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

Chapter 294: 294 — Stolen Freedom

Although it was night, the sky outside remained grayish.

Yusha stood by the window of his room, staring blankly at the snow. It looked pretty—innocent—unstained by anything. Yet if a single drop of blood were to fall onto it, the white would be ruined at once, its original colour forgotten.

Perhaps that was why Yusha liked to refer to snowflakes as the forgotten frost.

”So this is where you have been.”

A familiar voice came from behind.

Yusha flinched and slowly turned to face Liam, who was panting. He had clearly run all the way here.

The omega’s gaze darted across the room, searching for Ren—or anyone he could ask for help—but no one was there. He swallowed hard and instinctively stepped backward, only to collide with the cold glass.

Chills ran down his spine—not from the cold, but from the fear of seeing Liam in his room. He wasn’t supposed to be here.

Not when he was in the Imperial General’s mansion.

How did he get in?

Yusha wondered, clutching the neckline of his shirt.

Liam clicked his tongue and shook his head.

”Tsk, tsk. It seems my loyal dog has been trained by someone else,” he said as he stepped closer.

Yusha frowned, glaring at him, his hand moving protectively to his stomach. Every time he saw Liam, his words echoed in his mind. His ploys to kill their baby were something he could never forget.

”W-Why are you here?” he asked. Though he tried to keep his voice steady, the tremor betrayed him.

The alpha let out a faint, dry scoff, as if the question itself were ridiculous.

”To come and get you, of course.” He smiled brightly, opening his arms. ”Let’s go home, sweetheart.”

The tone was soft—almost deceiving.

Yusha hesitated before taking one step closer. Then another. Soon, he found himself standing in front of the very man who had tried to kill him and his baby. Perhaps he was bewitched into listening, into doing as he was told. His body had been trained to obey his every word, every command.

”Yusha has no will. Yusha has no rights. Yusha has no opinion. Yusha belongs to his master.”

He had repeated it countless times, through innumerable days and nights, back when he was a slave. A few years of so-called freedom couldn’t possibly have erased the slave still living inside him.

Liam embraced him warmly, unlike every scene Yusha had imagined.

”I missed you,” he whispered, pressing a soft kiss to the omega’s cheek.

However, Yusha didn’t react. He stood still, unable to breathe. It was the same way deer reacted when they sensed a predator approaching.

Fear was a terrible thing.

And worse than that was a brainwashed mind.

Yusha’s knees gave out before he could understand what was happening. His gaze narrowed as he tried to sharpen his blurry vision, but in vain.

The room spun, Liam’s voice fading into a dull murmur, his warmth turning distant.

Darkness swallowed him whole before a single thought could form.

***

When he woke up, the first thing Yusha saw was the ceiling.

His room’s ceiling—the one he had been staring at not long ago.

The familiar paintings on the walls. The familiar dressing table, the same carved sun on the closet.

He would have recognized it in a heartbeat—no, even without seeing it. This room was carved into him, the first gift Liam had ever given him.

His chest tightened.

How did he get here?

His mind raced with possibilities, but he was certain of none. He tried to move, sitting up on the bed. His body didn’t ache—his baby was still fine.

A sigh of relief left his mouth.

Just then, he realized something was wrong. He tried to step down without removing the blanket still covering his legs. He couldn’t move.

Panic surged as he tried again, his legs refusing to respond. A faint clinking sound broke the silence—soft, metallic.

Did Liam use a paralyzing spell on him?

His breath hitched.

Another movement.

Another sound.

Chains.

His ankles felt tight, painfully so. Slowly, dread pooling in his stomach, Yusha lifted the blanket and looked down.

Cold metal encircled his ankles.

He was chained!

His vision blurred as realization crashed over him, sharp and suffocating. The room that had once been his sanctuary now felt smaller, closer—like a cage closing in.

He didn’t know how he had gotten here. He didn’t know how much time had passed.

All he knew was that he had lost the little freedom he once had.

He looked down at his stomach, teeth clenched so tightly his jaw ached.

”It’s all because of you,” he whispered, his voice cracking under the weight of his fear. ”If I hadn’t tried to protect you—if I hadn’t offended the Lord—I wouldn’t be here.”

The words spilled out before he could stop them. A sob tore from his chest, hot tears rolling down his cheeks as his shoulders shook.

The freedom he had chased his entire life—fought for, bled for—had been stolen in a single moment. In the face of it, he felt unbearably small, painfully useless, and miserable to the point that it felt as if his existence had never held any meaning at all.

Then reality struck him like lightning.

Yusha shook his head violently and raised his hand, striking his own cheek.

The sharp sound echoed in the room. Once. Twice. He continued until he lost count. His skin burned beneath his palm.

”What am I saying?!”

His hand trembled as it fell to his sides. Horror twisted within him, and he quickly cradled his stomach, as though shielding it from his own words. His touch softened, apologetic.

”I-I am sorry,” he whispered brokenly. ”I-I wasn’t thinking,” he breath hitched. ”Daddy was scared for a moment...”

His fingers traced his stomach, forming circles as his breathing slowly steadied.

”Please forgive me,” he murmured. ”I love you. I would never blame you. I didn’t mean any of it. I am so, so sorry...” He cried, his voice shaking every time he uttered a word.