Mated to the Alpha: Sold to the King

Chapter 6: 0006

Lorelei POV

It took just two days for news about Jaxen and Callista’s wedding to start spreading through the pack.

Two days.

Forty-eight hours.

And already, the entire pack was buzzing with excitement.

"The Alpha’s heir and the Beta’s daughter. It’s like a fairy tale."

"I heard she’s already pregnant. That’s why they’re rushing the wedding."

"Can you blame him? Have you seen Callista? She’s gorgeous. Any man would want her."

I heard the whispers everywhere I went. In the kitchens. In the hallways. Even in the servants’ quarters late at night.

Judging by the way the maids talked about it, this was the kind of love story they all dreamed about.

They were happy for them.

Everyone was happy for them.

Everyone except me.

"You cheated."

I finally said the words that had been burning on my tongue for the past two days.

Jaxen stood in front of me in a quiet corner tucked behind the old armory where no one ever came.

This was the first time we had spoken since I found out my sister was carrying my mate’s child.

He had summoned me here, yet he said nothing. He just stood there with his arms crossed over his chest, staring at a point somewhere above my left shoulder.

And the silence only made me angrier.

I had expected him to drop to his knees. To beg for my forgiveness. To give me some stupid excuse about being drugged or manipulated or tricked.

"How could you do this to me?" I yelled, unable to hold back the hurt anymore.

My voice echoed through the empty space. My body trembled violently, and my hands shook at my sides. Tears filled my eyes again. I had cried so much over the past two days that I didn’t think I had any left.

But they came anyway.

"You got my sister pregnant! How could you? You’re a cheater!"

"I didn’t cheat."

He finally spoke, his voice calm while mine cracked apart, and I stared at him in disbelief.

"I was drunk," he continued, still refusing to look at me. "It was a mistake."

"A mistake?" I scoffed bitterly. "You promised you would marry her. You said you would make her your Luna. How is that a mistake? You should’ve told her to get rid of it!"

"Hey!"

Jaxen’s tone turned dangerous so fast it made me flinch.

Before I could react, he grabbed my arm roughly, his fingers digging into my skin hard enough to bruise.

"That is my child you’re talking about," he hissed, his face inches from mine. "My blood. My heir."

I stared at him, my arm burning beneath his grip, but he didn’t loosen it.

"I made the mistake," he continued. "Why should your sister have to suffer for it?"

My sister.

He was defending her.

Defending the woman who had tormented me my entire life.

"Besides," Jaxen added, his voice turning cold. Cruel. Something I had never heard from him before. "You aren’t innocent either. You let a strange man fuck you. That’s worse than being a slut."

I froze.

For a second, my brain refused to process his words.

And then something inside me snapped.

Slap!

The sound cracked through the quiet corner like thunder, and Jaxen’s head snapped to the side.

His grip on my arm finally loosened, shock flashing across his face.

My palm stung.

But I didn’t regret it.

"How dare you," I whispered, my voice trembling with rage. "How dare you stand there and accuse me of something I never did? I told you that wasn’t me. I didn’t... I didn’t..."

"Bullshit!" he roared, and I flinched despite myself.

The sound echoed off the walls, bouncing around the narrow corner until it felt like the stones themselves were screaming at me.

"You betrayed me," Jaxen continued, his chest heaving. "We betrayed each other. And right now, Callista will be my Luna."

I couldn’t speak.

I couldn’t believe that Jaxen, of all people, was speaking to me like this.

This was the same man who used to whisper sweet promises to me in the dark. The same man who called me his future.

Now he was looking at me like I was a stranger. freёwebnovel.com

Like I was the enemy.

He didn’t believe me, even though the truth was the easiest thing he could find.

My wolf knew it.

His wolf knew it.

But he was choosing not to listen.

And now he was saying this to my face.

"So what about the promise you made to me?" I reminded him, my voice cracking despite everything I was doing to hold it steady.

I was desperate. Clinging to the last thread of hope I had left.

"You’re going to abandon me too, huh? Just like the rest of them."

At that, his hardened expression finally shifted.

I saw it. The wall he had built around himself cracked at the edges. His shoulders dropped slightly. His jaw unclenched, and he let out a heavy sigh.

Then he reached forward and cupped my face.

"Of course I will keep my promise," he said softly, stepping closer. "You are still my mate. You are still the one my wolf craves."

Before I could react, his lips were on mine.

He kissed me like a desperate, hungry wolf.

I wanted to push him away. I wanted to shove him back and scream at him, remind him that he had just accused me of being a whore.

But the mate bond, that cursed, wonderful, agonizing bond, started to take over.

Warmth spread through my chest. My wolf stirred beneath my skin, reaching for him like a flower turning toward the sun.

Despite everything I tried, my body began to respond. I fisted his shirt, and just when I was about to fully give in, he slowly broke the kiss and pressed his forehead against mine.

"But... you can no longer be my Luna," he said, breathing heavily against my swollen lips.

My heart stopped.

He pulled back just enough to look at me, using his thumb to wipe away the tears I hadn’t even realized had fallen.

"I will make you my mistress instead."

The words hit like ice water.

Everything inside me went cold at once. The warmth from the bond, the fire from his kiss, the fragile hope I had been holding onto, all of it died in an instant.

I stumbled back from his touch.

Away from him.

"No," I breathed.

The word came out small. Fragile.

"It’s the only way," he said, stepping closer.

"No!" I yelled louder this time, retreating another step, my voice breaking under the weight of everything I had been holding in.

Then I turned and ran.

I didn’t stop running until I was locked in my room. And even then, I cried my heart out until there was nothing left in me but exhaustion.

The next five days passed in a blur.

I buried myself in more work than I could realistically handle, pushing myself until I was doing things even the other maids struggled to keep up with. For the first time, I even earned praise from Mistress Huda.

Most days, I couldn’t even find the appetite to eat. I would sit by the window instead, staring out as the pack prepared for a celebration that felt more like my execution in slow motion, and there was nothing I could do to stop it.

My wolf stayed unusually quiet through it all, curled into herself like a mourning shadow inside me. No comfort. No strength. Just grief sitting heavy in my chest.

And then, just like that, the five days were up.

Today, my mate was officially married to my twin sister.