Page 71 of Sold to Three Alpha Kings

Chris’s jaw tightens. Wayne’s easy humor drains out of him fast.

“We don’t have to let them in,” Wayne says to Chris and me, shifting his gaze between us.

“No, we don’t,” I say. “But a part of me is curious to hear them out.” A pause. “I wanna hear their excuse for force-feeding her artificial pheromones and selling her off to some random traders.”

“I’m with Sinth on this one,” Chris says.

Wayne thinks for a moment. “You’re absolutely right. I want to look them in the eyes as they lie through their teeth.”

Chris faces Hansel. “Let them in.”

He retreats.

One of the elders pulls the previous farmers away, telling them their dispute will be attended to some other time.

Minutes later, Hansel returns with the so-called family, dressed better than I expect for people who supposedly only just learned their daughter became the Kings’ mate.

The father bows low, all practiced humility. “My lords. Such an honor.” His composure is remarkable. “I’m Charles Abernathy, and these are my wife and son. Elena and Ricky Abernathy.”

We don’t answer right away.

He continues, “We had no idea our Charlize had found herself in such esteemed company.”

The wife, Elena, stands beside him, smiling wide, though the smile doesn’t reach her eyes. “We’ve missed her terribly. The house has felt so empty without her light in it.”

Chris’s fingers are clenched, knuckles white.

Ricky, the brother, stands between his parents—saying little, watching the room with an expression I can’t quite place. He’s taller than I imagined. Not so good-looking to be the arrogant prick Charlize described him to be.

“Why are you here?” Wayne asks, his voice stern, devoid of his usual charm.

The couple exchanges glances.

“We uh…we only wanted to see for ourselves that she’s being treated well,” Charles continues, warm, almost convincing. “A father worries. Even from a distance.”

Wayne’s expression stays carefully neutral, though I catch the tension in his shoulders. Chris says nothing at all, watching the family with the same cold assessment he once turned on Charlize herself.

I watch too, but I’m watching her more than them.

They’re trying to paint a picture where they’re all kind and loving toward her. But we know better.

They’re all a bunch of selfish scumbags who are only here for what they can gain from us as her “family.”

I can’t wait to see Charlize’s reaction to their presence.

Chapter 20 - Charlize

I’m sitting on a wooden chair by the window in my room, my eyes fixed on the pages of the book in my hand. The sun’s warm glow caresses my skin, and a gentle breeze blows across my face.

I miss my Kings. They’ve been busy all morning, settling disputes between their people. Well, our people. I probably should’ve gone with them when they invited me to sit by their side.

But I didn’t—I chose to decline the invitation, and I’m bored out of my mind. I can’t even focus on the book I’m supposedly reading because my mind keeps drifting back to the intimate moments we’ve all shared.

Having all three Alphas doing my will feels like something out of a fairytale. They protect me vehemently and are so possessive of me that they kill anyone who gets too close to me.

I find myself smiling at the memory of our night at Wayne’s resthouse. These men were intentional about seducing me, and every part of me loved the details they put into making it work.

My heart swells with untamed desire as images of that night begin to slowly fill my head again—just like every other day since it happened.