Gabriel’s POV:
No matter how much I tried, I couldn’t process this horrendous reality. Deep in my heart, I deliberately wished to open my eyes and find it was all a terrible nightmare I was going through. But sadly, it was all true.
I had no spare choice rather than following those guards, with that sharp dagger pointed at my neck. For a second, it felt as if death would have been much better to get rid of this humiliating life. But even if it was for the last time, I wanted to stand facing Zordan head-on.
I had so many questions surging inside me, but more than anything, the act of kindness with which he brutally deceived me all this time triggered the painful heartache inside me. I couldn't hold back my tears for foolishly raising my hopes for a happy ending.
But I guess, the word ‘happiness’ was distant from my destiny.
When I reached the doorstep of Zordan’s room, the place where I had visited countlessly before, it suddenly felt very unfamiliar and eerie. The happy memories had turned into haunting ones and my feet became heavier in fear to take a step ahead. Before I could realize my surroundings, I felt one of those guards forcibly drag me inside and made me kneel down on the ground.
While I was looking down, suddenly I felt the loud sound of boots approaching me inside the room. I lifted up my teary gaze, only to find the one who was gallantly standing in front of me was no one other than the person who was the reason behind my nightmare… Alpha Zordan.
Even though he had wiped off the blood smears from his cheek, Zordan still had that nonchalant expression on his dazzling handsome face. However, his eyes glistened with a vague, dark gaze solely focused on me.
Tears of betrayal rolled down my pale cheeks but before I could utter a word, he lifted my chin up with the grip of his broad palm, and asked me calmly, “Why did you run away from me like that, Gabriel?”
Until now, his touch had always made me feel butterflies fluttering in my stomach. But today, in the blink of an eye, my innocent love was brutally crushed beneath his malicious intention as I saw his real dark side.
Filled with disgust from his touch, I shoved his palm away from my chin and peered an irked gaze into him as I grumbled, “Are you gonna keep pretending as if nothing happened today?”
“I even saw the bouquet of red roses you had left behind there. Did you bring it for me?” He still sounded calm as usual, with a tinge of smile that curved on his lips.
But this time, watching him smile made my anger and impatience surpass every limit as I rumbled aloud in my teary voice, “WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU, ZORDAN!? ARE YOU GONNA KEEP THIS SICK ACT OF INNOCENCE AFTER MURDERING MY FATHER!? ARE YOU FUCKING CRAZY!?”
“Ssshhh!” All of a sudden, when I was lashing out uncontrollably at him, he placed a finger on my lips and threw a dark sneer at me. “You know I dislike loud noises and most importantly, I didn’t give you permission to raise your voice at me, Gabriel.” Even though he acted calm, his dark voice had an eerie feeling to it.
Sensing the depth of his cold threat, shivers ran down my spine as I couldn’t stop my tears from falling down. I squinted my tearful ocean eyes at him and murmured, “D-Did you bring me here to kill me off too? You must want to obliterate your enemy, don’t you?”
“Do you think so?” Suddenly, a wicked small smirk flashed on his lips as he narrowed his vague gaze upon me. He leaned a little close and twirled a thin strand of my wavy brown hair with his finger as he whispered, “How can I treat you as an enemy when I know…you are my fated mate?”
Suddenly, his words hit me like a bolt of thunder, leaving me too stunned to breathe! I rolled my awestruck orbs at him and stared at him in disbelief. Until all this time, he was aware of being my fated mate yet still, he acted aloof around me?
Before I could utter a word, he further continued, “I knew it all along since the day you were engaged to Marcus. Moreover, if I had let you go today…won’t you be running and screaming around the castle? It might have caused some problems for us.”
Just when he stopped twirling my hair, I shoved his hand away from me once again and gritted my jowls, “D-Don’t…Just don’t fucking touch me!”
“Why? I already know that you have feelings for me.” He brazenly replied back, with that tinge of sneer growing wide on his lips. “I know you must be offended to learn about this now, but you were always too easy to read, Gabriel. The way you innocently smiled around me, how could I fail to notice it?”
His shameless revelations made me feel suffocated from inside as the bitter heartache grew strong inside me. I clenched my lower jaw and grumbled at him in a hoarse voice, “I can’t stand being around you anymore. Cut off the chase and just tell me what the heck do you want?”
“A simple negotiation.” His mysterious smile looked creepy as he whispered to me, sounding much more gentle.
“Marry me, Gabriel.”
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