Mated to the Alpha: Sold to the King novel Chapter 59

Chapter 59: 0059

Lorelei POV

I stared at him, completely stunned, and he just stared right back at me.

"You know what he said to me?" I asked carefully, already assuming Kaelen had recounted every cruel word.

"I can guess," Darius replied, his jaw tightening as he closed the remaining distance between us until he was standing directly in front of me. "He lashes out when he’s angry. And he’s been angry all day. Mostly at himself."

"At himself?" I repeated, looking up at him in bewilderment.

Darius nodded.

"Don’t let his cold personality fool you. He is terrible at handling his own emotions, so he takes them out on whoever happens to be closest. Don’t take it personally."

My fists clenched tightly at my sides, my short nails biting into my palms as a sharp wave of anger washed over the lingering hurt.

"How can I not take it personally?" I demanded, my voice trembling under the weight of everything I had been holding in. "He told me I was only good for..."

I bit my lip, stopping myself before the humiliating words could fully leave my mouth.

Then I took a shaky breath, forcing my defensive walls right back into place as I looked at the pile of expensive clothes and then up at the man who had bought them.

"Why do you even care anyway?" I asked, my tone turning guarded. "Why are you being so nice to me? Do you also want something from me?"

That made him raise a brow, a flicker of genuine surprise crossing his gray eyes.

"What makes you think that?"

I let out a heavy, bitter sigh and looked away from him.

"That’s how it has always been. No one gives without asking for something in return."

That was quite literally the truest lesson life had ever taught me.

"You are right," he said smoothly. "I do want something from you."

The moment those words left his mouth, my throat went dry and my fists clenched even tighter.

Even though a cynical part of me had fully expected this, it still made me feel like complete shit.

I couldn’t even get the decency of receiving a few nice clothes without immediately having to wonder how I was supposed to pay the debt back. Whether it would cost me my body, my safety, or something else entirely.

"What is it?" I asked, bracing myself for his request as I forced my chin up, refusing to let him see how small I suddenly felt.

"I want us to be friends," he said.

My breath hitched instantly.

"What?"

I blinked at him in complete confusion, my mind spinning as I continued waiting for the real catch to drop.

But Darius only let out a heavy sigh and ran a frustrated hand through his dark hair. For the first time since entering the room, some of the rigid military tension left his posture.

"Spending all my days with the Alpha King has become very exhausting," he admitted, twisting his mouth to the side. "You know, we actually grew up together long before he ever became the Alpha King."

I didn’t know that.

"Because of who we are, we already have a pretty terrifying reputation across the territories, so everyone we meet is always trying to get something from us," he continued, then walked over to the chair in the corner of the room, pulled it out, and took a seat.

"But you..." He leaned forward slightly, his sharp gray eyes locking onto mine with genuine curiosity. "You seem interesting."

I studied him for a long, quiet moment, trying my absolute best to find even a single crack in his words or a tremor in his voice.

The Beta of an entire werewolf empire wanted to be casual friends with a broken, uneducated maid?

It didn’t seem very believable at all.

"So you just want to be friends," I repeated slowly, letting the word friends sit heavy and unfamiliar on my tongue.

"Yes."

"And that’s all?"

"That’s all," he replied, his expression completely open.

I stared at him, still waiting for the hidden trap to snap shut around me.

"But there is a catch," he added suddenly, a slight smirk tugging at his lips.

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