Mated to A Rival Alpha-Chapter 127: Valid Justifications?

[DALRAE]

Dalrae looked at Jungwoo with an angry face.

She had always thought that they would always remain sensible in their friendship and yet as she looked at the man before her, she couldn’t help but wonder whether Jeon Jungwoo was on drugs here.

This man had done the worst of the worst and was still able to show his face to her. Maybe being the crown prince came with audacity, because only that could explain whatever the fuck was going on here with the man before her.

"You know I had to do something before the council members, given I’d been the one who called for the lunar trial," Jungwoo tried to explain why he had betrayed Rania. He knew that each word made him sound more of an ass than the last sentence but what else could he do?

He still cared for the both of them and the circumstances were not exactly favorable to the both of them. The timing itself was not okay and yet when Jihoon had ambushed Jungowoo with the news of Yanna’s death, he had dived right in.

Maybe that made him a better person than Rani. But why did he feel the constant need to apologize to any and everyone who could hear and see him? Why did it feel like he had spent his life being crude to most and not even understanding why?

"Oh really now, hmm? You hurt her because you wanted to show the council what? That you were still the powerful bastard they always wanted you to grow into? That you were still the blood and flesh of the mighty king Seojoon despite being in captivity for so many years?

"Was that also why you didn’t tell them about Yanna being your hybrid sister?" Dalrae asked, her tone so chill that Jungwoo felt like the world was about to close on him.

He wasn’t sure what he had been expecting but this hurt more than any punches he had gotten and the doses of silver he had been poisoned with in Drarun.

Jeon Jungwoo was desperate but Dalrae had once been desperate like him and instead of him helping her, he had stabbed her a little harder with the knife of betrayal.

Nothing was going to change, at least for the longest time and the sooner Jungwoo accepted that, the sooner they could move on and lead their lives. It wasn’t like their lives could get any worse, right?

"I didn’t think that far," Jungwoo confessed and Dalrae just let out a scoff. Of course, he didn’t think that far. Besides, why would he when he was born with a golden spoon in his mouth? It wasn’t like there was anything else Jungwoo could lose anyway, right?

"You came to tell me about the festival, no? What is it about the damn festival that you had to come and tell me on your own, your royal highness?" Dalrae said and Jungwoo knew he had a long way to go. But he was also certain that he would work his ass off for his best friends.

"Uhh... yeah. The festival. Incayon has been selected to be the venue. And the festival is in a month, Lim Lim," Jungwoo said, careful not to anger the woman even more.

However, looking at Dalrae’s shocked face Jungwoo wasn’t sure if he was supposed to be relieved that the woman wasn’t asking questions about the damn festival or if he was supposed to be worried that she wasn’t exactly ready to talk about it.

It was almost like this was something out of the blue, but was it? Everyone knew that the Obren mating festival was always held across the packs every once a year and this time, it was Incayon’s turn.

Granted, the festival was different from the mating balls, but even then, it didn’t make it any easier to plan and execute.

"Great, and I’m assuming you came up with the grand suggestion of holding it here because you couldn’t stand being away from us, no?" Dalrae asked, even though her tone was dripping with sarcasm.

It was crazy how she had still managed to stay calm despite wanting to hurl the prince out the door barely a few minutes ago.

She was sick of being tired.

And she was tired of being sick.

Everything that was happening was making her heart hurt even more. If the festival was here, then she would have to work extra hard, and without Rani to keep her sane, Dalrae wasn’t sure she could do this.

She wasn’t sure she could collaborate with the Kims when they had broken their own daughter’s heart. She hated that the Incayon wolves had been quick to take the sides of a set of parents who had abandoned their child in broad daylight.

It was embarrassing on many fronts, but Dalrae also knew that Rani would have wanted her to make sure the festival was great. Besides, whether they were on the same page or not, Incayon needed to say the strongest pack in the realm.

They needed to be undefeated because if they weren’t then they would be prey for other packs and people would stomp on them which wasn’t really going to be a good thing for anyone, and especially not the Incayon wolves.

"Yeah... but I can explain,’’ Jungwoo said and Dalrae just stared at him, like she was wondering how much she had to put up with, just because her former best friend was the crown prince. Dalrae was so close to losing her patience, really.

Maybe she was waiting for something that could trigger her to the point that she would have no other option but to take a punch at her best friend again. She was not in the right state of mind at the moment and frankly. That made her so irrational.

"You can explain? Really now?" Dalrae sighed defeatedly. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

"Yes. It will give Incayon the chance to show how powerful the pack remained, after y’know—" Jungwoo trailed off and this time, Dalrae let out a laugh. It was an empty one, one that was filled with so much pain.

The kind of laugh that screamed for help, but then no one was listening to her. And the only person who could have understood her, was in a whole different realm, and hurt. What was Dalrae even supposed to do anymore, huh?

"Good for you," Dalrae said before adding, "I don’t know what you were thinking, but anyone knows that Incayon is still not ready for such a responsibility. But hey, you already made the decision without consulting, so we have to follow the order right?"

Dalrae was frustrated and angry at her friend. But she was also tired from letting herself feel everything. She was tempted to just go numb, but that would leave Incayon so vulnerable and that in itself was scary as hell.

She wanted to understand Jungwoo, but then what else was there to understand when their roles in the shitty play of life was already made clear?

Was she supposed to convince him that this wasn’t tiring or was she supposed to beg him?

Then again, if Jungwoo was here, then it meant that the realm had already heard of the news and people were already making plans.

Oh, how Dalrae wanted to scream into the wells of sorrow.

Dalrae wasn’t sure she could do this anymore, and the fact that she knew the person who had caused her so much pain, made her wonder what the king would do if she decided to take Jungwoo captive.

These were scary situations but then what did they expect when they took Kim Rania from the woman?

"Do you think it’s because Incayon isn’t ready or just because you don’t want me here?" Jungwoo dared to ask.

Dalrae lifted her head as if to ask the man if there were any other stupid ideas he was still holding onto in his head, because this surely couldn’t be the same brain that he wanted to rule Obren with, right?

"If it helps, the previous ceremony was held at the palace, and this time, I truly selected Incayon to prove to father and the wolves that Incayon wasn’t bad, and that they had earned the horrible name because of Rani.

"Besides this is a chance for Incayon to reclaim its glory as the strongest pack in the kingdom," Jungwoo said and Dalrae just listened to him.

She knew he had a point, and that made her hate him even more.