Mated to A Rival Alpha

[RANIA]

"Rani, you need to rest. You can’t run away from reality anymore.

"This is happening, and as much as it is good using me as a distraction, you need to be able to face it, sweetheart," Odelia said finally when she realized that Rania had gotten weaker and her movements were slow, yet even then, she was still not letting go.

Odelia knew how hard it was for Rania to be here with her mate on the outside of their tenet. She knew the rains had been cruel, so cruel because even she had felt the impact of the lightning and she was inside a camp tent, the most secure tent of all of them.

She knew how horrifying an experience that had to have been and the fact that she had stayed awake all night, was proof that she still cared.

"I haven’t won yet. Let’s keep playing," Rania insisted but Odelia was done playing. So she gently got Rania up, before walking her out of the tent to make her see sense.

"Where are you taking me?" Rania asked when she noticed Odelia wasn’t stopping.

The places were calculated and as Rania watched how much of a mess the rains had caused from the previous night, Rania felt her heart shatter.

She had never been one to hope, but she couldn’t deny the fact that she was hoping for something else. There was more to this than she cared to admit and clearly, Odelia was done waiting for that day to come.

"To see your husband," Odelia said and Rania started choking intensely, Odelia had to pat her back a few times to make sure that the young wolf was okay.

She knew that it was unexpected, but then she was also aware that there was only one person in the world who could get Kim Rania that depressed.

It didn’t even need an explanation because even as she patted Rania’s back, Odelia didn’t free her grip on Rania, even as they walked in the direction of the medium tent.

"My what now?" Rania asked and Odelia rolled her eyes at Rania’s attempt to downplay whatever was happening. They could do this constantly and Odelia’s answer would still be the same.

"Your husband. Now you can come willingly or I will tell the whole crew that you stayed up all night because you were worried about your chained husband. Make your choice, love and be quick about it," Odelia said and Rania didn’t know what else to say.

She wanted to deny that she had been feeling down because of Jihoon, but she couldn’t, because that was the painful truth. Turns out she really did love him with the same intensity as the hate she had for him.

Would that make anything better though?

"I’m fine," Rania tried but Odleia wasn’t going to give in. She had watched Rania the whole night and fine wasn’t something she could use to describe the woman. Maybe she would be fine after she saw her man, right?

But was he?

"Morning Kylian, where are the prisoners?" Odelia asked when they reached the tent where Kylian was.

She knew that there had been some changes last night, maybe because the whole crew of misfits knew that even though Rania hated Jihoon so much, she still wasn’t ready to lose him completely.

Of course, they were always aware that they could have left Jihoon in Calindra, but they had taken him along with them. It wasn’t hard to explain, but damn, Rania was really going through some rough shit at the moment.

"In the tent. Kaia came last night to make the cage a little bigger. So the Calindra alpha can have some space. His best friend was also put in a similar cage.

And yes they got blankets for the night and were fed before we went to sleep as you ordered," Kylian responded before adding, "Here they are."

Rania looked at Odelia, then at Kylian before she turned to look at Daehyun and Jihoon. Sure enough, they hadn’t been rained on for the night. But that didn’t mean they looked any better.

The silver chains were still on them and there seemed to be a fortified magical boundary surrounding them so it was impossible for them to try escaping or even for them to pack and leave.

Rania couldn’t believe this.

She wanted to cry and at the same time, she wanted to jump in joy, because of what she was seeing. It was like a miracle on a Christmas she hadn’t even known when to celebrate in this realm.

Seeing Jihoon here made her wolf feel alive and for the first time, Ranai felt like she was really alone in the world.

Of course that didn’t do much for her, but she appreciated the fact that even though they were at a war she had initiated, her friends had still been considerate of her feelings.

They had done everything to make sure that she wouldn’t shed another tear when with them.

"I—" Rania began but Odelia just hugged her rightly, like a mother would her youngest daughter. It was a hug that poke columns, one that reminded Rania that she was never alone.

It was one that made Rania feel like she may have been abandoned by her parents, but she was always going to have someone taking care of her. She could finally breathe this time.

"Go, sweetheart. Go talk to him, and once you’re done, you can go get some rest. We didn’t kill him, so you don’t have to worry too much, my love," Odelia said reassuringly before she kissed Rania’s cheeks and ushered Kylian outside. Rania needed to face her mate alone.

Standing there in the middle of the tent, Rania looked lost.

She was sleepy as fuck, but her brain was still puffy from the events of the previous evening and the fact that she really had managed to get the love of her life in a cage.

Sure she was going around parading Kaia as her mate, but that was just an impossible bond. It was a bond of convenience and even she knew that her heart would always yearn for the one in the cage.

He was everything to her and it broke her more than she would ever admit out loud.

Love was once again hurting her.

So instead of saying anything, instead of greeting them or even taking a seat so she couldn’t fall to the ground, Kim Rania just leaned on one of the poles in the tent.

The broken alpha girl wasn’t sure what she needed to do, so she just stood there, like she had been sent to keep guard or something. Oh, but her heart was shattering with every glimpse she got from Jihoon. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

She wondered what was going on in his head, and what he was thinking of her.

Of course, that shouldn’t have mattered, but her heart was heavy this time. And it wasn’t because of the massacres last evening.

If she had to do it again, she would kill them all without thinking twice. That was a fair punishment to her mate for all that she had gone through.

After ten minutes, Rania figured that it was awkward standing there like a damned pole herself, and with that, she made her way out of the tent, only to stop when she heard her mate’s voice.

"Rani... Are you okay?"