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

Chapter 121 — Too Many Secrets

"Why do you have this?"

The question echoed through the empty corridor. They stood between tall marble pillars, no walls to block the sunlight that spilled across Ren’s silver hair, turning it gold. His red eyes glimmered like bleeding rubies—wounded, cornered.

The servant froze. The chain swayed slightly in Zayden’s hand, catching the light like a cruel reminder.

He should lie. Say he found it. Say Eiran dropped it. Say anything. But the words stuck in his throat, like a fish bone he could neither swallow nor spit out.

Zayden’s eyes softened, the edge of authority fading into something quieter.

"Ren," he said—gentle, almost hesitant, as he took a step closer.

That single word unguarded him, heavier than any accusation.

He could have run, even now. He had the money, the strength, the means. If Zayden grew angry, he could take Eiran and vanish before dawn. But for once, he didn’t want to run.

His fingers clenched around the fabric of his sleeve.

"It’s... not stolen."

Zayden didn’t speak. He simply waited, gaze steady, patient.

Ren drew a slow breath. Shame gnawed at his chest, twisting tighter the longer he stood under that gaze. He had never liked lying. And after last night—after Zayden had done nothing to him, even when he could have, like any other alpha—maybe... maybe it was alright to tell him the truth. He could be trusted.

Maybe he wasn’t as cruel as Ren had convinced himself he was. Maybe the enmity between them had blinded him to what kind of man Zayden truly was. For years, this man had been at his side—stern, yes, but never unkind. Perhaps too forgiving. Enough to be fooled. Even by him, his enemy.

He exhaled.

"Because it belongs to me."

A silence followed, heavy, almost suffocating.

Zayden’s brows furrowed, disbelief flickering in his eyes. "Yours? How? This was in Eiran’s egg. When he hatched—"

Ren’s throat ached as he nodded.

"Eiran... he is my son."

For the first time, Zayden’s composure broke. The anklet trembled in his grasp. His gaze trailed from it to Ren, as though the two truths refused to fit together. How could that be?

Ren forced himself to speak before the courage could leave him, before he changed his mind and decided to tell another lie. The General had spared him once, but he wouldn’t spare him every time, right? The only thing he needed to hide was his origins—that he had fled from Hianshu and was hiding in Revhara. He knew that Zayden loathed anything or anyone related to Hianshu.

"It was made in pairs. And..." His hand rose to the back of his neck. "You’ve seen the mark, right?"

Zayden’s stomach tightened, nausea rising in his throat.

Ren’s voice dropped, steady but faint.

"Eiran is our son."

"Y-You and... your mate?" Zayden managed, trying his best to keep his composure. Knowing he had a partner was one thing, but having a child as well? And for it to be Eiran, the one he cherished...

Ren turned fully to face him. The sunlight brushed his cheek, softening the sharpness of his eyes.

"Yes. You might not believe me but that is the truth." he said quietly. "Eiran’s father... He was my mate, my husband, my—"

"Was?" Zayden’s nails dug into his palms.

Husband? They were married? Was his theory that Ren was an abused omega by an alpha true after all? But the way he spoke of him... the way his eyes shone the moment he mentioned him was not something someone who was abused would do. He saw life in Ren’s hallow gaze at the mention of this man.

Ren gasped, covering his mouth. It was the first time he was telling someone about Ilyan. About his death. His eyes strained, pain reflecting in his red eyes as he nodded.

"He... is dead."

Zayden’s chest eased slightly, relief sliding into his bones—but immediately, shame coiled around it. He hated himself for feeling relieved. For being glad that Ren’s mate was a dead man who wasn’t standing between him and Ren.

His claws, his blood, his very demon nature—it cursed him. Demons never shared. He knew that. And yet... he couldn’t get angry. Rather, he didn’t have the right to. Ren didn’t belong to him.

Momentarily, the hallway was silent. Only the sound of their breaths could be heard.

I should tell him about that too...

Ren thought, his red eyes, sharp and burning, met the General’s.

"Yesterday, if I recall correctly," he paused, hesitating. Should he really be mentioning this now? But it was important to draw a line before something went wrong. Mostly now that Zayden knew about his second gender.

"Yesterday?" Zayden blinked.

Does he remember?

His hand flew to his mouth, covering it slightly.

Most people forgot what happened to them during their ruts and heats. Only dominants sometimes recalled it. Did it mean Ren was a dominant omega? Then the reason he could barely smell his pheromones before must be because the mark had been protecting him from everyone.

When an omega was marked and their alpha—the one who marked them—died, the mark could shield them. However, the time differed depending on species, powers, and magic. Did it mean that Ren’s alpha was powerful enough to seal his pheromones, protecting him for almost six years? He had never heard of such a thing before. The longest time in the records was three years.

His thoughts paused as he tried to process everything he had heard until now. Ren was undoubtedly human. But if Eiran was his son, then was his mate the dragon he had killed?

Chills ran down his spine. If Ren learned of this... he would hate him.

But Ren didn’t confront him about the dragon when he learned the truth.

"You should not joke about things such as fated mates," Ren said quietly, voice trembling. "My mate... he was also my destined one."

Zayden froze. The words struck him harder than any blade. His hands clenched at his sides, nails digging into his palms. He wanted to kneel, apologize, anything—but the shame refused to leave.

"And... was your mate the dragon I killed?" he said, his throat dry.

Ren shook his head.

"The dragon was merely protecting what he thought to be its child."

Narrowing his eyes, Zayden asked, "How did Eiran even end up there?"

"...Do you intend to know my life story in one day, my Lord?"

The General shook his head. He couldn’t tell Ren that he meant what he had said yesterday. After everything he had just heard, he also needed time to process it all. The person he had thought was a simple servant—and had begun to love—had far too many secrets.