Mated to the Alpha: Sold to the King novel Chapter 232

Chapter 232: 0232

Kaelen POV

"The fuck did you just say?"

My fists clenched so tightly at my sides that my knuckles turned bone-white, but I didn’t raise my voice. Not because I didn’t want to scream, but because Darius had given me a strict lecture on our way here about keeping my temper under control.

Honestly, I admired how damn calm and composed he had managed to remain throughout the entire ride, because I was barely holding on to my sanity right now. Even without shouting, my tone came out low and lethal, carrying that quiet, deadly edge that usually made grown men drop to their knees and beg for mercy.

But the men seated above me on the marble dais didn’t flinch. Or maybe they were simply pretending not to. They had summoned me here believing they held the upper hand, and none of them wanted to appear weak in front of their Alpha King.

Elder Thomas was the one who had spoken. Leaning back in his grand chair, he steepled his fingers beneath his chin and regarded me with the calm, condescending smile of a man who genuinely believed he held all the cards.

"You cannot marry that woman," Thomas repeated, this time speaking louder and more clearly, as though I hadn’t heard him the first time.

I drew in a sharp, ragged breath, my entire body vibrating with barely restrained fury. All twelve elders sat draped in their signature deep crimson robes, the heavy gold embroidery catching against the light as they watched me with varying degrees of arrogance, curiosity, and barely concealed hostility.

I had known this confrontation was coming, but that didn’t make their bullshit any easier to tolerate. If anything, I was already so fucking tired of them.

"Who gave you the right?" I asked slowly, keeping my voice dangerously quiet. "Who the hell gave you the right to dictate who I can and cannot marry?"

Thomas’s smug smile didn’t even twitch.

"We are the High Council. We exist to ensure the stability of this empire." He recited the same tired oath they had probably repeated a thousand times before, using those polished words to disguise their corruption while doing the exact opposite of what they claimed. "And your infatuation with that woman threatens everything we have built."

Hearing Lorelei referred to as though she were nothing more than some meaningless distraction set my blood on fire.

I took a heavy step forward, and my claws slid free from my fingertips with a sharp, sickening clack. The sound of those black blades extending echoed through the silent chamber like daggers being unsheathed.

"Say her name," I growled, the vibration of my voice seeming to rattle the stone beneath our feet. "If you’re going to disrespect her, at least have the balls to say her name."

Thomas’s eyes twitched at my tone, but he quickly recovered. His gaze shifted briefly toward the shadows along the far wall, and I followed it.

Viktor didn’t answer right away. Instead, he made a slow, sweeping gesture toward Jaxen. "Tell him, Alpha Reed." 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

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