Mated to the Alpha: Sold to the King novel Chapter 72

Chapter 72: 0072

Lorelei POV

"The kids made me do it."

Those were Kaelen’s first words to Darius as he walked back into the private lounge reserved for the high-ranking members. It wasn’t nearly as large as the Empire Estate, but it was obvious that a lot of effort had gone into making it comfortable for them.

Kaelen had already changed out of his muddy clothes and into a fresh grey T-shirt. He was casually drying his damp hair with a white towel draped over his shoulders.

I stood awkwardly off to the side, shifting my weight from one foot to the other, genuinely wondering why I was even allowed in this room in the first place.

"Yeah, sure. I believe you," Darius replied with a heavy scoff.

Surprisingly, Kaelen didn’t fire back.

Instead, his attention immediately shifted to me.

The sudden intensity in his dark amber eyes made my chest tighten, and I quickly lowered my gaze to the floor.

"Good morning, Alpha," I greeted softly.

"Morning," he replied.

His voice was barely above a whisper, completely stripped of its usual commanding edge.

Without another word, he turned on his heel and strode into the adjacent room, quietly closing the door behind him.

The second he disappeared from sight, I let out a sharp breath I hadn’t realized I was holding.

I already knew he was avoiding me, but did he really have to make it that obvious? The thought stung far more than it should have. It felt like a physical slap to the face.

"Sorry you have to be here." Darius’s voice snapped me out of my spiraling thoughts. "The staff is still preparing your guest room, so it’s going to take a little while before you can unpack."

"That’s fine," I said, giving a small shrug to show I didn’t mind. "But... how long are we actually staying here?"

"Just two days at most," Darius replied as he walked toward a small bar counter tucked into the corner of the lounge. He reached for a dark wine bottle and pulled it from the shelf. "If you didn’t bring enough clothes, don’t worry. We can always go out and get you some."

"No, it’s okay. I packed enough," I said, watching him pour the rich red liquid into a glass.

Then lifted the bottle slightly toward me, raising an eyebrow in a silent question but I quickly shook my head.

"I don’t drink," I said, stumbling slightly over the words.

Maybe it was because Kaelen was only in the next room and, with his Alpha senses, he could probably hear every word of our conversation, but I suddenly felt far too awkward.

"Also... isn’t it a little early to be drinking?"

Darius let out a low chuckle at that before taking a small sip. "We have a very long day ahead of us, Ella. There’s a whole schedule of activities planned for the kids. Crafts, games, storytelling, a massive capture-the-flag match, and a few other things."

"Sounds like a lot of work," I replied, a small teasing smile appearing on my face.

"It is," Darius agreed, raising his glass in a mock toast. "So this drink is just an early reward to prepare myself for the chaos."

His words made me laugh softly, and some of the tension in my shoulders eased.

But my gaze instinctively drifted back toward the closed door Kaelen had disappeared through, and the small laugh quickly died in my throat.

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