Mated to the Alpha: Sold to the King

Chapter 60: 0060

Kaelen POV

"You don’t look so good," Darius said from his usual spot in my office.

He sat with his legs crossed, flipping through a book as though he didn’t have a care in the world. He looked entirely too comfortable for someone occupying my space.

"Rough night?"

A low growl rumbled from my chest at his words as I tried my absolute best to focus on the paperwork spread across my desk, but it was proving nearly impossible.

The truth was, I hadn’t slept for most of the night.

Instead, I had spent hours pacing back and forth through my chambers while my wolf howled in relentless agitation every time I attempted to close my eyes.

My pride had gotten in the way. I had genuinely believed I could handle it on my own. freewёbnoνel.com

I couldn’t.

Eventually, exhaustion and frustration won. I finally snapped and ordered a guard to fetch Ella.

"Don’t you have any work to do?" I asked sharply, feeling a tight knot form in my chest.

Deep down, I absolutely did not want Darius anywhere near this office when she arrived.

"Nope," Darius replied smoothly, turning another page without even glancing up. "I’m free until this evening, which means I can keep you company all day. Don’t thank me. I’m just being a wonderful younger brother."

A smug smirk tugged at his lips as he teased, and I immediately had the overwhelming urge to launch the heavy paperweight sitting on my desk directly at his head.

But before I could verbally tear into him and order him out of my sight, a soft knock sounded at the door.

My entire body went rigid.

The restless growl that had been vibrating in my chest all night abruptly disappeared, replaced by a sudden and completely ridiculous spike in my heart rate.

"Come in," I called, my voice remaining cold, deep, and completely devoid of the chaos raging beneath the surface.

The door slowly opened, and she stepped inside.

But instead of the oversized gray uniform I had grown accustomed to seeing her wear, she was dressed in a green dress.

My breath caught.

The vibrant fabric hugged her curves before drawing in at her waist and flowing gently around her legs as she moved. The color suited her far more than anything she had worn before.

And her eyes.

The shade of green brought them to life, making them appear brighter and warmer than usual. They seemed to catch the light with every step she took, and for a brief moment, I found myself staring far longer than I should have.

Beautiful.

The thought slipped through my mind before I could stop it.

My wolf immediately went silent.

Not because he had calmed down.

Because he was staring too.

My heart started racing even faster, pounding a frantic rhythm against my ribs, even though I forced my expression to remain completely ice-cold.

But wait.

A sudden realization hit me.

"What are you wearing?" I asked, cutting her off just as she opened her mouth to greet me.

She blinked, clearly startled by the sharpness of my tone. Her gaze dropped to her dress, and her fingers brushed nervously against the fabric before she looked back up at me.

"Is something wrong with it?" she asked softly.

Of course nothing was wrong with it. If anything, that was the problem.

The dress suited her perfectly. Far too perfectly.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Darius suddenly sit up straighter in his chair. The book he’d been reading was instantly forgotten as his attention locked onto her.

Seeing my Beta’s reaction only made my expression harden further.

"How did you get those clothes?" I asked.

I certainly didn’t remember getting them for her.

"I did." freēwēbηovel.c૦m

Darius answered immediately as he stood from his chair, but even while speaking to me, his gaze remained fixed entirely on the woman standing frozen by the door.

My gaze snapped to him.

When the fuck did he get her clothes?

And why wasn’t I informed first?

The words got stuck in my throat as I watched him walk toward her.

"I really do have good taste," Darius said with a grin. "Because this looks incredible on you."

Something inside me immediately went cold.

I watched in stunned silence as her face lit up, and to make matters even worse, a genuine smile spread across her lips.

A genuine smile.

One she had never given me, not even for a fraction of a second.

Not that I expected her to.

Still...

"Good morning, Darius," she said softly.

Instantly, my brain short-circuited.

"Darius?" I repeated.

The name tasted like ash on my tongue.

My gaze whipped violently between the two of them as confusion and outrage crashed through me, destroying whatever self-control I had left.

I shoved myself to my feet so abruptly that my heavy chair screeched across the floorboards behind me. My palms slammed onto the desk with enough force to make several papers jump.

"Did she just call you by your name alone?" I snapped, and a low rumble from my wolf vibrated through the room, dangerous and unmistakable.

"Relax, Alpha. I gave her permission to," Darius said immediately, shifting his weight and stepping slightly in front of her the exact second her body went rigid with fear. "We’re friends now."

"Friends?" I repeated with a bitter scoff. "When the hell did that happen? When did you two get close enough to become friends?"

I ground my teeth together, doing my absolute best not to raise my voice and completely lose control, but even without saying another word, a blind man could have seen how utterly pissed off I was.

The only time I had ever seen them together was yesterday afternoon in the courtyard, and that was nowhere near enough time for someone as calculating and guarded as Darius to befriend anyone, let alone a maid with a criminal record.

"It just happened," Darius said casually as he wrapped an arm boldly around her shoulders, pulling her slightly against his side. "We have a very strong connection."

This time, his gray eyes locked firmly onto mine, and his lips curled into that deeply annoying, arrogant smirk.

I saw her stiffen beneath his touch, but just like before, she didn’t pull away.

My hands clenched into fists at my sides.

For a split second, I wanted nothing more than to yell at him to get his hands off her.

But wouldn’t doing that make me look completely insane?

Like some kind of jealous freak?

Which I absolutely wasn’t.

I had no reason to be.

Taking a slow breath, I forced myself to remain calm and poured every ounce of authority I possessed into my voice.

"Don’t you have unfinished business at the border that needs your immediate attention?" I asked.