Mated to the Alpha: Sold to the King novel Chapter 68

Chapter 68: 0068

Lorelei POV

"How long have you been standing behind me?" I asked, turning to look at him.

He was leaning casually against one of the bookshelves, wearing the cockiest grin I had ever seen.

"About five minutes," he replied smoothly before pushing himself off the shelf and taking the empty chair across from me. "You have terrible situational awareness."

I let out a quiet scoff and crossed my arms over my chest.

Of course I did.

Without my wolf, my senses were no better than an ordinary human’s. I could barely notice anything unless it was right in front of me.

Still, my annoyance didn’t last long.

The longer I looked at him, the more I noticed something was... off.

Not in a bad way, exactly, but Darius was always impeccably put together. His clothes were always neat, his hair perfectly styled, and he somehow managed to look polished no matter the situation.

Now, there were faint dark circles beneath his eyes, and his usually immaculate hair was slightly messy, as though he had been running his fingers through it all day.

He looked exhausted.

"Where have you been?" I asked without thinking.

It had been almost a month since I’d last seen him, right before I collapsed.

Now he was suddenly sitting in front of me as though no time had passed at all, even though he looked like he’d barely had a proper night’s sleep.

His grin softened ever so slightly as he studied my face.

Then the corner of his lips curled upward again.

He leaned forward, resting his elbow on the table and propping his chin against his palm as he tilted his head.

"Did you miss me?"

The question caught me completely off guard.

I let out a small scoff, trying to sound more casual than I felt.

"Aside from Skye, you’re the only person I’m close to around here," I admitted but then my voice grew quieter as I added. "You also said we’re friends, so... of course I missed you."

His grin widened instantly, and the corners of his eyes crinkled with obvious amusement.

Under that unwavering stare, warmth crept up my neck and spread across my cheeks until my face felt unbearably hot.

Unable to hold his gaze any longer, I quickly looked away and pretended to focus on the open book lying in front of me.

"You’ve gained a lot more weight since the last time I saw you," he said so suddenly that my head snapped back up.

My eyes widened in horror.

"Is that a bad thing?" I asked, a sudden wave of self-consciousness washing over me.

Darius chuckled softly in response. Leaning across the table, he reached out and gently cupped my face. Before I could protest, he used his thumb and forefinger to playfully pinch my slightly chubbier cheeks.

"If it were a bad thing," he murmured, his voice laced with amusement, "I wouldn’t be able to do this."

"Hey!" I protested, swatting his hands away.

My cheeks burned as I rubbed them, but my reaction only made him laugh harder, the rich sound echoing through the quiet library.

"I’m joking, I’m joking," he said, finally pulling his hands back and raising them in mock surrender.

His laughter gradually faded, and his expression softened as he looked at me.

"But seriously, you look healthy. You look good."

"Thank you," I replied softly, genuine warmth spreading through my chest at his words.

Because he was right.

The constant fog in my head had started to lift, and for the first time in years, I actually felt lighter. Stronger. I had more energy than I could remember having in a long time.

Still, my curiosity hadn’t gone away.

I let out a quiet sigh and leaned forward slightly.

"Where have you been?" I asked again.

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