Mated to the Alpha: Sold to the King novel Chapter 2

Chapter 2: 0002

Lorelei POV

Two weeks had passed since that night, and we had practically gone back to being strangers.

This was how it had always been.

For two years after the night of my eighteenth birthday. The night my parents threw a grand celebration for Callista alone while I was busy serving drinks.

That was when I felt it.

A tug deep in my chest like a rope snapping taut.

I had turned my head and found him staring at me from across the hall, surrounded by elders and warriors, a glass forgotten in his hand. Those blue eyes locked onto mine, and for a heartbeat, the entire room disappeared.

Everyone had expected Callista to be his mate. It was practically written in the stars. She had crushed on him since we were children, following him around like a lovesick puppy. And Jaxen? He had always been a gentleman. Polite smiles for her. Respectful distance from me.

A Beta’s daughter and the Alpha’s heir. A perfect match, blessed by the Moon Goddess herself.

So, like every cruel twist fate had handed me, I expected him to reject me immediately. Publicly even. Right there in the middle of the ballroom. I braced myself for the words but he didn’t.

Instead, he ignored me.

For two whole months, he pretended I didn’t exist until he couldn’t take it anymore. And because I had never known what it felt like to be wanted, I let him. I accepted our secret. I was content with just stolen glances and hidden meetings, even if we never went further than a kiss.

I was loved.

"Lorelei! Lorelei!"

The sound of my name snapped me out of my memories.

I blinked, staring down at my hands, red and raw from scrubbing heavy iron pots.

"Lorelei! Are you deaf as well as cursed?" Mistress Huda, the head cook, stood over me with her hands planted on her ample hips. Her round face was flushed from the heat of the ovens, and her small eyes narrowed as if she had caught me stealing scraps again.

Quickly, I straightened, wiping my damp palms on the skirt of my uniform. "Sorry, Mistress. I was just—"

"Just daydreaming while the sun is barely up," she snapped. "Anyway, the Beta is demanding you in his quarters."

At that, my heart skipped a painful beat.

The Beta.

Beta Harlan. My father.

He almost never called for me. He believed that even looking at my face invited misfortune, so whenever he did summon me, it only meant trouble.

My entire body trembled as I walked the long halls leading to his quarters, each step heavier than the last. The moment I stepped inside, I was met with furious stares and cold expressions.

My mother, Elara, stood near the fireplace with Callista beside her.

"You... you called for me, Beta," I said, lowering my head.

"What is this I’m hearing?" he demanded the second the door shut behind me. "That you were planning to run away with a lover? With my money?"

The accusation struck like a physical blow. My head snapped up, and my eyes widened in shock. "What? No. I would never. I don’t even have a lover, Beta, and I’ve never left the pack grounds."

"Don’t lie to him!" Callista shrieked, stepping forward. She looked radiant in her silk gown, every inch the perfect daughter. "I saw you, Lorelei. Whispering to a strange man near the south gate last night. You were clutching a bag, talking about leaving before the coronation."

She was lying.

I had been in the kitchens until midnight, scrubbing floors until my fingers bled.

"How could you be so ungrateful?" my mother, Elara, whispered. "After we spared your life? After we allowed you to stay in this house despite the darkness you were born with?"

"I didn’t do it," I insisted, my voice cracking as I looked back at him. "Please, Fathe—"

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