Mated to A Rival Alpha-Chapter 140: Nothing Could Ruin The Day, Yeah?

[DALRAE]

Lim Dalrae had changed the day before the festival.

She was happy, and a little too happy.

It was something that everyone had noticed since they had finished the festival preparations. It wasn’t surprising that she could be happy, especially after all that they had gone through to make the festival a success, but then they knew never to ask.

A happy alpha made them feel safer, because this time, they were sure that nothing could go wrong.

Some of the people there had assumed that she had been looking forward to a mate, but then they knew so well that the day Rania declared she wasn’t looking for a mate for a while, was also the day that Dalrae declared hers too.

Sure, she didn’t have a reason to, but then she didn’t want to rub it in Rani’s face that she had a mate and her sister didn’t. The decision was impulsive, but to this day, it was one that Dalrae had never once regretted.

However in the pack house, instead of being blindly happy for Dalrae like everyone was, the pack’s former alpha, Kim, and his wife were worried about Dalrae’s sudden burst of happiness. It was almost like she had done a whole one-eighty in just a span of three days.

That wasn’t normal, not with Dalrae, and they sure as hell knew that Dalrae wasn’t the kind to be excited about any ceremony, especially one that didn’t involve Kim Rania being around. She was acting strange.

"Are you sure about this?" Alpha Kim asked and his Luna just nodded as they stood in front of the gym Dalrae was currently training in.

Coming here, to this particular alpha wolf was a huge risk, and they both knew it could go wrong in so many ways, especially given the woman in question, but they had hoped that all would be right and fine with them. But what if?

Perhaps the Kims were a little too trusting, but given the festival that was coming, they knew that they had to try. However, was it a must for them really, or they just had to find a way to deal with their new possible truth?

Then again, was Dalrae’s happiness the kind of truth they wanted, and at this time when so much could blow up?

"It’s the only way. Besides, we both can’t tell her the truth, but that doesn’t mean we can’t check in on my Rani’s only friend, alright," Luna Kim said and her husband just sighed. The last time they had tried to talk to Dalrae, she had threatened to ruin and murder them.

She had promised to make them suffer in ways that would compensate for all the hurt this family had put her Rani through and right now, even with all of that hanging in the air, the Kims wanted to make peace.

So they carefully pushed the door open, to find the woman of the hour training. She was listening to music, and smiling along.

She looked happy, and maybe she was.

The Kims sort of hoped that they wouldn’t ruin her mood, because they knew that Dalrae was just another version of Rania. Sure, she was less lethal, but still birds of the same feather.

"Good morning, Dalrae,’’ Luna Kim greeted and Dalrae smiled at her brightly before acknowledging the woman like she hadn’t wanted to strangle her just a few weeks ago. Then again, times sure did change and Lim Dalrae was determined to change with them.

"Hello, morning to you too. Do you guys want to spar for the festival tomorrow? You don’t need to worry, you guys are fit as a fiddle. I’m just here trying to have some fun. But sure, join in," Dalrae said as she continued humming the song that was playing in the background.

She had done so much to prepare for the festival and in all that she was also preparing for Rani’s return to the realm.

Dalrae would find her no matter what the moon brought about tomorrow, and it was non-negotiable for her. That was how important the day was and she would make sure that everything went as she had planned, otherwise, she would start dropping bodies.

"You look happy today," Alpha Kim commented and Dalrae nodded with a bright smile.

"Of course, all our hard work for the past four weeks has finally paid off and now we are more than ready for the festival tomorrow. I just can’t wait to see how things happen and how many people will get their mates.

"Besides, who knows, I might just get one," Dalrae said even though she knew that she didn’t want one. But that wasn’t the main reason right now.

All she wanted, was Kim Rania.

"You... You’re looking forward to a mate?" Alpha Kim asked, clearly not expecting that Lim Dalrae would ever say those words. But then as it was, life didn’t have a handbook that told them what to expect and when to expect them.

"Yeah. Anyway, I assume you’re not here to tell me about the festival, no? Besides, you came both of you. I’m assuming you want to tell me something, and you want me to hear it from you before anyone else comes sprouting shit at me, no? 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

"If it’s about my parents I’ll find them once Rani returns to the realm in ten years. It’s not a long time, given I have someone to look forward to meeting, rogue or not anyway. Rani promised she’d help me out—

"—And I’m not exactly in a hurry to look for them," Dalrae said earnestly as she looked at the Kims.

Over the years, Dalrae had wondered if her parents would ever turn out to be like the Kims, a set of parents who were inconsiderate sometimes of how their child felt.

She wondered if they would try and make her conform to the rules of their pack, if ever Dalrae was from another pack. She had so many wonders about her parents and for years she had imagined the reunion.

And in all of her imaginations, however wild they had gotten, Kim Rania was always there with her, holding her hand, just in case things went sideways, and right now, that sounded more like what could have happened for the good of the pack, but was it?

"Actually, we came to ask if you’re okay, given everything that has been happening. You’re like a daughter to us and we worry for you. As you said, you have worked so hard during the festival and it took a toll on you.

"We came to check in on you, and see if there was anything you needed that we could help you with, or even the pack," Luna Kim said and Dalrae once again, gave her a full-on smile, one that made the Kims so certain that something was at play.

There was just no way Dalrae would be that excited about the festival. Unless she was planning to make someone’s life miserable tomorrow, which didn’t sound like a terrible idea, but goddamn, which one was it going to be?

"Don’t worry about me. I’m fine, really. I do appreciate the checking in though. I have to keep training and be ready to protect the pack in case of anything, even though I know everything will be perfect tomorrow.

"Please excuse me while I go back to training," Dalrae said earnestly and the Kims just sighed. This woman was unpredictable and just like her bout of happiness, the Kims hoped that the day of the festival went on without a glitch.

Oh, but that was also Dalrae’s prayer, because then she would have the chance to meet Rania again. It was something she had been mentally preparing for for the past three months and she wasn’t going to let a damn festival hold her back.

"Doesn’t Dalrae’s happiness seem suspicious to you?" Daehyun asked later that evening when he saw Lim Lim and the warriors excitedly going over the last plans.

She was a little too bright, for someone who had prepared a festival for the unmated and those that hoped to meet their mates, but then maybe things had changed, right?

Maybe Lim Dalrae had just figured she could let herself step out of the shadows of her loneliness and face her truth, right? But which truth was that?

"Well, Dalrae’s sudden happiness can’t be worse than the ghost I just saw," Jihoon said, and that piqued Daehyun’s interest.

"Who?" he asked, even though he had a feeling he knew who Jihoon was talking about.

"Yanna. My very dead mate."