[BL] Alpha, You've Got the Wrong Mate!

Chapter 385: 385 — A Monster’s Birth (9)

"Here you are!"

A young man’s voice suddenly echoed through the corridor.

Ilyan immediately turned around, recognizing the owner of the voice.

"Vincent? What are you doing here?" he asked, surprised.

The young man looked as though he had been running throughout half the Temple. He barely managed to catch his breath before abruptly straightening his back.

The reason quickly became apparent. The High Priestess was still standing there.

The woman’s gaze settled upon Vincent.

No.

It wasn’t a gaze but rather a glare.

A cold glare filled with disapproval, along with a disgust she made no effort to conceal.

Vincent’s expression immediately stiffened.

Lowering his head, he greeted her respectfully.

"Your Holiness."

The woman did not answer. Nor did she nod. She offered neither politeness nor acknowledgment.

Instead, she simply turned around.

Her head remained high, her back perfectly straight, and her white robes swept across the marble floor as she gracefully disappeared down the same corridor where Raniel had vanished moments earlier.

"Woah. That was rude—" Before Ilyan could finish speaking, Vincent suddenly grabbed him by both shoulders.

"Why were you here with my mother?!" he demanded. His voice rose louder than intended, his veins practically twitching with frustration.

The other alpha stared at him blankly.

"What?" Ilyan blinked several times, trying to process the unexpected revelation. "Your mother?"

The words echoed through the otherwise quiet hallway.

Vincent slowly released him.

"You didn’t know?" he asked, disbelief evident in his voice. Then, realization dawned on him.

"Ah... right. Maybe because you’re always on the other side of the Temple." He muttered the last part under his breath.

Unfortunately, Ilyan only caught fragments of it.

"You never told me," he said, running his fingers through his hair. "I heard the High Priestess had a son, but I didn’t know it was you. You... hid that from me?"

Vincent merely shrugged.

The topic clearly wasn’t one he enjoyed discussing.

"Regardless," Ilyan continued, his mood brightening almost instantly, "remember the mate I told you about? The one the High Priests found for me?" A grin spread across his face. "I just met him."

Vincent raised an eyebrow.

"And who is it? You still haven’t told me his name." His tone carried a dramatic pout that made Ilyan chuckle.

The alpha leaned closer. Almost conspiratorially.

"Raniel," he whispered. His voice softened around the name as though speaking it alone brought him joy.

To Ilyan, it felt natural.

To Vincent, it felt like being stabbed.

His entire body went rigid.

"W-What?" he stammered.

Surely he had misheard.

Surely there was another Raniel somewhere in the Temple.

Another person with the same name.

Anyone other than the one he knew.

Anything.

"What was the name?" he asked again. This time, his voice was barely audible. He needed confirmation that he hadn’t misheard his friend.

"Raniel." Ilyan laughed. "Are you teasing me now?"

Before Vincent could respond, the other alpha continued talking.

"We just met with the High Priests, but he’s incredibly difficult to approach. Still, don’t worry. Your friend will definitely impress his future partner."

The confidence in his voice made Vincent’s stomach twist.

"I’m going to see him again."

"Again?" Vincent repeated, narrowing his eyes.

"Oh, we only met a little while ago, but—" Ilyan stopped himself.

A sheepish grin appeared on his face. Then, without another word, he turned and hurried toward the corridor leading to Raniel’s room.

The High Priests had explicitly forbidden him from visiting the omega there. Unfortunately for them, Ilyan had never been particularly talented at following rules.

Vincent remained where he was, still and motionless, watching his friend’s retreating figure disappear into the distance.

A painful knot formed inside his chest. His fingers slowly curled into fists.

Everyone always chose Raniel.

His mother.

His teachers.

The High Priests.

Even the servants treated the omega differently.

And now... Now, even his closest friend said Raniel’s name with stars in his eyes as if nobody else in the world existed.

Vincent lowered his gaze. His jaw tightened. He wasn’t sure what emotion burned inside him.

Jealousy.

Resentment.

Bitterness.

Perhaps all of them.

But one thing was certain. The thought of losing to Raniel once again made his blood boil.

"I won’t let this happen under my watch, Raniel," Vincent muttered to himself.

A silent promise, like the vows taken before each morning prayer at the church.

***

For days, Ilyan tried to see Raniel. And for days, he failed. Every visit ended the same way.

The guards stationed outside the omega’s quarters would cross their spears before the door and politely—but firmly—refuse him entry.

"The High Priests have forbidden visitors. Please return another day. Those are not our orders, Archmage."

At first, Ilyan accepted their refusals.

However, by the third day, he was annoyed. By the fifth, he was determined to enter those hallways no matter how many people were against it.

Naturally, he sought Vincent’s help, his only friend. His other companions hated him for being constantly compared to him, or simply because Ilyan was just too powerful, and they feared such an alpha.

"Can’t you do something?" Ilyan asked one afternoon. "You grew up here. Surely you know a way around this."

Vincent nearly choked on his tea.

"No." The answer came far too quickly, as if he hadn’t even given it any thought.

Ilyan narrowed his eyes.

"No?"

"No."

"Why?"

Vincent looked away.

"Because it’s a terrible idea."

"What is?"

"Getting involved with that omega... Raniel."

The response only confused Ilyan further. Every time he brought up the omega, Vincent discouraged him. Every time he asked a question, Vincent changed the subject. Every time he suggested visiting Raniel, Vincent found another reason why he shouldn’t.

The behaviour felt strange, almost desperate, as though he were trying to keep Ilyan away from Raniel. Or perhaps keep Raniel away from him.

But why? Ilyan didn’t know.

However, unfortunately for Vincent, discouraging Ilyan only made him more curious.

Which was why, on the seventh night, he climbed through a window.

The guards hadn’t expected anyone foolish enough to scale the outer walls of the Temple, shielded with magic. Fortunately for Ilyan, he happened to be exactly that foolish.

The spell was not hard to break for the alpha, the Archmage ranking only second to the grand archmage.

After slipping through the half-open window, he quietly landed inside the room.

Darkness greeted him. The chamber was small. Far smaller than he expected.

His gaze swept across the space.

A chair.

A wardrobe.

Nothing else.

His brows furrowed.

Where was the bed? Then, his eyes lowered and his breath caught.

Raniel was asleep on the floor, curled beneath a thin blanket.

No mattress, no pillows and nothing else.

For several seconds, Ilyan simply stared, unable to process what he was seeing.

He had known Raniel was important to the Temple.

Everyone knew that the omega was their greatest weapon.

The child they intended to use in war.

But this? This wasn’t how people treated someone valuable. This wasn’t even how they treated a person.

A strange feeling twisted inside Ilyan’s chest as he slowly approached. The bruises visible on Raniel’s exposed arms only made it worse.

His heart sank at the sight.