Mated to the Alpha: Sold to the King novel Chapter 5

Chapter 5: 0005

Lorelei POV

Crash!

The jug slipped from my fingers, shattering against the floor.

Hot soup splashed over my bare feet, scalding my skin, but I barely felt it.

The room went deathly quiet.

All I could hear was my heartbeat pounding in my ears.

Jaxen.

My Jaxen.

No.

No, she was lying.

Liar.

The word screamed inside my head so loudly I thought it might escape my lips.

Liar. Liar. Liar.

But I couldn’t speak.

Jaxen wouldn’t do that to me.

There had to be some mistake.

"You stupid girl!" Harlan roared, crossing the room in three long strides. Before I could react, his palm slammed against my cheek.

My head snapped sideways, and fresh blood filled my mouth where my teeth cut into my lip, but I bit back the pain.

"Look at what you’ve done!" he spat, gesturing to the mess at my feet.

He was furious with Callista, but taking his anger out on me was easier.

"Clean this shit up and get your filthy self out of here."

My hands shook as I dropped to my knees and began gathering the broken shards, each piece digging into my fingers like tiny knives.

I gathered everything into my apron before rushing toward the door, but I didn’t leave.

How could I?

It was my mate they were talking about, and I wanted to hear Callista get proven wrong.

I pressed myself against the slightly opened door and listened.

"How could you get pregnant?!" my father shouted. This was the most furious I had ever seen him. "Do you have any idea what this looks like? You aren’t even mated. You aren’t even married. The entire pack will talk. My name will be dragged through the mud."

Callista sobbed loudly in my mother’s arms, each cry piercing through me like a needle.

"I’m sorry, Papa," she cried, her voice trembling. "I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean for this to happen."

My mother murmured something too soft for me to hear as she stroked Callista’s hair.

Jaxen had already been called the moment Callista made her announcement, but until he arrived, my father couldn’t stand still.

He paced back and forth across the dining room, his boots striking the floor in an uneven rhythm that matched my heartbeat.

Back and forth.

Back and forth.

I counted each step, pressing my palm flat against the wall to ground myself.

Then, without warning, he grabbed one of my mother’s favorite vases and hurled it against the floor.

It shattered instantly.

Everyone, including me, flinched, and Callista’s sobs hitched mid-cry.

"Harlan!" my mother gasped, her hand flying to her chest.

"What?!" he yelled back, spinning toward her. "What do you want me to say, Elara? That I’m pleased? That I’m proud?"

"I’m not saying you should be pleased," my mother replied carefully as she rose from her chair, keeping one hand on Callista’s shoulder. "But don’t you think you’re overreacting? Just a little?"

"Overreacting?" Harlan laughed, but there was no humor in it. "Our unmarried daughter is pregnant, and you think I’m overreacting?"

My mother’s jaw tightened.

She glanced down at Callista before looking back at my father.

"I know she made a huge mistake," she said slowly, choosing her words carefully. "But look at the bright side. Jaxen is the father."

Those four simple words felt like a hard blow to my chest.

I pressed my back harder against the wall to stop the sob rising in my throat.

Harlan stopped pacing, and Callista sniffled loudly, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand.

"But she still got pregnant," Harlan muttered, though the rage had already started draining from his voice.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify