Page 41 of Sold to Three Alpha Kings

“All the time,” she insists.

“Fine,” I succumb. “The point is…he’s really not as bad as you think he is.”

“Don’t listen to him, Chris is as bad as they come,” Wayne’s voice cuts through the fleeting silence.

We shift our attention toward the front door, and there he is, leaning against the frame.

“You’re not helping,” I say to him.

“If it involves Chris, of course I’m not helping.” He drinks from his goblet and strolls inside. “I don’t really know the full story, but whatever happened, I’m on your side, cutie.” The last statement is directed at Charlize.

Her lips curl into a small smile.

“But wait. What happened?” His eyes shift between Charlize and me, a hint of curiosity in his gaze.

“You’ve been standing there long enough,” I nod toward the door. “I thought you overheard the conversation.”

“I wasn’t eavesdropping, Sinth,” he says. “It so happens that I arrived in the nick of time to hear you make up excuses for whatever Chris did to our lovely mate.” A pause. “I wasn’t on time for the full gist though.”

“He kissed me,” Charlize blurts out. “He kissed me, and then he said it was a mistake.”

Wayne laughs and mumbles something to himself, then meets Charlize’s gaze. “Trust me, cutie, it was not a mistake, and contrary to what he might’ve made you believe, Chris Winterborne did not regret kissing you.” He sips from his goblet.

“Hold on, is it just me, or did you just take his side?” I ask, confused.

“I didn’t take his side, God, no,” he replies. “What I did was call out his hypocrisy. There’s a difference.” Sips his wine again.

“Well, still…” Charlize’s voice is low. “It hurts.”

Silence.

Wayne clears his throat. “Listen, um…I’m sorry the party turned into a mess. Wasn’t the plan. I just wanted to ease the tension, you know—give you something good. But I ended up giving you something complicated instead.”

She almost smiles at that. Almost.

“I’m grateful for the attempt, Wayne. That was thoughtful of you.”

He sits in the chair nearby. “Why do I smell a ‘but’ coming?”

She chuckles quietly, tucking her hair behind her ear.

A fleeting silence.

She continues, “After the incident with Chris, I’m reminded that all my life everyone has rejected me.”

Chris shows up seemingly out of nowhere but doesn’t announce himself. He stays near the door, arms crossed, saying nothing, watching from a distance like he isn’t sure he’s allowed closer. Nobody tells him to leave. Nobody invites him in either.

She notices his presence and locks eyes with him across the room. Neither of them says a word. She heaves a heavy sigh and returns to telling her story.

“My father blamed me for my mother’s death before I understood what blame meant. My stepmother made sure I never forgot my place in that house… somewhere below the furniture, most days.” Her voice stays controlled, the way people talk about old wounds they’ve stopped expecting anyone to care about.

I feel a strange kind of raging coursing through me.

“My brother figured out early that the fastest way to please them both was to treat me the same. I did the work of three people and got fed like I was worth less than one.”

Wayne’s jaw tightens. “Villagers ever step in?”

“Villagers thought I was cursed. Shiftless girl whose mother died bringing her into the world… easier to call me bad luck than admit my family was cruel.” She shrugs her shoulders. “You’d be surprised what you get used to.”