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

Chapter 384: 384 — A Monster’s Birth (8)

When Raniel finally managed to speak with High Priest I, he froze in place upon hearing the elderly man’s words.

"That young man is indeed your mate. We conducted several tests, and each confirmed it. You two are a match made in heaven!" High Priest I exclaimed, clasping his hands together. His grey eyes shone with delight as he looked between the two young men.

"Do you know how rare it is to find such a person?" another High Priest added.

It wasn’t truly a question. It was an affirmation disguised as one.

Raniel remained silent, as he always did.

Meanwhile, Ilyan spoke with the elderly men as though he had known them for years. He answered their questions, exchanged polite words, and even managed to make a few of them laugh.

He was heard, understood, and welcomed while Raniel wasn’t. The omega’s words had never seemed to matter much within these walls.

But why?

The omega lowered his gaze to the floor, unable to understand the difference between them.

Ilyan noticed his mate’s unusual silence but said nothing.

The truth was, he knew almost nothing about Raniel. Perhaps this was simply the way he was. After all, they couldn’t have been more different.

Ilyan had always been encouraged to speak his mind, to ask questions, to laugh freely whenever he pleased since he arrived at the Temple.

Raniel, on the other hand, seemed to belong to silence itself. Like a shadow drifting through the Temple halls. Quiet, still, untouchable. Almost unreachable.

Once they exited the audience hall, Raniel immediately increased his pace. He walked so quickly that it almost looked as though he were fleeing from something. Or someone.

Not wanting to lose sight of him, Ilyan hurried after him.

"Where are you heading?" he asked softly.

His voice was noticeably different from the one he had used while speaking to the High Priests.

Gentler.

Warmer.

The omega abruptly stopped walking. For several seconds, he didn’t move. Then, he slowly turned around. His brows were tightly furrowed.

"Stay away from me unless it’s necessary."

The words were sharp enough to make anyone else recoil.

Before Ilyan could respond, Raniel turned on his heels and continued down the corridor. His footsteps echoed loudly against the marble floor.

Anger burned within his chest. It was an unfamiliar feeling.

Extremely uncomfortable and confusing.

He couldn’t understand where it had come from.

Was it because Ilyan was so kind? So different from every alpha Raniel had met before?

Was it because the High Priests treated him with a warmth they had never once shown Raniel?

Or perhaps—

Perhaps it was because, deep down, Raniel already knew something terrifying.

Even if this alpha one day chose to hurt him, betray him, or abandon him like everyone else eventually did...

Raniel wouldn’t be able to lift his blindfold, show him his hideous eyes and lock gaze with him. He wouldn’t be able to kill this alpha.

And that thought frightened him more than anything.

"What in the world..." Ilyan muttered under his breath.

He unconsciously took a step backward, his gaze lingering on Raniel’s retreating figure.

Unfortunately, he wasn’t paying attention to where he was going. It only took a moment before he bumped into something or someone.

Startled, he immediately turned around.

Standing behind him was a woman.

A beautiful woman dressed entirely in white robes. Long dark hair cascaded over her shoulders, and a gentle smile rested upon her lips as though she had witnessed everything from the very beginning.

"Greetings, Your Holiness," the alpha said, lowering his head respectfully.

The woman acknowledged him with a small nod but didn’t stop walking.

She simply continued forward, passing by Ilyan as though he were of little importance.

However, her gaze remained fixed on the same direction his had been moments earlier.

On Raniel.

The silver-haired omega had already disappeared into the corridor, yet she continued staring after him.

A faint smile curved her lips. At first glance, it appeared gentle. Graceful, even. The kind of smile expected from someone in her position—High Priest II.

Yet something about it felt wrong.

Ilyan couldn’t explain why.

The expression never quite reached her eyes. Or perhaps it did. Perhaps that was precisely what unsettled him.

Because within those eyes, there was no warmth. No affection, no pride. Only something cold, something calculating. Something that made the hairs on the back of his neck rise.

Malice.

It flickered there for only a moment before vanishing completely, replaced by the serene expression she wore before others.

The transformation was so quick that Ilyan convinced himself he had imagined it.

"Your Holiness?" he called out carefully.

The woman paused. Slowly, she turned toward him.

"Yes?" she asked, her voice as gentle as flowing water.

Ilyan hesitated. For some reason, the question he had intended to ask suddenly felt difficult to voice. Perhaps because he wasn’t entirely sure what he had seen.

Or perhaps because, despite her calm demeanour, something about the woman standing before him made him instinctively cautious.

His gaze drifted toward the corridor where Raniel had disappeared, then back to her.

"Do you know Raniel well?" he finally asked.

For the briefest moment, the woman’s smile widened.

A little too much. A little too quickly.

"Of course," she replied softly, her eyes gleaming. "I have known that child for a very long time. Perhaps from the moment I—I mean, since he had turned, hmm," she paused, calculating the years with her fingers. "Since he had turned six, I believe."

Something in the way she said that child sent another chill through Ilyan’s body. As though she wasn’t speaking about a person. But about something she owned.

"Is that so?" He forced a soft laugh.

He barely ever met this woman before. Perhaps once or twice. She always remained in her quarters with her lovers, he had heard.

She looks very young... Doesn’t she have a child my age?

He pondered.

Seeing the man lost in thought, the lady took the opportunity to walk away before more questions befell upon her. It wasn’t like she would answer him honestly; however, thinking about lies also required energy.

"Here you are!" A young man’s voice exclaimed from behind.

Ilyan turned immediately, recognizing the owner of the voice.

"Vincent? What are you doing here?.."