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

Chapter 388: 388 — A Monster’s Birth (12)

And certainly, nothing escaped the eyes of the Temple. Word soon reached the High Priests about the secret meetings between the two young men. Naturally, they were far from pleased to hear of any of it.

Before long, both Raniel and Ilyan were summoned before the elderly men and women.

Raniel didn’t utter a single word. He stood perfectly still with his head lowered, while Ilyan met High Priest I’s gaze without looking away.

Among those seated, his eyes also landed on High Priestess II—Vincent’s mother.

Not a trace of a smile rested upon the woman’s lips. Her eyebrows remained relaxed, almost gentle, yet somehow that expression made her appear even more displeased with the situation. It was impossible to tell what she was thinking.

"And who gave you the right to go against my orders?" High Priest I asked, his voice cold and sharp enough to make the hall feel several degrees colder.

Both Ilyan and Raniel flinched.

It was rare for the elderly man to raise his voice or openly display his anger. Usually, he guided people with gentle words and warm smiles, making it impossible to discern what truly lingered within his heart.

But today... Today was different.

The warmth that usually filled his gaze had vanished entirely, leaving behind an authority that settled heavily upon everyone’s shoulders—even upon Raniel’s heart.

Neither of the two young men dared to answer immediately.

The silence stretched through the hall, so heavy that even the servants standing along the walls lowered their heads, unwilling to witness what would happen next.

Finally, Ilyan stepped forward.

"It was my decision," he said calmly. "Raniel never invited me to his quarters. I was the one who sought him out."

The High Priest I narrowed his eyes.

"So, you admit to repeatedly disobeying the Temple."

"I do." The straightforward answer surprised several of the High Priests.

Even Raniel slowly lifted his head.

Why...

Why would this man take all the blame upon himself? The meetings had not all been forced. Toward the end, Raniel had stopped chasing him away the moment he saw him. At times, he even waited.

The realization made the omega unconsciously tighten his fingers. He swallowed hard, for fear the priests might have read his mind.

High Priestess II suddenly let out a quiet chuckle.

"What remarkable devotion," she said, resting her cheek against the back of her hand. "You have known each other for barely a few days, or weeks perhaps, yet you are already willing to accept punishment for him." Her gaze slowly drifted toward Raniel. "And you."

The silver-haired omega stiffened.

"You disappoint me. I did not expect this from you, of all people, Raniel."

Raniel lowered his head without a word. He had grown accustomed to hearing those words.

Disappointment, failure, useless.

No matter how hard he tried, these words always seemed to follow him.

"I instructed you countless times to keep your distance from outsiders," High Priest I continued. "Have you forgotten your purpose?"

"No."

"Then remind everyone. Mostly, let your mate know," his sharp gaze landed on Ilyan.

The order lingered in the silence. Raniel remained quiet for several seconds before quietly answering, "I am a weapon of the Temple."

"Louder."

"I am a weapon of the Temple."

"You do not belong to yourself."

"I do not belong to myself."

"You do not belong to another."

"I do not belong to another."

"And what happens if a weapon develops feelings?"

Raniel’s lips trembled almost imperceptibly.

"It becomes... useless." The answer echoed through the hall.

Satisfied, High Priest I slowly leaned back in his chair, "Very good."

Only Ilyan wasn’t satisfied. His brows furrowed deeper with every sentence that left Raniel’s mouth.

Weapon? Belong? Developing feelings made him useless?

None of it sounded right. None of it sounded human when the omega was undoubtedly human.

He glanced at the silver-haired young man standing beside him.

Raniel’s expression remained completely blank, as though those words were nothing more than facts he had repeated his entire life. As though he truly believed every single one of them.

Something twisted painfully inside Ilyan’s chest.

For the first time since meeting Raniel, he realized the Temple had never raised him like a child. They had raised him like an object.

And he wouldn’t let his mate suffer such injustice.

***

Despite being firm on his decision, Ilyan held back on Vincent’s advice, "You will only cause him harm if you disobey the orders."

And it was true that he held no great power or control over the people of the Temple. He might be a high-ranked archmage, but outside of these walls, he had no one to call his own, or anyone he even knew.

Hence, the two barely met unless it was for Ilyan’s rut or Raniel’s heat.

To Ilyan, it seemed like they were animals—existing only to mate together and nothing else.

When he, once again, asked the High Priest I, he was told to deal with it, or they could always find another mate for Raniel.

The young alpha’s eyes widened as though he had just heard the most absurd thing imaginable.

"Find another mate?" he repeated, unable to hide the disbelief in his voice. "You speak as though Raniel is nothing more than an object," he snorted.

"To the Temple, he is," High Priest I merely folded his hands together behind his back, staring outside through the large window.

The answer struck Ilyan harder than he expected. He wanted to argue. To tell the elderly man that mates weren’t something to be replaced at will. Mostly, if they were truly fated mates, as he was told. That Raniel wasn’t a weapon or a possession.

But Vincent’s earlier warning echoed in his mind.

"You will only cause him harm if you continue to disobey their orders."

Reluctantly, Ilyan swallowed every word. From that day onward, he stopped sneaking into Raniel’s room. Not because he wanted to, but because he feared the punishment would once again fall upon the omega instead of himself.

As the months passed, the two only saw each other during Raniel’s heats or Ilyan’s ruts.

Nothing more.

Nothing less.

To Ilyan, it felt as though the Temple viewed them no differently than animals—creatures that existed solely to mate before being separated once again, like criminals who committed crimes together.

Every time he looked into Raniel’s empty eyes afterward, the thought settled deeper into his heart. He couldn’t bring himself to speak whenever he was sent to the omega during his ruts. And when Raniel was in heat, he was in no state to listen and understand him.

Perhaps that was exactly what the high priests wanted.

...

Nearly a year later, excitement spread throughout the Temple. The annual sword tournament had finally arrived.

Young men from every district gathered within the large training grounds, eager to prove the results of their years of training before the High Priests.

Naturally, Ilyan was among the participants.

"You’ll win anyway." Vincent shrugged as he leaned lazily against the wall, watching his friend adjust the sword hanging from his waist.

"I don’t know about that."

"Oh, stop pretending to be humble."

Ilyan chuckled. His gaze wandered across the courtyard where families, friends and fellow disciples crowded together.

Many carried small embroidered pouches. Some held charms while others offered handmade bracelets or ribbons. Tokens meant to wish the participants a safe match and good fortune.

His smile slowly faded.

"What’s wrong?" Vincent asked.

"...Nothing."

It wasn’t nothing. He simply wished someone had come to wish him luck, too.

Just then, one of the Temple servants hurried toward him.

"Sir Ilyan."

The alpha turned, narrowing his eyes.

"The High Priests request your presence."

Perplexed, he followed the servant through several corridors until they arrived at a quiet courtyard.

There, beneath the shade of an old tree, stood a familiar, long, silver-haired young man.

Raniel.

The omega’s eyes were covered by the white cloth, like always. In his hands rested a small blue cord with a polished white jade bead hanging from it.

For a moment, silence settled between them until Raniel slowly extended the charm toward him.

"I asked the High Priests, and they said it was all right to meet you if it’s to give you this."

Ilyan blinked.

"For me?"

"It is customary," Raniel nodded.

The alpha accepted the charm with surprising care, turning it over in his fingers. Then a grin slowly spread across his face.

"So... your heart finally softened toward me?"

Raniel immediately frowned.

"No."

"Not even a little?"

"No."

"You don’t want me to win?"

"I didn’t say that."

Ilyan’s grin widened.

"So you do."

"Ilyan."

The omega’s ears had already begun turning red.

"I was told to bring it."

"Mm." Ilyan raised an eyebrow, smiling. That wasn’t what the omega had said just a few moments prior. Did he already forget?

"And nothing more," Raniel continued.

"Mm."

"You are misunderstanding."

"I probably am."

Raniel tightened his jaw, biting his lower lip nervously.

"I should just take it back."

"You can’t."

"Why?"

"Because..." Ilyan carefully tied the blue cord around the hilt of his sword before smiling at him. "It’s already become my lucky charm."

For reasons he couldn’t explain, Raniel found himself unable to stay in the alpha’s presence any longer. Hence, he quietly turned around.

"I hope you lose."

Ilyan laughed.

Somehow... He had never heard a less convincing lie. Even if Raniel stated that it was an order from the high priests, it was evident that he was the one who came up with this idea in the first place.

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