Mated to the Alpha: Sold to the King novel Chapter 62

Chapter 62: 0062

Lorelei POV

Why was he yelling at me?

I thought as I stared blankly at the man in front of me, listening to him go on and on while looking at me like he wanted to strangle me to death.

But this time, I really hadn’t done anything wrong.

Darius was the one who approached me. He gave me permission, and he got me this dress. So why was I the one being punished again?

Of course, he should have been apologizing, but look at him getting angry instead.

These men were truly all the same.

They were all—

"I’m sorry."

My breath stilled at the words.

For a moment, I genuinely thought I had misheard him. There was no way...

"I’m really sorry," he whispered again, and this time, the tears I had been desperately trying to hold back finally spilled down my cheeks.

"I messed up. I let my anger get the better of me," he murmured.

As he spoke, his lips brushed gently against my neck, pressing a soft, agonizingly tender kiss there. His warm breath sent a violent shiver racing down my spine, causing the walls I had carefully built around myself to crack.

"I shouldn’t have said that. I shouldn’t have said those things to you. I shouldn’t have said those cruel things to you yesterday. It’s my fault."

I squeezed my eyes shut, my small fists trembling at my sides as I listened to the ruthless Alpha King apologize like a desperate child.

Was he saying all of this just so he could sleep with me?

The bitter thought flashed through my mind immediately.

If that was the case, then I really had to commend his dedication. He was willing to go to such extreme lengths just to get what he wanted from a mere maid.

And even though I had agreed to it, it still hurt.

As if sensing my thoughts through my silence, Kaelen’s lips trailed slowly up my jaw. He nibbled gently at my skin as he moved, his touch entirely too intoxicating for my own good.

"So please don’t cry," he murmured against my skin, his voice cracking.

But the second he said those words, they had the exact opposite effect.

The dam broke completely.

A quiet, broken sob tore from my throat as even more tears spilled down my cheeks, and before I knew it, I was crying harder than before.

Hearing me sob, Kaelen pulled back instantly.

His amber eyes scanned my face in panic, and he lifted his hands, gently brushing the tears from my cheeks with his thumbs. But they were falling too fast.

A low, desperate sound escaped him before he leaned forward again. He gently licked the salty tears from my skin, whispering repeatedly against my face, "Don’t cry... please, Ella, don’t cry," while pressing more soft, frantic kisses across my cheeks, my eyelids, and my jaw as if he could somehow soothe the pain he had caused.

It was truly crazy.

One second ago, he had been yelling at me like a beast, and now he was speaking so softly, as if he was afraid his voice alone could shatter me.

I didn’t understand the sudden shift.

It was confusing, and a dark part of me couldn’t stop wondering if this was some cruel mind game he was playing on me.

Yet despite the confusion and the fear, my hands slowly rose to wrap around his neck, pulling him closer until his lips found mine again.

And this time, I kissed him back.

I kissed him just as desperately, tears still streaming down my face as violent memories from my past flashed behind my closed eyes.

Painful, suffocating memories of being whipped, beaten, starved, and locked away in the dark flooded my mind. The phantom pain of those old wounds made my hands tremble against his skin, causing me to cling to him even tighter.

I was terrified that if he let go of me right now, I would fall straight back into that pit. Back into the place that had tortured me for years.

It felt as though a switch had been flipped inside my head.

The past came rushing back all at once with such brutal force that a pained, choked groan broke from my throat, forcing me to tear my lips away from his.

The room suddenly began to spin, and my vision blurred heavily around the edges.

I tried to snap out of it. I really did.

I desperately clawed my way back to the present, trying to focus on Kaelen, on the room, on anything other than the memories threatening to drag me under.

But I couldn’t.

Everything felt too heavy.

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