Mated to the Alpha: Sold to the King novel Chapter 79

Chapter 79: 0079

Hey guys! Check out the Author’s Note at the bottom of this Chapter—I’m opening a secret Discord community and need your help testing it today! ❤️

Lorelei POV

My eyes fluttered slowly open, only to find myself staring up at a blanket of stars scattered across the dark sky.

Oh, right.

I had been pushed off a cliff.

For a split second, I had really hoped that terrifying plunge had been nothing more than a bad dream. But the reality of the cold night air and the agonizing ache radiating through my body told me otherwise.

Now, how long had I been unconscious after the fall? And how was I even still alive?

I tried to shift my body, only to let out a loud groan of pure agony. That’s when I realized my right leg was badly injured.

As my mind gradually cleared, I looked up at the shattered foliage above me and realized the only reason I had survived the drop was because my leg had gotten caught on one of the thick tree branches on the way down.

The impact had slowed my momentum, breaking my fall and saving me from slamming into the rocky ground below with full, fatal force.

I lay flat on my back for a moment, breathing heavily as I tried to assess the rest of the damage.

My leg throbbed with an ache that flared violently with every tiny movement. My arms were deeply scratched and bleeding from the rough branches I had crashed through. My head pounded like a bass drum, and my vision swam dangerously whenever I tried to focus on a single point.

I was alive.

But I was completely trapped.

I forced myself to look around, trying to get my bearings. The forest below the cliff was pitch-black, the massive trees casting long, eerie shadows beneath the moonlight. I couldn’t hear the comforting sounds of the orphanage anymore. No laughter. No shouting. No games. Nothing.

How far had I actually fallen? How long had I been blacked out? And most importantly... who was it that pushed me?

"Help!" I called out, my voice coming out hoarse, cracked, and terrifyingly weak against the vast wilderness. "Someone, please... help!"

Nothing.

Only the mocking rustling of leaves and the distant, lonely hoot of an owl answered me.

I tried to push myself up using my forearms, but the moment I put any weight on my lower body, the pain in my leg became too much to bear. I collapsed back onto the dirt with a choked cry, hot tears of frustration and fear pricking at the corners of my eyes.

I was alone, heavily injured, and most likely lost in unfamiliar territory.

And absolutely no one knew where I was.

I pressed my palms against the cold earth and forced myself to take a deep breath.

Think, Lorelei. Think.

Someone had to notice I was missing eventually. Paul, that annoying prick who had been shadowing me all day, might actually prove useful for once. I guessed his suffocating presence was a blessing in disguise after all. I just had to hope he had realized I was gone by now and had already raised the alarm.

As the minutes stretched into what felt like hours, the darkness of the forest grew even thicker, and a biting chill began to seep deep into my bones.

It was then that I realized that if I truly wanted to be found, I couldn’t just lie here in the dark like a sitting duck. I had to at least make an effort to make myself visible.

Despite the pain radiating through my lower body, I gritted my teeth and forced myself to sit up. Sobbing quietly from the exertion, I dragged my heavy body across the dirt toward a large fallen tree trunk nearby, using the rough wood as support to pull myself into a semi-seated position.

I leaned my back against the bark and gasped heavily for breath, my whole body trembling uncontrollably from the effort. My hands were scraped raw and covered in dirt, my clean clothes were torn to shreds, and my leg...

My leg was definitely not in good shape.

Carefully, I tilted my head down to examine the injury.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify