Mated to the Alpha: Sold to the King novel Chapter 228

Chapter 228: 0228

Kaelen POV

At those words, my expression hardened almost immediately.

I looked into her green-flecked eyes and noticed the fear she was trying so hard to hide. She was doing everything she could to remain calm for my sake, but I could still see it there, faint and unmistakable.

"From everything we’ve seen, I go completely berserk," I admitted, my voice turning grim. "I lose control of my mind, and my wolf takes over entirely."

Her gaze searched mine for a few seconds before she spoke again.

"Was that why you locked me in that cell back then?" she asked quietly. "Were you trying to find out if I was your cure?"

The question hit me so hard that my eyes widened.

For a moment, I was back in that memory, where I had made my guards drag her down into the damp cell where my wolf raged beneath the full moon, completely consumed by bloodlust.

"How... how did you know that?" I asked, the words stumbling out before I could stop them.

I had made sure that information remained strictly classified, known only to a handful of my closest guards. No one else was supposed to know the truth behind that night.

Lorelei only shrugged, a small, bittersweet smile touching her lips as her hand moved from my scalp to gently stroke through my red hair.

"It just seemed like the only explanation that made sense," she murmured. "A massive wolf with that kind of distinct red fur, one so unusually large that not a single person in this empire had ever mentioned seeing it..."

Her fingers moved slowly through my hair.

"It could only mean you were deliberately keeping it hidden. Like it was some kind of dirty secret."

I could only stare at her.

She had really figured it out.

Not just the wolf, but the reason behind the cell, the calculated decisions I had made while trying to save myself.

She had pieced together every painful detail I had tried to keep buried, especially since I started falling for her.

I should have known a secret like that could never really remain hidden.

My throat tightened until it felt raw. I couldn’t bring myself to meet her eyes anymore, so I lowered my head and pressed my forehead against her shoulder, the shame settling heavily in my chest.

When I finally spoke, my voice came out rough and barely audible.

"I’m sorry..."

I braced myself for the coldness that should have followed, for the anger, betrayal, or resentment I had every reason to expect. After everything I had done, she had every right to pull away from me.

But she didn’t.

Her fingers continued moving gently through my red hair, slow and soothing, while her thumb brushed lightly against the curve of my ear. That small, familiar touch somehow hurt more than any accusation could have.

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