The Alpha King's Mind Reading Maid (Cecilia) novel Chapter 169

Chapter 169

Cecilia’s POV

“Mate is here,” Lora repeated. “He is close.”

The words echoed through me, sharp and undeniable. My gaze swept across the ballroom, my pulse quickening with each passing second.

Lora’s presence was stronger than it had been all night.

“Where?” I asked, my eyes darting in every direction.

Lora didn’t answer right away, and the longer she remained silent, the more uneasy I grew.

“Do not know,” she finally said. “Just sense he is nearby.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat; I could feel it. The pull. It wasn’t towards the ballroom; it wasn’t towards the throne… it wasn’t towards any of the Alphas or nobles in the room. It was pulling me somewhere else… somewhere outside. My eyes kept drifting to the back patio; the door was closed, and nobody was outside, so I wondered what could be pulling me in that direction.

Before I could take a step in that direction to find out, I felt a hand on my shoulder, and I immediately tensed. I expected to see Alpha Benedict standing behind me, but when I heard my name, the air left my lungs.

“Cecilia…”

I turned to see Jax standing in front of me, dressed in his usual armor. His face wore a stoic expression that didn’t seem to suit him. I could tell right away that something was bothering him, and I wondered if it was because he found out how that necklace actually ended up in my room.

“Jax,” I said, my eyes finding his. “You scared.”

The corner of his lips lifted.

“Sorry,” he apologized. “It wasn’t intentional. I’m on security duty. I saw you standing alone, and I thought maybe something was wrong.”

I couldn’t tell him that Lora sensed our mate nearby. Instead, I just smiled.

“Nothing is wrong,” I assured him. “But it’s sweet of you to check.”

He stared at me for a moment longer; I could tell he wasn’t believing me, but also knowing Jax, he wasn’t going to press me for information.

“We should talk,” he finally says, his face serious.

My heart thudded against my chest; something I knew was coming, though I wasn’t sure I was as prepared for it as I thought.

“Okay…” I said, letting out a breath, hating how shaky it was. “Then, we will talk.”

I glanced around for a moment, and I caught the eye of Alpha Benedict, along with a few of the nobles who looked as if they were about to approach me. Now was not the time to play nice with a bunch of pervy men.

“Dance with me while we talk,” I said to Jax without hesitation.

He raised his brows as he stared at me.

“What?”

I looked up at him, forcing a soft smile.

“Dance with me, Jax… please?”

+15 Bonus

There must have been something on my face that spoke to him because his expression immiedalty softened and he gave me a curt nod.

“Of course,” he said, bowing his head at me just before he offered me his hand.

I took it, smiling up at him and allowing him to guide me to the center of the dance floor. The nobles and Alpha Benedict all paused in their movements, and I could feel their eyes on us, penetrating through the back of my head. But I kept my attention on Jax as he put his hands on my waist and started to guide me around the-dance floor.

Lora didn’t like him touching us like this, but I wasn’t sur what else to do. I needed to make it look like I wasn’t available.

“What’s going on?” She asked, her brows furrowed.

“Don’t look… but there’s an Alpha over there who seemed to have his sights set on me. Some nobles looked like they were about to talk to me, and I’m sick of having to play nice to appease them,” I confessed.

This made Jax bark out a laugh as he tightened his hold on me, pulling me even closer. My cheeks burned from the sudden closeness; I wasn’t sure I liked it. I wanted to pull away, but I also knew that we were being watched, and I had to play my part if I wanted them to leave me alone.

“So, what did you want to talk about?” I asked before things could get any weirder.

He blinked, as if he was confused by the question. But then he remembered what he needed to say to me, and he nodded.

“Right,” he said, letting out a breathy laugh. “You need to be careful around here. I looked into the necklace situation, and what

I found out will upset you.”

My throat went dry.

“What did you find out?”

He was quiet for a moment as we swayed on the dance floor, and could tell he was conflicted before he met my eyes.

“You need to be careful about who you trust around here,” he said, his voice dropping to a low whisper. “Not everyone here is after your best interest.”

I blinked.

“What do you mean by that?”

“What do you know about your maid?” He suddenly asked, making my brows shoot upward.