Mated to A Rival Alpha-Chapter 281: Where The Shadow Ends

[RANIA]

"Hey, brother. Your mate is here," Daehyun said tiredly to his brother who was huddled up in the corner.

"What?" Jihoon asked as he rubbed his eyes. Rania was watching his movements closely and she could feel her heart once again shattering for him.

Jihoon was handsome. He was more than just good-looking.

On a normal day, he was easily the man women wanted. He was what perfection looks like, but then he had never been that to Rania, unfortunately. They had been the best match in the universe and everything just had to flow away.

"Reject me," Rania said, earning gaps and loud murmurs in the dungeons.

Everyone had been listening to her.

"What?" Jihoon asked again, as he got up to walk closer to the grill that stood between him and the woman he had loved since forever. He couldn’t believe that she had said that and he wanted to be sure that that had really happened.

Maybe there was a way around this, no?

"You heard me. It’s pointless playing dumb now. It’s my twenty-fifth birthday and you are the only mate I will ever have. Let’s end this once and for all so we don’t give each other burdens alright?

"Perhaps that will make things better for you too, because I am not going to forgive you for what you did," Rania said softly but sternly, the honesty in her voice making itself known.

"You didn’t sleep because of that, Rani?" Jihoon asked worriedly. He knew the woman was hard working but goodness, couldn’t she spare a few moments for her sleep?

Surely it wasn’t that hard for her to get some rest, right?

Then again, Jihoon had seen how her friends had been protective of her and cared for her. There is only one explanation for her being here at this moment. They didn’t know that she was awake and in the dungeons. Fuck.

"Go to sleep, Rani. Your birthday party is in a few hours, love. So go, Get some rest," Jihoon said tiredly as he looked at her gently. He had grown up lobbying the girl for anger and pain.

He had loved her for so long, but he should have known that his obsession would get the fates intervening. He should have been kinder and shown her what love was, instead of making her life difficult. But what else could he do now that she wanted him to reject her?

"No. That is not in your place. I need you to reject me so I can get back to sleep. Like I told you, I am not changing my mind about it. So get on with it," Rania insisted and Jihoon’s eyes softened.

He had seen her suffer so many times and now she was determined for him to reject her. It wasn’t what he had expected, but then it wasn’t surprising anyway.

She had grown up taking care of everyone and even on a day that was to be happy for her, she was begging for a rejection.

It is so unlike her, because if she was the rejected one, then she would be the one experiencing the pain of the rejection, especially since she had been determined to protect that bond for years and years on end.

She had done the impossible to protect her bond with the man, and it would make her feel the worst of hits.

Jihoon wasn’t sure he would add that to the list of things that she had to worry about.

As he stared at her, he remembered the long nights that she had had at Yanna’s shelter. She remembered her whimpering and crying in the night for help that no one had been able to give.

Oh, the things he would do to see her happy and smiling.

"Did you have nightmares? Is that why you are being a nuisance here?" Jihoon asked in a condescending tone. He knew that was cruel, but it was the only way for him to know what was wrong with her.

She should have been happy and she should have known that Jihoon was never going to eject her. But then the circumstances did not exactly create a position for them to have the best bonding sessions anyway.

"You little annoying shit," Rania said, though her voice hasn’t changed. She was neither loud, nor was she talking slowly. She didn’t change her stance and it was then that Jihoon knew that she had given up hope of ever having a mate that would love her for who she was.

He wanted to tell her that things would be alright, but he didn’t believe that himself. He couldn’t give her hope, knowing a wallet that he wasn’t ever going to be in the position to make anything work between them.

He had ruined that earlier and right now, the only thing he could do was just wait. But for what?

"I know I’m annoying, Rani. But I’m not the one standing here telling me to reject you. You came in your own volition and you are getting yourself humiliated. Get out of her and go to bed.

"We can deal with everything tomorrow," Jihoon said, his tone still as condescending, though his heart was begging him to be nice.

Then again, he couldn’t have Rania looking weak in front of everyone he had imprisoned here.

He loved her far too much to make her go through that again.

It was midnight and Jihoon was right, probably. But then Rania didn’t seem to buy that. It was like she was desperate to get this done with. She had to, because she needed to cry herself to sleep and wake up with a smile on her face.

She needed to find a way to get through it while everyone was sleeping and he wasn’t making it any easier for her.

What was so hard about initiating a rejection anyway?

"You hate me, and I hate you. So why are you dragging this? Why the fuck can’t you reject me and get this done with? I doubt you would want everyone to know that you are mated to the psycho of the realm.

"I am terrible, and not worthy of whatever bond you seem to think is existent between us. I am dtemriend to make your life hard, Jun. I am not going to hold back which is why you have to reject me.

"You need to reject me. I’m not good enough. You can even have Yanna. She won’t bind you with magic anymore. You’re free, you can be free to love anyone you want. Can’t you see I’m letting you have your life instead of having the damn bond between us?

"Why can’t you? " Rania asked, her anger making a show. She just couldn’t understand why he was suddenly growing a conscience. They had fucked each other one too many times and there wasn’t a point in them playing Saints with each other right?

"You called me Jun again," Jihoon said and Rania faceplaned. She couldn’t understand how a man could be so insufferable.

"Great, now can we get on with the rejection?"

"I’m sorry, but I can’t, Rani. I can’t do that to you," Jihoon said and Rania glared at him.

"The fuck?"

"I can’t reject you."

"Why not."

"Rani–"

"If you are going to be a coward then at least face me while at it."

"R–"

"Why can’t you fucking reject me?"

"Bu–"

"Why?!"

"Because I’m not your mate anymore, okay????"