Enslaved To The Alphas-Chapter 262: Never!

Unwilling to accept it, Shiqi turned away from the lake and walked on, her steps uneven, her thoughts scattered. He didn’t love her? She was willing to accept even through the pain! He would choose someone else to give his love? Fine! She would even accept that! But he would choose to spend his life with Mira and give her all the love? No! Never!

Because if it could be Mira, then why could it not be her? Why!

As she raced away, she did not know where she was going. She only knew that she could not stay there any longer. The world around her felt distant, as if she were moving through a haze, her body obeying while her mind lagged behind.

She walked without direction, barely noticing where her feet carried her. Her heart felt heavy and yet strangely empty at the same time, as if all the warmth had been drained from it, making her feel hollow.

By the time she finally found herself standing outside her room, she felt exhausted, as if she had returned from a very long journey. Her limbs felt heavy. Her chest felt tight and she had no idea where she had been.

She pushed the door open and stepped inside.

Almost at once, Molly hurried toward her and asked anxiously, "Miss! Where did you go? I was so worried about you."

Shiqi closed the door behind her and leaned against it for a brief moment, gathering herself as she answered Molly, "I went for a walk, Molly."

Molly studied her face closely, clearly unconvinced. "You were gone for so long," she said softly.

"I am tired," Shiqi added, straightening slowly. "I want to sleep."

Molly nodded at once. "Of course, Miss. You should rest." She gently guided Shiqi further into the room, helping her sit down before moving to prepare her night clothes. As she worked, she continued talking, her tone light as she tried to cheer Miss Shiqi up. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

"Ah, it’s a good thing you decided to clear your head instead of running off to the Dark Master directly and questioning him. Though he is indulgent towards you and Mira, I was not sure he would take lightly to you questioning him over his methods. Men do not like that. I was worried for a while, you know. And almost went to confess to the Mistress. Only after the Dark Master himself came here asking for you did I finally breathe a sigh of relief."

Shiqi froze. Her fingers clenched tightly in her lap as she slowly lifted her head. "Aron was here?" she asked sharply.

Molly paused, startled by the sudden change in her tone. "Yes," she said carefully. "He came by earlier. He asked where you were and seemed displeased that you weren’t here."

Shiqi’s heart gave a painful twist. He had come looking for her after proposing to Mira and stating categorically that she had nothing to do with their future.

"And what did you tell him?" she asked, her voice quieter now, though no less tense.

"I told him you had stepped out for some fresh air," Molly replied. "He didn’t stay long after that. He said that he’d not yet given the gift he had gotten for you so he came to give that. He then handed the gift and left. I’ve placed it by the nightstand."

Shiqi almost jumped to her feet. Before Molly could say anything more, she rushed past her and crossed the room hurriedly. Her heart was beating so loudly that it filled her ears.

For a brief, dangerous moment, hope flared inside her chest, sudden and wild, drowning out everything else. A gift.

He had brought a gift for her.

Her thoughts raced ahead of her. Perhaps she had misunderstood what she had seen earlier. Perhaps that scene by the lake had not been what she thought it was. Perhaps the ring had not meant what she believed it did. After all, the box Molly was pointing to was small. Small enough to hold a ring. Could it be that she had misunderstood them?

Her breath grew shallow as she reached the nightstand. Her fingers hovered above the box, trembling. She told herself not to hope. She told herself not to imagine. And yet her heart refused to listen.

Maybe he had come here first. Maybe she had been wrong.

With shaking hands, she picked up the small box and slowly opened it. And felt her heart break all over again. Inside lay a brooch.

It was small and dark, crafted in the shape of a delicate curve, the black obsidian stone set neatly at its centre. It was beautiful in its own way. But it was not a ring.

For a second, Shiqi simply stared at it, her mind refusing to accept what her eyes were seeing. The fragile hope she had clung to shattered in an instant, breaking apart so violently that it left behind something far worse.

A brooch. That was all.

A harsh, bitter laugh escaped her lips, surprising even herself. So this was it. This was what she amounted to. Just a brooch. An afterthought...

Her hands closed around it tightly as anger surged through her. Was this what he thought of her? Had he brought her leftovers? Was she nothing more than an afterthought, something to be dealt with once he had finished giving Mira what truly mattered?

He had given Mira a ring... A ring that promised a future.

And for her, he had brought a brooch. Something to pin on. Something easily removed and what could be forgotten.

He had made his choice. And he had made it cruelly, whether he realised it or not.

As her grip tightened, the sharp pin at the back of the brooch pressed into her palm. She barely noticed at first. The pain was distant, dull compared to the storm raging inside her. Only when she felt something warm slide across her skin did she look down.

Blood welled where the pin had pierced her hand.

The sight of it snapped something inside her.

Shiqi let out a sharp breath, her fingers curling even tighter around the brooch, uncaring of the pain. The sting grounded her, cutting through the haze, feeding the anger that now flooded her veins. So this was how he treated her. He rejected her love in the morning. He proposed to Mira by evening.

And by nightfall, he sent her a token. A consolation prize.