smile, "there is one matter worthy of celebration."

I looked at her in confusion until she added,

"You finally placed the truth before him. At least now, neither of you stands blindly before the other."

Do we, though?

Just thinking about the way Kaelen had looked at me after learning the truth made my heart beat in an uneven rhythm. His reaction had been impossible to read, and no matter how many times I reminded myself that I had hidden my identity only to survive, it did nothing to ease the heavy knot of dread twisting inside my stomach.

Nala noticed the change in my expression. She studied me for a brief moment before speaking again, her voice much softer this time.

"So..." she began softly. "What name truly belongs to you?"

Ever since she realized I was hiding something, she had never once asked who I really was.

This was the first time.

Without the slightest hesitation, I met her golden eyes and quietly answered,

"Lorelei."

"Lorelei," Nala repeated slowly, as though savoring the sound of it. A faint, genuine smile touched her lips.

"It is a beautiful name."

Exhaustion settled over me like a heavy blanket. Everything that had happened today finally caught up with me, leaving me physically and emotionally drained.

All I could manage in return was a small, weary smile.

Because at the very least, Skye was alive, and right now, that was all that mattered to me.