Alpha King's Fake Mate Wants Out

---- Chapter 8 The gala ended in a farce. Nora and Reynold were rushed to the infirmary. The guests dispersed, yet the whispers stayed behind. "I guess the fated mate bond isn't all it's cracked up to be. Alpha King actually hesitated just now." "That Reynold guy has some serious guts. I can't believe he actually pointed a finger at Alpha King's nose and tore into him like that." "Poor Ms. Freya. She's like a placeholder caught in the crossfire." Every word cut deep. I should have been happy. Ethan's perfect reputation was cracked, and Reynold's love for Nora was proven beyond a doubt.

But why did my chest feel hollow, as if a piece of me had been scooped out? It hit me that someone was willing to die for Nora, while I was just a pitiful tool used to vent desires. Back in the master bedroom, Ethan stood with his back to me, irritably ripping off his tie. The tension in the air was suffocating. Thesitated for a long time before asking the question that had haunted me. "When the chandelier fell... why did you stop?" His hand froze on his collar. In that split second, a part of me was still foolishly hoping that he would say he had fought his instincts because of me.

---- After along silence, he replied without turning around, "That human had already lunged for her. One more body would have made no difference. As the Alpha King, there was no reason for me to engage in such a futile gesture." 1 turned away and smiled bitterly. Of course. It wasn't because he didn't want to save her. It was just unnecessary. He was telling me that if Reynold hadn't moved, he would have hugged Nora without hesitation. "Ise." [retreated into the bathroom, hiding the tears that were starting to blur my vision. Under the cover of the running shower, I checked my burner phone.

'There was a new reply from Ethan to my "secret lover". "I have no interest in tearing apart true lovers. If that man is willing to die for Nora, I won't touch them, regardless of the bond. But Freya is different. Tell her to stop dreaming. Even if she dies, she's dying by my side." The phone slipped from my hand, clattering onto the tiles 'My composure shattered as I read those words. Why? Why could he be so magnanimous in allowing Nora and Reynold to love each other, yet insist on trapping me with him until 1 die? Just because I was a stand-in, did that mean I wasn't worthy of love?

I wanted freedom too. I wanted to be someone's first choice! Rage, sorrow, and exhaustion collided within me like a dam breaking. When I stepped out of the bathroom, Ethan was clutching a goblet, ---- looking utterly exhausted. Seeing me, he set down his goblet. His gaze seemed to soften slightly as he began to walk toward me. He reached out, wanting to hold me. After all, too much had happened today. His fated mate had returned, his mate had cheated on him, and then his fated mate's husband had caused a scene. Ethan was looking to me for abit of comfort.

Just like every other time in the past three years, as long as he wanted it, I had to give it. "Don't touch me!" I slapped his hand away. The sound was sharp in the quiet room. Ethan's hand stayed suspended in midair, his expression darkening. Freya, don't start." "Don't start?" My eyes were red-rimmed, and my voice was trembling yet piercingly sharp as I said, "Ethan, just let me go. Nora and Reynold look so good together. I can see you're ready to let them be, so why can't you do the same for me?" I paused, breathless. "T'm done!

I'm so done!" I screamed hysterically, finally pouring out every ounce of resentment I'd bottled up for the past three years. "What have I even been to you? A heat-suppressant? A high-end sex toy?" 'The moment the words "sex toy" left my lips, Ethan's face drained of all color. He remembered the text. My "lover" had said I'd rather die than be with him and that his ---- touch made my skin crawl. Now, I was calling myself his sex toy. "Ts that what you think?" Ethan stepped closer, pinning me against the wall. His eyes were bloodshot, swirling with an agony I had never seen before.

"You think I'm just using you as a tool?" "Isn't it the truth?" I sobbed. "What else have you given me besides sex? Have you ever told me you love me?" Ethan parted his lips. He looked like he wanted to argue, but in the end, he just let out a bitter smile. It was such a desolate smile, like he had his heart cut out and was then mocked for not having a pulse. "Fine... fine." Ethan nodded. His voice was so thin it seemed like it would vanish. He released me, took a step back, and turned toward the door. His back looked lonely, like a wounded Rogue abandoned by its pack.

As he pulled the door open, he paused. He turned to his side, staring at avoid in the air. Then, in a voice raw with gravel, he spoke the words that shattered the very core of my being. "Freya, if I didn't love you, why the hell do you think I've spent the last three years enduring the agonizing pain of resisting the fated mate bond?" The door clicked shut. I stood alone in the silence, my mind a complete blank. ---- Resisting the fated mate bond? Agonizing pain? Why?