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

Chapter 394: 394 — Did He Die—?

"And one day, he came up to me. The fact that I couldn’t see normally had always bothered him, but he never mentioned it. Not until that day," Ren rubbed his red, swollen eyes. "I was at the Temple’s library, hiding behind a large bookshelf. There was enough space for me, who was nothing but bones at that time," he chuckled, although his eyes still held pain.

A brief pause followed, as if the omega was arranging his words in his mind.

"He came up to me after his training—I knew better than anyone how horrible they were—forced to kill people just to become stronger, as they repeated to us. As if saying so would make their words become true. And trapped within those tall white walls, I had begun once again to believe they were right." He inhaled sharply before shaking his head. "Anyhow, Ilyan had brought a book with him."

When Ren glanced toward Zayden, he noticed curiosity flickering in his eyes.

"It was a book with countless spells, and he said, ’I found it, Ren. I found a way to make you see the world—properly.’ He wore a bright smile, and I just laughed at him in disbelief. How could anyone heal a curse I had carried since birth? One that had killed my own parents and countless others? I didn’t tell him any of that, though. I just went along with it, allowing him to perform his magic on me. He had asked me to keep my eyes closed, and I did. Oh, right. Ren—Ilyan was the one who came up with the nickname. He wasn’t in the Temple from the moment he was born. He belonged to a powerful family of mages. When his parents had died in the war, he was sent to the Temple to be taken care of. So he told me."

Ren’s breath caught in his throat, as if he were suddenly struggling to breathe. Even now, he remembered each and every word his late mate had told him, as if it had all happened yesterday.

Zayden noticed how difficult it had become for him to continue. He parted his mouth to stop him, but the other man continued.

"After he read the spell, he took off the blindfold. My heart dropped to my stomach, and fear gripped my chest. I thought about what would happen if it didn’t work. What if, the moment I looked into his eyes, he stopped breathing, and my cursed eyes sucked the life out of him? ’Open your eyes,’ he told me. I was too scared to do so, so I shook my head. However, was it possible that Ilyan wanted something and it didn’t happen? ’Don’t worry, everything will be alright,’ he whispered in my ear. And unwillingly, I gave in, slowly opening my eyes."

The silver-haired man paused, his lips trembling as he lowered his gaze and sniffled. He once again rubbed his nose with the handkerchief.

"Did it work?..." Zayden hesitated, his eyes narrowing. Was that when Ilyan had died? But then, how was it that Ren could see like any other person now?

Ren shook his head.

The alpha’s jaw dropped slightly, not in awe but in shock.

"What?" He frowned. "Did he die—?"

Ren once again shook his head.

Realizing the omega was hesitating, Zayden gently placed his hand over his, hoping that it would give him the strength to continue.

He didn’t want anything to remain hidden from him.

Not anymore.

Ren let out a soft chuckle, his long silver lashes lowering. "My heart sank when I realized that nothing had changed. Panicked, I tried to hide my eyes with both hands, but Ilyan—he stopped me from doing so. Confused, I looked at him—subconsciously, I had completely forgotten that my blindfold no longer hid my cursed eyes. Ilyan simply smiled. ’Your eyes are so pretty,’ he whispered, leaning in and kissing the corner of my eyes. Naturally, I stared at him, trying to understand why he wasn’t affected by my powers," the omega laughed once more, shaking his head.

"It was only then that I realized. He must truly be my fated mate—that’s why he found my hideous eyes beautiful."

Zayden frowned, his eyebrows drawing together. His mouth tasted sour. He knew very well that the man Ren spoke of, the man he had once loved, was now dead. He wouldn’t come back to take the omega away from him. Yet, for the first time in a long time, Ren felt like a stranger. A person he couldn’t reach, even if he tried to.

Perhaps it was because he was reminiscing about his past. It must be that, the alpha convinced himself, nodding at himself.

"How come he didn’t die, though? You told me earlier that if anyone looked into your eyes they would—"

The question left his mouth despite himself. He didn’t want to sound as if he wished for Ilyan’s death, yet, for some reason, he ended up sounding just like that.

Ren blinked, tilting his head to the side.

"Because he is my fated mate?" he repeated, the confused expression never leaving his face.

The omega didn’t answer. He simply studied the alpha’s expression. It was peculiar—and Ren couldn’t quite understand what he was thinking.

After all, Zayden also claimed to be his fated mate.

The words made the alpha stiffen. He hadn’t expected such a simple answer, yet somehow, it only left him with more questions. His gaze remained fixed on Ren, studying the confused expression on his face as though the answer should have been obvious from the beginning.

"Fated mate..." he repeated quietly, lowering his eyes. "So that means if he had died at that moment, the Temple would have lied to you about all this fated mate nonsense."

Ren nodded his head, his silver hair falling slightly over his forehead. "I told you, I’d taken countless lives with these." He closed his eyes before gently tapping the corner of his left eye.

The alpha frowned. "Your eyes?"

Ren nodded once again.

The alpha’s fingers curled against his palm.

There was something about the way Ren spoke about Ilyan that made his chest tighten. It wasn’t necessarily jealousy—not exactly.

It was the realization he already knew deep down—that there had once been someone who had occupied a place in Ren’s heart so deeply that even death couldn’t completely erase him.

"After that, Ilyan came up with a way."

"A way?" Zayden mumbled.

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