Mated to the Alpha: Sold to the King novel Chapter 3

Chapter 3: 0003

Lorelei POV

The second she pressed play, loud breathing and moans filled the room, unmistakably belonging to a female. Then came a low groan, followed by the wet slap of skin against skin and the creak of a bed frame.

Harlan’s expression darkened as he watched, veins bulging at his temples.

From the sound alone, it was obvious what was happening. Sex.

My stomach twisted violently. I hadn’t had sex. Not with Jaxen. Not with anyone. I was still a virgin. I knew I was.

Every stolen moment with him had stopped at kisses and had never crossed that line.

But the video kept playing.

Callista tilted the screen so Harlan could see more clearly. Elara leaned in, her hand flying to her mouth.

The footage was grainy, filmed from a distance through what looked like a cracked door or window, but it was clear enough.

A girl with pale blonde hair spread across a mattress, her legs wrapped around a man’s hips as he thrust into her.

The girl’s face turned toward the camera for one perfect, damning second.

My face.

And the man on top of me was not Jaxen.

Dark hair, yes. Broad shoulders, yes. But the jaw was wrong. The build heavier, rougher. A guard, maybe. Some random warrior. Not him.

My knees buckled and I grabbed the edge of the desk to keep from collapsing.

How could that be?

I was still a virgin. I knew my own body. The video had to be fake. Edited. Manipulated. Something. Anything.

After a few more seconds, Harlan shoved the phone away so violently it skidded across the desk and clattered to the floor.

"You slut!" he roared, lunging at me and his fist connected with my jaw.

Pain exploded across my face and I tasted blood.

"You’ve been whoring yourself out behind our backs," Harlan snarled, grabbing me by the throat and squeezing. "While we fed you, clothed you, tolerated your existence. You spread your legs for some filthy boy and thought you could steal from us too?"

Callista stepped forward and added softly, "I didn’t want to show you, Papa. But I had to. She’s been sneaking out at night. I followed her once. I heard the moans. I saw the man leave her room before dawn. She’s been playing everyone."

A sob tore out of me around Harlan’s grip. "It’s not real. Please. It’s not me. I didn’t—"

He slammed me against the wall. My back struck stone so hard the air rushed from my lungs.

"Shut your mouth," he hissed. "Guards!"

At his command, the doors burst open and two men stepped inside.

"Take her to the courtyard," Harlan ordered, his voice shaking with rage. "Strip her and tie her to a pole. If she survives, lock her up for a week."

"Father, no!" I gasped. "Check my body. Please. A healer. A healer will know I’m still a virgin. It’s a lie."

"A healer’s time will not be wasted on a whore," Elara spat, her eyes colder than I had ever seen them. She looked at me with such disgust it hurt more than his fist. "To think I birthed you. Do you know how much damage this would cause to Callista’s reputation? You are mirrors of each other. If the pack sees you as a common street walker, they will look at my pure Callista and wonder if she is made of the same filth."

That’s right.

Callista and I looked alike.

What if—

No. That made no sense. Callista was cruel, yes, but she was always seen as pure. And I was the one in a secret relationship with the Alpha’s heir.

But when my gaze lifted to hers and our eyes met, I saw something flicker there, but it vanished just as quickly, replaced with wounded innocence.

The guards dragged me outside, my pleas swallowed by the open air. My clothes were ripped from me and I was stripped down to my waist.

Cold air slapped against my bare skin, raising goosebumps and making me shiver violently.

They tied my wrists to a wooden pole in the center of the courtyard and a small crowd began to gather, their whispers spreading like wildfire.

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