Sold as the Alpha King's Breeder-Chapter 1715 - 157 : Of Damsels and Dances

*Kellan*

The Drogomor ballroom was decked out with the complete works. I’d been to dozens of balls in my lifetime, but I had never seen it this nice before.

They brought out the nicest linens, and there were spring flowers draped on tables and chairs. I could have sworn a couple of crystal chandeliers were added to the ceiling as well, adding more soft lighting to the space.

“Excuse me. Kellan?”

I turned to look at a young woman I recognized from our pack community. She was a kind girl, and her father owned many of the shops throughout our pack and beyond. They were quite well-to-do. Her sparkling hazel eyes were gazing up at me hopefully, causing me to wince internally.

“Good evening, Dahlia,” I said politely, dipping my head.

Dahlia looked down shyly for a moment. “Good evening,” she stuttered out. “I was hoping that you would like to dance with me.”

I forced a pleasant smile onto my face and couldn’t help but tilt my head slightly to glance at where my parents were standing, talking to some of the other guests. As if feeling my gaze, my mother looked up briefly, eyes widening at the situation. She then quickly looked away.

I tried not to sigh before looking down at the young woman in front of me. She looked scared, like she was waiting for me to say no and would probably find some corner to cry in if I did.

“Of course,” I said, holding my hand out to her.

Dahlia’s jaw dropped like she couldn’t believe I actually accepted. Her hazel eyes were still wide when she snapped herself out of her shock to take my hand.

This could not be over soon enough, but I forced myself to lead the girl to the dance floor at a calm pace. I settled one hand on her hip, the other grasping her tiny hand.

I had gotten used to ignoring the number of eyes that followed me around during functions like this. It was just a part of being the Alpha’s son. People were curious about me. My parents could also spin this night like it was to announce my father’s retirement, but everyone knew the real reason.

The entire pack was expecting me to find a mate since I was well into my late twenties and set to become Alpha within the next two years.

I had no doubt there would be more eyes on me than usual. They wouldn’t just be the eyes of eligible maidens either. Everyone would want to know who I would choose as my mate.

They would just have to be disappointed because I was already certain that it wasn’t happening that night.

I twirled Dahlia around, watching as her full lavender skirt swayed against her hips. She was a nice girl. I remember playing with her a few times when we were children. She was pretty attractive as well with large almond-shaped eyes and full lips.

I wanted to be attracted to her. She was probably the type of girl everyone expected me to be with. Her family was fairly wealthy, and they were in good relations with my family.

I just didn’t really feel anything. I respected her, and that was as far as my feelings right now were.

Perhaps I was being too rash. Maybe I just had to try and get to know these girls instead of just blocking them out.

“The weather is nice tonight.”

Dahlia looked up at me, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion.

I was inwardly kicking myself. What kind of icebreaker was that?

“Yes,” she said finally. “It is a beautiful night. I was really excited to attend this ball tonight.”

I resisted the urge to let out a relieved breath. She could have ended the dance right then at my poor attempt at small talk.

I spun Dahlia away from me before pulling her back into my arms. She looked up at me in shock. I realized I might have gone too far in terms of physical contact.

“I’m glad that you were excited to come,” I said. “Thank you for doing so. I hope that you enjoy yourself.”

I was once again mentally berating myself. That sounded so robotic and forced.

“Thank you,” Dahlia said quickly. “I will, especially now that we’re dancing together.”

I felt my eyes widen as well when she suddenly leaned toward me and shut her eyes.

I froze as I realized that she intended to kiss me.

Before I knew what I was doing, I was putting my hands on her shoulders and pushing her away.

Time seemed to stop. I could feel the shock from the rest of the room as Dahlia went stumbling backward slightly.

“Excuse me,” I muttered to her before I turned and left the room.

It felt like I couldn’t breathe and that the air wasn’t holding hardly any oxygen as I tried not to run out of the ballroom. People were murmuring in confusion, and I just had to get out.

I was panting slightly as I pushed the door leading outside to the garden area open. The sweet scent of the night flowers coupled with the cool night air actually did wonders to calm me. I looked behind me, back through the glass doors, and saw that no one dared to follow me. I caught a glimpse of Dahlia, who looked to be running out of room as well, but thankfully not toward me.

I shut my eyes and leaned against a nearby wall, just allowing myself to calm down.

“Stop! I don’t want to..."

My eyes shot open at the distressed female voice.

“Just shut up. You owe me after I saved your sorry hide the other day.”

I heard the unmistakable sounds of a scuffle and turned toward the sounds, hurrying over. I turned the corner to find some guy pushing a girl against the side of the mansion.

“Unhand her,” I snarled.

From my angle, I could only see the guy’s back. The jerk stiffened before whirling to look at me. “Kellan,” he said with wide eyes.

I narrowed my eyes, only vaguely recognizing him as one of the general’s sons. “Get out of here,” I said. “Unless you’d like me to hand you over to the guards. It would be merciful compared to what I planned to do with you.”

The guy cursed under his breath before sprinting off. I made a mental note to keep an eye on him in the future before turning my attention to the young woman in front of me.

I didn’t recognize her. She had hair the color of honey and large golden eyes that were wet with tears. She was wearing a pale pink gown with floral embroidery and intricate beading.

“Are you alright?” I asked, stepping up to her.

She was leaning heavily against the wall and straightened, swallowing thickly. “I’m fine. Thank you for scaring him off, but I had it under control.”

I blinked down at her. “Not from where I was standing,” I said, narrowing my eyes slightly as I remembered the way she was being held down by that guy. I reached out and carefully took the girl’s arm, helping her straighten. “Did you know him?”

The girl shook her head, her gold-colored eyes focusing on me for the first time. “I met him in the marketplace the other day. I dropped my wallet, and he picked it up for me. Now he thinks I owe him because of that small favor.”

I scoffed in disgust. “He’s clearly just using that as an excuse to harass you,” I said, my gaze softened. “You’re really alright though? Would you like me to call someone for you? Or fetch a healer?”

“No,” she said quickly. Her eyes widened, and she took a calming breath. “Sorry. I just would like to forget it happened is all. I’m Celia.” She held her hand out to me, and her cheekbones warmed a nice pink hue.

I took her hand carefully. “Kellan,” I told her.

She giggled lightly. “I know,” she said. “This is your ball, you know. Or did you forget?”

I chuckled, surprised that she was already cracking jokes after she had just been attacked. “It’s difficult to forget,” I admitted. “But I would like to try sometimes.”

Celia frowned. I found that I didn’t like it when she did. “How come?” she wondered. She smirked slightly. “Does the Alpha’s son not enjoy dances?”

Something warmed within me at her teasing. I grinned. “The Alpha’s son is just a bit tired of them,” I said. I gave Celia a once over and then offered her my hand. “I think you should sit down. You look a bit pale.”

Celia looked at my hand for a moment and shook her head. “I’m really alright,” she said. “But sitting down would be nice.”

I took her hand since she clearly wasn’t going to take it and led her over to a nearby bench. Something jolted through me as soon as our skin brushed. I felt something stir within me and realized it was protectiveness.

I felt immediately better when Celia was sitting and relaxing against the back of the bench. I sat beside her and gave her a sidelong look.

She really was beautiful. I couldn’t help but be impressed by how brave she was being. I felt like a lot of girls would be broken down crying if in her place.

She stiffened and turned to give me a confused look. “Why are you staring at me like that?” she asked. She didn’t sound angry, just curious and a little nervous.

“You’re strong,” I said before I could stop myself. I hurried to clarify before she could get the wrong idea. “I’m just impressed that you are handling this as well as you are.”

She blushed at my words. I found I liked the soft pink color against her skin. “That’s kind of you, but I’m really not that strong. He was easily overpowering me.”

“Strength isn’t just physical,” I told her gently.

She sucked in a breath and looked up at me with the most beautiful eyes I had ever seen. Something fluttered in my chest. Before I fully understood what was happening, I stood up and offered her my hand again.

“Would you like to head back inside and get something to eat?” I asked. I chuckled goodnaturedly. “All this excitement has made me realize how famished I am.”

“We can’t have the future Alpha going hungry,” Celia said with a laugh. Her golden eyes were warm as she took my hand.

Another shock went through me at the contact. I was finally able to pinpoint why I was so fascinated by this young woman. I knew next to nothing about her, but she was teasing me in a way that made me feel like I had known her my whole life.

She made me feel like an actual person as opposed to just the Alpha’s son. She even knew I was the future Alpha, and she was joking with me normally.

I found that I didn’t want our playful banter to end. I wanted to learn everything I could about her before the night was up.

I’d never felt this way before.

I opened the glass door for Celia and put a hand on her lower back as she passed me to go inside. She smiled sweetly as she did so.

Almost as soon as we stepped inside, I noticed my mother standing off to the side, her arm looped with my father’s. She was staring openly at me and Celia and beaming brightly. When she caught my eye, she smirked knowingly.