Mated to A Rival Alpha-Chapter 139: Truthful Lies of A Confused Heart
[JIHOON]
"It’s always been her from the first day in that mating hall. It’s always been Rani. Mate bond or not," Jihoon said, his tone turning into a sincere one as he looked at his disbelieving best friend.
Of course, Daehyun was right not to believe Jihoon.
The man had only ever publicly and privately hated Rania, much to Daehyun’s information and right now he was sounding like he had been whipped for the woman at first sight, when Yanna herself had made sure that they would never accept each other unless Yanna was dead.
"Well, I’ll be damned," Daehyun said, as he looked at his best friend.
He hadn’t expected this from Jihoon and that too, in the manner that he had spoken which could have fooled anyone that it was a heart-to-heart.
However, Jihoon didn’t care that he sounded like someone who was clinging onto an old love story, one that hadn’t ever begun, but he was determined to see it through. So he continued.
"The first night I saw her, she had to easily be the prettiest woman there. Sure, she was just sixteen and almost the same age as me, but she was everything. I knew what was going on about her in the kingdom and I knew I was lucky to have her.
"I just didn’t know that she would be a psycho. And yet even then, I loved her more than life itself.
"She was everything to me, then, and even though she was banished, she still is everything to me at the moment," Jihoon said so thoughtfully that for a moment, Daehyun forgot that they were hiding in the Incayon woods, as he burst out in laughter at his brother’s face.
"Talking about love when your face is showing so much cringe, anyone would think you ate chicken shit before you came out here and started the story," Daehyun said as he laughed so hard, rolling on the grass from the face his brother was wearing.
It wasn’t the face of love, and if ever that was the face of love, anyone would have long declined the love from Jihoon in an instant.
He looked disgusted, like he couldn’t believe he was talking about Rania like that. Maybe it was because while his brain was trudging to come up with a way to make the lie believable it just wasn’t going to be believable.
"You will get us caught. But hey, I practiced so hard for this. I wanted to sell that statement at the festival, that way Dalrae can let me in Incayon or even let me see the woman the next time she sneaks into Incayon.
"One thing I am certain of, is that Kim Rania will never let Dalrae be alone for a whole decade and not have to come to check on her," Jihoon said as he sat upright, changing the face he was wearing from earlier.
He had reverted back to the man Daehyun and the Calindra wolves were used to seeing. The man who had clear hate in his heart for Kim Rania.
He looked like he was going to see Rania and take her out himself so he wouldn’t ever worry about having a rebel for a competitor in the psycho-killing business. Then again, Jihoon had only become a psycho because of what Rania had done to him.
It was because he had to learn to defend himself and his people from Rania, thanks to the hate-hate relationship they both had with each other.
"That was so good, but even I must tell you, if you want to sell that story to Dalrae, then you have to practice controlling your facials, because they were the first giveaway that you were lying about her.
"Talking about love when you’ve never loved anyone in your life, is just wicked. But hey, at least you loved our Luna, may her soul rest in peace," Daehyun said so calmly and composed like he hadn’t just seen Yanna a week ago at the cabin south of Calindra.
He contemplated telling Jihoon about the woman, but Daehyun had figured that he needed to work shit out with his brother, one at a time, before the man went kaboom on him and they still didn’t know what was wrong with the alpha.
"We still have a week to work that out besides the wolves in Incayon will be a little more relaxed, especially now that the preparations for the festival are done. They won’t be on edge as they had been and that will give me the perfect chance to perfect my act.
"Maybe that way, Dalrae will buy my story and tell me where the rebel is so I can sniff her out and end this shit once and for all. She killed my Yanna. It’s only fair that I kill her too in the worst possible way, don’t you think?"Jihoon said and Daehyun just sighed before nodding.
He didn’t know how to break it to Jihoon, but he hoped that the man wouldn’t be irrational before the festival. Maye after the festival they could sell their truths and face everything that was headed for them.
"Fine, whatever. Your fake story got me back here, so let’s get some food in these damn woods. We can’t sleep hungry and still be bitten by mosquitoes. I can’t believe I’m going to have to put up with this for a whole week.
"Fuck me," Daehyun whined and Jihoon just gave him a light tap, as if to tell him that everything would be okay. However, would it really?
Would it be when Jihoon himself knew that something was amiss and then there was a part of him that truly cared for Rania and that was scaring the hell out of him? Would it when all Jihoon had been thinking about for the past three months was Kim Rania and Kim Rania only?
Sure, he had managed to mask it well and make it seem like each time he talked about Rania, he wanted her dead, but then his heart was calling to her.
The side effects of Yanna’s bewitching had been fading even faster when Rania had been banished and now, Jihoon could actually feel the pull. He hated what it meant and he hated that he had been with another instead of the one meant for him.
And that was also why he had burned everything about Yanna. He wasn’t sure why he had started thinking about Rania like a man would a woman and a mate would their mate, but what he knew was that he didn’t even want to think of Yanna.
He hated Yanna’s scent wherever he went. It drove him feral, which could explain everything he had done over those months. He had gone crazy, and ballistic, but even then, he couldn’t even open up to his very own best friend about what he was truly feeling.
Besides, he had just confessed to loving Rania and his Daehyun had called it a bluff. But how long would Jihoon try to keep selling the same narrative, before his wolf couldn’t take it any longer and started lashing out at everyone too?
"Yeah sure," Jihoon joined Daehyun without complaining because he knew that coming to Incayon was no coincidence. His wolf had forced him here, and that was also how Jihoon knew he was more than fucked this time. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂
An Alpha’s wolf could stay away from their mate for long, but would they?
