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

Chapter 368: 368 — The Illusion

Soren knocked on the door and waited for a response.

No reply came from the other side of the room. Only silence greeted him.

It had already been several days since Ren’s identity had been exposed before the court, since the newspapers began spreading the news throughout the empire. Several days since Zayden had locked himself away.

The Imperial General had not left his room for nearly a week. At first, people assumed he needed time to process the betrayal. Then, they began to worry.

Even Zaphyr had attempted to summon him more than once, only to be met with excuses from the guards stationed nearby for their master. After all, they had witnessed the love the two men shared until all this began.

Soren lowered his hand, his concern deepening.

”Zayden?” he called through the door. ”It’s me.”

Again, no response came.

The omega frowned. This wasn’t normal. His brother had always been stubborn, but never to this extent.

Even after losing comrades in battle, he would eventually emerge and return to his duties.

Yet now, he seemed determined to shut out the entire world.

Soren knocked once more.

”I’m coming in.”

Without waiting for permission, he pushed the door open. It wasn’t locked, surprisingly.

The sight that greeted him immediately caused his heart to sink. The curtains remained drawn shut, preventing sunlight from entering the room. Several empty bottles littered the floor. Untouched meals sat abandoned on a nearby table. And in the middle of it all sat Zayden, in a chair.

His dark-blue hair was dishevelled. His eyes were bloodshot. Dark circles rested beneath them, making it obvious he had barely slept.

For a brief moment, Soren almost failed to recognize him.

The proud Imperial General who stood fearlessly on battlefields looked more defeated than any soldier returning from war.

”Gods...” Soren gasped in disbelief.

Zayden slowly lifted his gaze toward him. A hollow smile appeared on his lips.

”Have you come to lecture me too?”

The question caught Soren off guard. There was no anger in it. No irritation. Only exhaustion. The kind that settled deep within a person’s bones.

And only then did Soren realize something: His brother wasn’t simply angry.

He was grieving.

He was shattered.

”I haven’t come to lecture you,” Soren replied, crossing his arms. ”It’s Enzo—he came to visit you. He wishes to speak with you about something.”

”I don’t want to hear it.” Zayden shut his eyes tightly, his voice cold. His eyelashes trembled ever so slightly.

The reaction was subtle, but Soren noticed it immediately. The alpha wasn’t refusing because he didn’t care.

He was refusing because he was afraid. Afraid of what Enzo might say. Afraid of hearing something that would make this entire situation even more complicated. Or worse—what if it was something that would give him false hope?

”Tell him to leave.”

”Zayden—”

”I said I don’t want to hear it!” The words came out sharper this time. Yet the moment they left his mouth, the room fell silent again.

Soren stared at his brother in disbelief.

Then he groaned loudly, dragging a hand down his face.

”For Gods’ sake, stop this already!” he snapped. ”You are behaving like a child.”

Zayden frowned but remained silent.

”You’ve locked yourself in this room for days. You barely eat. You barely sleep. You ignore Father, the ministers, the knights, and now you’re refusing to speak to people who travelled all the way here to see you!” Soren pointed accusingly at him, huffing—he didn’t even breathe while stating all those. ”You’re the Imperial General, not a sulking teenager, alright?!”

The words earned him a glare. Although it was a weak one, completely lacking the usual intimidation Zayden possessed.

”You don’t understand...”

Ever since Soren had entered the room, genuine emotion surfaced in Zayden’s voice.

In his voice lingered pain. Raw and unfiltered.

”You don’t know what it’s like,” his fingers curled against the mattress. ”Every time I close my eyes, I see him.”

The confession stunned Soren into silence. He blankly stared at his brother. The last time he saw him in this state was perhaps when his human friends passed away in that tragic incident.

”I remember his smile. His voice. The way he looked at me, begging me—almost—to stop the guards from taking him away.” Zayden laughed bitterly. ”And then my mind tells me that all of it might have been a lie.”

His throat tightened.

”So no, brother. I don’t want to hear what Enzo has to say. Nothing about that omega.” For a brief moment, his voice cracked. Because deep down, he already knew the truth.

If Enzo had come all this way, it wasn’t to discuss politics. It wasn’t to discuss the court. It was about Ren because he might have, like everyone else, read the newspapers.

And despite everything, despite all the anger and betrayal consuming him—a part of Zayden still wanted to hear his name. In a way or another.

Soren sighed sharply, shaking his head before turning on his heel and stepping out of the room.

Talking to his brother these days felt utterly pointless.

No matter what anyone said, Zayden remained trapped inside his own thoughts, clinging to them as though letting go would somehow make everything worse.

Once the door closed behind Soren, silence reclaimed the room.

Once again, it was him and his thoughts in the darkness. Zayden slowly lowered himself onto the bed before letting his body fall forward onto the mattress. He buried his face against the sheets and shut his eyes tightly, hoping for a moment of peace.

It never came.

Instead, all he could see were memories.

Ren laughing while holding Eiran. Ren sitting beside him during meals. Ren falling asleep against his shoulder after insisting he wasn’t tired.

Ren looking at him with those crimson eyes that had once made him feel as though he was the most important person in the world.

The memories came one after another, relentless in their assault. Each one hurt more than the last. The more he tried to forget, the clearer they became.

”Zayden.”

The voice made him freeze.

His eyes snapped open. For a brief, foolish moment, his heart leaped.

Ren.

The thought... The illusion appeared before reason could stop it.

Zayden immediately pushed himself upright, only for the hope to vanish the moment his gaze landed on the figure standing inside the room.

A deep frown formed on his face.

”Enzo.” The alpha rose from the bed so abruptly that the chair beside him nearly toppled over.

”What are you doing here?” he demanded, glaring at the man standing before him.

”I told my brother I don’t wish to meet anyone!”