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

Chapter 365: 365 — Anger Born From Betrayal

Swallowing hard, Zayden shoved Ren away from him. The movement was far harsher than he intended, causing the omega to stagger backward.

For a brief moment, silence settled between them.

Ren froze. The hope that had illuminated his face moments ago faltered.

As for Zayden, the ache in his chest only deepened. It felt as though he had just torn away a piece of his own soul. Every instinct screamed at him to pull Ren back into his arms—to ask whether he was hurt—to demand who had left those bruises on his skin—to make sure he was safe.

Yet, all those thoughts were buried beneath the memory of Zion’s words.

Beneath the truth—the evidence Zion had given him. Beneath the countless lies Ren had told him. And the secrets.

The feeling of betrayal was perhaps the worst part of it.

His hands trembled slightly at his sides before he clenched them into fists.

”Don’t touch me,” Zayden said, his voice rougher than intended.

The sight of Ren’s tear-stained face only made it harder to breathe.

Even harder to think—to remain angry. And that infuriated Zayden most of all.

Even now? Even after everything...

A part of him still wanted to believe. He wanted Ren to tell him this was all some terrible misunderstanding. That none of it was true. That the alpha had not given his heart to a stranger wearing a mask.

The conflict twisted painfully inside him.

When he finally met Ren’s crimson gaze, the hurt in his eyes was impossible to hide.

Got it. I’ll keep your paragraph structure, inner thoughts, and longer flowing sentences instead of breaking everything into short dramatic lines.

”Why?” he asked quietly. The single word carried far more pain than any accusation ever could. ”Tell me, Ren.” His jaw tightened. ”Why did you lie to me?”

The tremor in his chest made it impossible for Ren to answer. He parted his lips, yet no words came out. Everything had seemed so much easier back in the dungeon. The illusion of running into Zayden’s arms, explaining the truth, and watching all of this disappear. The hope that his lover would believe him over any evidence placed before him.

And Ren knew it wasn’t merely a delusion.

Zayden would have done exactly that.

He would have placed Ren above anything else. But now, he was no longer certain, not after being shoved away like some unwanted stranger.

The omega lowered his gaze, unable to find the courage to explain himself to the man he loved.

”You belong to Hianshu.” Vincent’s words echoed inside his mind.

That part wasn’t a lie. Ren had, indeed, been born there. Raised there. Fed there. Sheltered there.

Although the conditions under which those things had happened were something the people of Revhara could never understand.

To them, the Grim Reaper was revered in Hianshu. A terrifying figure capable of taking anyone’s life. A weapon worshipped by an enemy nation.

Yet none of them knew about his divine powers. None of them knew those same powers could cure illnesses that even skilled healers failed to treat.

None of them knew the suffering he had endured because of them.

”Why are you quiet?” Zayden asked, his voice growing harsher. ”You came looking for me. Doesn’t that mean you have something to say?”

He blinked slowly, almost hesitantly, as though afraid that if he looked away for too long, Ren would disappear again just as he had these past few days.

And those wounds...

The thought lingered stubbornly in his mind.

Who did this to you?

His eyes drifted over the bruises littering Ren’s skin, the cuts that had yet to heal, the dried blood staining his clothes.

The sight made something violent stir inside him.

He wanted to find whoever had touched Ren and make them regret ever being born.

He wanted to destroy them—their families—their entire bloodline.

Yet he swallowed those thoughts before they could escape.

He could not afford to show concern.

Not now.

Not when every instinct in his body was screaming at him to pull Ren into his arms and never let go again.

So instead, he stood there, fists clenched so tightly that his nails dug into his palms.

His heart raced painfully within his chest.

From anger, betrayal, and fear.

And from the love he still felt for the omega standing before him.

A love that now felt less like a blessing and more like a weapon being turned against him.

”If you are wondering who hurt me physically, then you are the one who—”

”Are you serious?” Zayden scoffed, a forced smile forming on his lips.

A sarcastic one.

The kind of smile Ren had never seen directed at him before.

”You are the one who broke my heart. My trust.” His voice trembled despite his attempts to keep it steady. ”You betrayed me, and yet you dare complain?”

The words struck harder than any fist.

Ren bit down on his lip until the metallic taste of blood filled his mouth. It wasn’t difficult. His lips had long since dried and cracked from dehydration.

Hours, or perhaps days. He no longer knew how much time had passed since he had been thrown into that dungeon. Every second had felt like an eternity.

”You think I’m complaining?” Ren finally asked, his voice barely above a whisper, his index finger pointing toward himself. The disbelief in his eyes couldn’t be hidden even if he wanted to.

Hearing no reply from the alpha, his fingers curled into fists.

”No. I am trying to understand.” A bitter laugh escaped him. ”Do you know what I kept thinking about while I was there?” His crimson eyes slowly lifted to meet Zayden’s.

”You.” The answer came so naturally that it surprised even him.

”I kept thinking that once I found you, everything would be fine. That you would listen to me. That you would give me a chance to explain.” His voice faltered as he swallowed a quiet sob. ”Because that’s what you always did.”

A painful silence settled between them.

Ren swallowed hard.

”Even when nobody else trusted me.”

The words only made Zayden’s expression darken. Because that had been true. He had trusted Ren when nobody else did. Defended him. Protected him. Loved him.

And now that same trust had become the source of his greatest wound.

”Then explain,” Zayden said quietly.

The anger was still there. The hurt. The betrayal. But beneath it all was something else—desperation.

A desperate hope that Ren would somehow give him a reason to believe again.

”Tell me which part was real.”

His gaze locked onto Ren’s.

”The lies.”

A pause.

”The smiles.”

Another pause.

”Our family.” His throat tightened. ”Or was I the only fool who believed any of it?”

Just as Ren parted his lips to speak, a voice shouted, ”FOUND HIM!”

A guard had spotted him.

Within a second, Ren was once again surrounded by knights whose faces he didn’t recognize. They were another group.

”Where do you think you are going?!” One of them shouted before promptly turning toward the Imperial General and bowing to greet him. ”We apologize for the inconvenience. We will bring him back to the dungeon right away.”

Zayden subconsciously parted his mouth to order them otherwise. However, he spotted the hope flickering in the omega’s eyes—hope that Zayden would fight for him, take him back. Hence, he held back. He couldn’t allow the omega to believe he would be forgiven. Not this time.

”Take him back,” Zayden ordered, turning his face to the other direction. He couldn’t bear to see Ren’s dishevelled state any longer. And nor could he bring himself to stop this. Not when even the Emperor was involved.

Or maybe he was just making excuses to not intervene. After all, he, himself, couldn’t forgive the betrayal whereas his love for the omega hadn’t decreased even a little bit.

”Zayden,” Ren muttered, his voice trembling ever so slightly as he called the alpha’s name.

He waited for Zayden to stop this. To tell the guards to let go of him. To prevent him from being dragged away once more.

Surely, after finally finding him and speaking face to face, the alpha wouldn’t allow this to continue.

Surely, he would say something. Anything. Yet nothing came out of his mouth. Not a single word. Not a single command.

Zayden stood motionless.

His gaze wandered across the corridor, lingering on the walls, the windows, even the guards surrounding them.

Everywhere.

Everywhere except Ren.

The omega’s heart slowly sank.

”Zayden...” he called again, more quietly this time.

Still, the alpha refused to look at him. His jaw remained clenched. His hands curled tightly into fists at his sides. As though meeting Ren’s eyes required more strength than he possessed.

Or perhaps because he knew that the moment he did, his resolve would crumble.

The guards tightened their grip on Ren’s arms.

The movement pulled at his injuries, sending pain through his body, but he barely noticed. All he could focus on was the man standing before him.

The man who once looked at him as though he were the most precious thing in the world. And who now couldn’t even bear to meet his gaze.

Ren finally realized something far more frightening than imprisonment.

Zayden was truly angry. Not the fleeting anger that disappeared after an argument. Not the irritation he sometimes showed others.

This was the anger born from betrayal. The kind that left wounds no healer could mend. Not even him, a man who possessed divine power.