True Alpha’s Chosen Mate - Chapter 163

Life was truly full of surprises. One minute, everything seemed in place. But in just a blink of an eye… everything seemed to slip through his grip like water.

Hugo thought he was ready for it. No. He was certain that when the time comes, he already knew what to do.

He was wrong.

The second that woman from across the hall caught his eyes, he couldn’t look away. It was his first time seeing that woman, but he felt like his soul knew her already.

‘I should look away,’ he commanded internally, but he couldn’t. ‘She is looking. Rinnie is smart and she will surely know what is going on.’

His jaw tightened as his hand balled into a tight fist. His shoulder was tensed, breathing growing heavy by the minute. His mind was telling him to go for that woman, whisk her away, and secure her in his embrace so she wouldn’t leave him. But his heart told him otherwise.

“Hugh,” Rinnie’s voice caressed his ears and that very second, his heart sank.

She knew. Her voice told him she already knew. That was why it sounded so sad. It felt like she was dying.

‘Rinrin…’ Hugo wanted to look at her, but to no avail.

Right at this moment, he felt powerless. This was the first time in history he felt so pathetic and powerless, and yet, he couldn’t do anything. He didn’t want to hurt her, but he already did.

‘Don’t go,’ he pleaded in his head upon sensing Rinnie’s distance from him. ‘Don’t leave me here and just hold on to me. Rinrin… don’t go.’

She was gone. Her heavy footsteps faded until he could no longer hear them and the silent cry she held back.

“Look away,” he whispered, unblinking. He needed to chase after her and correct the grave mistake he had done. But how could he when his eyes were fixed on another woman? Hearing the dreadful clicks of shackles, binding his soul like a curse.

“I will kill her…” he breathed out.

While the attraction was still something he could stop, he thought of taking that stranger’s life. He didn’t care if this would cause yet another problem for them. All he could think about was to stop what was trying to control his life. He had to take out the root.

But just as Hugo was approaching the person his instinct was screaming for, a hand suddenly grabbed his wrist. This time, he was able to look away from that woman and look at the person who stopped him.

Alice.

“Hugh,” Alice called through her gritted teeth. “Come with me, you pathetic fool.”

Before he could react, she dragged her brother to her without a second delay. She had been watching since earlier. Hugo and Rinnie often stood out in the crowd, so while she was mingling with other noble ladies, she caught the two of them.

The second Alice laid her eyes on her brother, she knew right there and then what was going on. She had been there; she was once in Hugo’s position. And she also knew someone who was once in Rinnie’s shoes.

The reason she rushed to them, but because of her popularity, she was stopped by a few people on the way. Before she could reach them, Rinnie was already gone. He could only stop his brother from doing the unspeakable.

Alice dragged him out of the hall and into the garden. She let him go and turned around to face him, anger plastered across her face.

“Are you out of your mind?!” she yelled until her voice shook. “What do you think you are going to do, huh? Kill your mate? Kill yourself?”

Hugo’s eyes were blank, staring at her furious sister. “Why not?” came out a dead voice. “Why can’t I kill her? Alice, of all people, I thought you will understand since you’ve been in this type of situation.”

She clenched her teeth, suppressing herself from beating him to his senses. “Of course, I understand you, because I’ve been there. That is why I stopped you.”

“Nonsense.” He laughed mockingly.

“Hugo Tempest, do you really think you can kill your mate?” Her eyes glinted as her breathing grew heavy. “Once you make contact with her, do you think you can strangle her to death? I’m certain, deep down, you knew that is not what you will do. Instead, you will surely embrace her like nothing ever matter. That will be irreversible.”

This time, all his arguments were stuck in his throat. He couldn’t completely deny that what Alice said was wrong, but he couldn’t also agree with it. This strange phenomenon that he never felt before… was so strong it was making him sick.

This… was not love. He was certain this wasn’t it. Love was… all the things he naturally felt at Rinnie. And yet, this desire building up in his heart was stronger.

It was a curse. He was never cursed before, but he could tell by the sickening feeling along with it. It was forcing him to do something.

Alice bit her lips, seeing the helplessness beneath his eyes. It was as if she was staring at the young Alice, who, by the time, also experienced this curse for the first time.

“Can you… fight it?” she inquired in great difficulty, watching his brother’s blank eyes raise at her. “You can’t…?”

“What am I going to do, Alice? Rinnie knows…” came out a desperate voice. “She had seen it and she surely knows. She’s not stupid and yet… my brain can only think of running back to that other woman.”

“Hugh.” Her eyes burned. “I… don’t know. What should I do to save you?”

There was a long silence between them while staring at each other. If Alice only knew how to fight it, if she only knew the secret to reject this maddening desire, she would’ve told him already. She wouldn’t stay in a marriage that only bring her pain if she knew.

Alice wanted to save her little brother from going through hell. By loving someone before their destined partners, that pain would never go away. They would love and despise their mates, but they could never leave them.

“Kill me.” He broke the dead air, making Alice’s heart stop for a second. “Alice, kill me or lock me somewhere. No. Lock me and Rinnie, where there’s only us. I don’t care if we can’t see the sunlight again. Just take us to a place where no matter how much I pound on it, it won’t break. Alice can you –”

SLAP!

Alice huffed, staring at him with his face tossed to the side. “Can you hear yourself? Lock you and Rinnie? Get a grip, brother.”

****

While Hugo and Alice were in the garden, they didn’t know that Daniel was just behind one of the pillars. He was leaning his back against it, arms crossed, listening to their conversation. His eyes narrowed, bitterness and sadness glinting across his eyes.

“Those two are such a piece of work,” he mumbled, feeling partially guilty since this was the product of history. ‘I couldn’t save Alice back then, Lam. Lam… why would you punish us like this? You are cruel, like always. You should’ve run back to me, but as expected, you will never forgive me. And yet… I can’t turn my back on you.. Not in the past, and not in this lifetime again.’