Enslaved To The Alphas-Chapter 283: A Fool

Emira smiled then and gave Shiqi a look that held many secrets. And then she uttered the words that would most hurt Shiqi... "You are wrong, He never loved me" she said softly.

Shiqi’s laughter faltered. The sound was cut off halfway, sharp and sudden. Her eyes narrowed as she looked at Emira, irritation flashing across her face. "What did you say?" she asked.

Emira lifted her gaze and met Shiqi’s eyes without hesitation. Her voice remained calm. Almost gentle as she looked at the woman in front of her, "The woman on his mind all these years of captivity has still been his first love."

For a moment, the room went very still. Shiqi stared at her. Her lips parted slightly, as though she had not heard correctly. Then she frowned. "What do you mean?" she demanded.

Emira’s smile did not fade. "Exactly what I said."

She shifted slightly, sitting straighter despite the ache in her body and said slowly, "Aron never loved me. Not the way you think. He never saw me as a woman."

Shiqi’s eyes widened.

"He treated me like a little sister," Emira said quietly. "Someone to protect. Someone to guide. Someone to keep safe."

There was stunned silence.

The butterflies hovered in the air, their light steady. Then Shiqi burst out laughing.

The sound was loud. Sharp. Uncontrolled.

"Did you lose your mind or something?" she said between laughs. "Do you hear yourself?"

She stepped closer to the door, her eyes bright with mockery. "He was set to marry you when he died. The prophecy chose you as his bride again. Even now, when only half of him had returned, the first thing he wanted was to break your slave contract with the Alphas so that you could be with him freely."

She laughed again. "And you say he treated you like a little sister?"

Emira listened without interrupting. When Shiqi finally stopped laughing, she spoke again. "You mistake duty for love," Emira said. "And guilt for desire." 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

Shiqi’s smile froze.

"He proposed to me not because he loved me. But because he needed to pay a debt. He was protective of me because in his heart, I was his little sister..."

She looked away briefly, Shiqi’s fingers curled into fists as Emira continued, "He wanted to free me. Not claim me. He wanted to give me a choice he believed had been stolen from me."

She looked back at Shiqi then. "That is not how a man treats the woman he loves."

Shiqi shook her head sharply. "You lie," she said. "You have always lied."

Emira did not react. "If I were lying," she said, "you would not be this angry. Why don’t you think back to the past? Did you ever see or feel anything ambiguous in the past between him and me?"

Shiqi did not answer then. He had always favoured Mira on the surface but Shiqi knew that he had never really slighted her. Whenever he returned, he would bring a gift for Mira and also for her... Until the night she had seen him give her the ring, despite her jealousy over their closeness, she had never doubted the innocence of the relationship...

As doubts started to swirl in her mind, Shiqi shook her head. "You’ve become quite insiduous... Mira. Interesting... Do you think you can fool me with these few words? Anyway, it doesn’t matter if he loved you or not. The truth is that he should have belonged to me in the first place. Him. And the power to rule everything.

But the Golden Goddess intervened with her prophesied fate. But I will soon take everything that belongs to me... As for Aron... he will pay the price for rejecting me...."

Emira smiled and extended her hand," Shiqi... why not take a walk into the past with me?"

Shiqi frowned. And stared at the woman leaning casually against the wall. "What? Are you scared to look into the past and find out the truth?"

Shiqi narrowed her eyes and entered the barrier without needing to open it.. Emira smiled. And kept her hands extended. It was a good thing she had gained her past memories...

"Master..."

"Mira. The three lords are going to be here." The man sitting on the large chair looked down at the girl who knelt in front of him.

She nodded," Yes, master. I am aware. They intend to choose a mate."

The man smiled," They might intend to do whatever they want, but they should not choose you, Mira."

Mira looked up then,"Master?"

"Since you want to learn the dark arts and Aron has been teaching you on the sly, I have come to a decision.."

"What is it master?"

"You will marry Aron."

Mira fell silent then. "Master. Aron is like an older brother. He only cares for me as his sister. How can I wed him?"

"He has already agreed. He has promised to marry you and take you away. Once you are away from here and Shiqi has settled on the three Lord’s side, both of you may separate. But promise me, you must never return here or appear in front of Shiqi again."

Mira frowned, "Master... Shiqi is my sister..."

The man scoffed. "She is not your sister. She is your benefactor. One who has shared her home, her parents and her love with you. And now, in return for her benevolence, I am asking that you take Aron and leave here. Is that too much to ask?"

Mira bowed her head then and looked up," Master... What if there is someone Aron already loves?"

The master smiled then," It doesn’t matter who he loves.He has a debt to pay to the Stav family. And taking you away from here will pay it in full. So, be sure to make the three lords hate you. They should know that you already have someone in your heart? Aron will be here soon. Remember that. From this moment onwards, I don’t care if he is the brother in your heart or the master. He will be your lover and husband for all the world to see.Only my daughter can stand by the Three lords side and rule the world. Am I clear?"