Mated to the Alpha: Sold to the King novel Chapter 17

Chapter 17: 0017

Lorelei POV

For the next few days, Raven fed me like a pig. Literally.

She was constantly stuffing plates in front of me, saying I needed to gain all my weight back. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks in between. Every time I turned around, there was another plate of food waiting for me.

In a way, it worked.

My skin no longer looked pale like a corpse, and I could actually move around properly now. The rejection sickness was still there, a dull ache in my chest and a shallow emptiness where the bond used to be, but at least I wasn’t bedridden anymore.

I guessed my recovery would’ve been faster if my wolf wasn’t suppressed.

"Does your doctor friend have any remedies to fix or reverse a suppressed wolf?" I asked while sitting in front of the dressing mirror as Raven trimmed my hair behind me.

My hair had already grown past my shoulders, but it was still uneven because of Callista’s previous hacking. Some chunks were shorter than others, with random uneven ends sticking out everywhere.

Raven paused at my question, scissors still in hand.

"Suppressed wolf?" she repeated with a frown.

I nodded.

"My parents had it done when I was younger to protect my sister. They didn’t want my wolf challenging hers or something," I explained.

"That’s barbaric," Raven muttered.

"I know," I replied quietly.

It was.

But what exactly had I been able to do about it?

She went silent for a moment, carefully snipping at my hair again.

"I honestly don’t know if it can be reversed," she admitted carefully, and my shoulders immediately slumped in disappointment.

"Oh."

That was all I could manage to say.

"But..." Raven added quickly. "I think I know someone who might help."

My eyes met hers through the mirror.

"There’s this old woman I heard rumors about when I visited the Shadowfang territory," she continued. "She’s not exactly a doctor. More like a... spiritual healer. But the pack avoids her because they think she’s dangerous."

The word dangerous immediately made something cold twist in my stomach.

"Dangerous how?" I asked carefully.

Raven shrugged behind me as she ran the comb through my hair again.

"Depends on who you ask. Some say she talks to the Moon Goddess. Or claims to, anyway. Others think she’s cursed." She snorted softly. "Honestly, packs call every unusual woman cursed these days."

Despite myself, I huffed out a small laugh.

"I’ve never met her personally," Raven admitted, "but I’ve heard stories about how powerful she is. That’s probably the only reason she’s still allowed to live freely. If anyone can help you, it’s probably her."

Hope flickered in my chest at her words.

Because of my suppressed wolf, I had never shifted before. My wounds took longer to heal, and my wolf senses were almost nonexistent. If there was even the slightest chance of fixing that, I was willing to take the risk.

"How far is she?" I asked.

"It’s pretty far. A few days, maybe almost a week by road," Raven said, her eyes meeting mine through the mirror. "And as much as I want every part of you to heal, now isn’t the best time. First, we need to get you out of here and lay low for a while longer."

My expression fell slightly at that.

More than anything, I wanted to feel whole again.

But she was right. These things took time, and the last thing I wanted was for all her effort in helping me escape that estate to go to waste.

"There," Raven said suddenly, snapping me out of my thoughts as she stepped back. "Not perfect, but definitely better."

I finally lifted my head to properly stare at my reflection.

For the first time in weeks, I felt beautiful again.

My hair fell in soft layers around my face instead of looking choppy and uneven. My cheeks finally had color again. My lips were no longer cracked and bleeding, and the dark circles beneath my eyes had faded.

Back then, I had been so insecure.

I thought that was why Jaxen still chose my sister because she was simply the prettier version of me.

Jaxen.

Just thinking his name made the dull ache in my chest pulse harder.

I quickly looked away from the mirror before Raven noticed the shift in my expression.

I didn’t want to think about him anymore.

Once I left, I would start over, and he would become nothing more than a bad memory.

Yeah.

A bad memory.

That was all he deserved to be.

"You okay?" Raven asked gently.

I nodded, forcing a small smile. "Yeah. Just... a little anxious about tomorrow."

It wasn’t a complete lie.

Tomorrow was the day I would finally leave.

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