The Alpha King Is My Second Chance Mate novel Chapter 5

From the ground where she kneeled, Quinn looked up at the man who stepped confidently through the crowd, stopping in front of her. “Stand up, Quinn…”

He offered her a hand, but Quinn neglected the act of taking it. Instead, her jaws clenched tighter as she used her own strength to gather herself to her feet.

Jeo withdrew his arm daintily and looked around at his people. “Apologize…and by the end of the day, her home should be filled with as much food as you threw at her.”

The people who had been shouting ferociously at her bowed their heads in solemn and in fear. “We are deeply sorry…” They hummed in unison.

Quinn didn’t utter a word of acceptance to them, because that apology was not as loud and meaningful as their curse words were.

“Good.” The man gestured towards Quinn. “Now Come…follow me, I have something to discuss with you.”

Quinn did as told, following him out of the marketplace and onto an empty and quiet road. Her eyes lingered on his back and her mind to a time when her arms could wrap lovingly around it.

“Are you hurt?”

His voice was passive, holding no concern or sympathy.

“No.”

“I’m sorry this happened to you…it was never supposed to happen.”

“T…Then was last night supposed to happen?” Quinn fought hard to not cry at her own words, her heart was surfacing, but she still felt like she couldn’t breathe. “Was everything that happened last night supposed to happen?”

“Quinn…” Jeo turned to her, those eyes that used to look at her with love, were now dark and clouded with nonchalance. “I know this isn’t what you want to hear, but I’ll be honest in order to give you the closure you might need. Nothing that happened last night was a mistake or unintended. I really wanted that rejection…it wasn’t a sudden act, everything I did last night was what I wanted to do for a while now.”

Quinn scratched her arm and then her head, not knowing what to do or say… She had been aware of his change of heart, but hearing him say it, made the reality feel like a godforsaken nightmare. “Why didn’t y-you tell me? Instead of going behind my back, Jeo…why didn’t you just tell me?”

“Because you’d do this…your face would look as pitiful as it does now, and your eyes would fill with tears, and you’d cry and beg me not to leave you. I did my best to avoid that, but in the end, I still had to watch you pitifully cry on that podium like a baby.”

“A b-baby…? What…?”

“Never mind that. Let’s not walk the long way to the office, I’ll say what I have to say here.” He straightened his shirt and then shoved his hands into his pockets. “This pack has always lacked a beta. The spot was yours from the beginning since you’re the only one here with the blood of a beta as well as the strength of one. It’s time for you to fill it. You’re no longer luna, the least you could do is ensure yourself some significance since the pack is already looking down on you.”

“And if I refuse?”

“If you refuse, then there’s absolutely no reason for you to be here. I will kick you out and have you rot as a rogue.”

“A rogue…?” Quinn wanted to cry, but she laughed instead. “I guess you really don’t care about me anymore…everything we’ve shared for the past three years must’ve meant nothing to you. Don’t worry, I’ll fill the spot, I would rather not leave this pack without getting to watch you suffer like I did last night.”

She was weak…but in moments like these, she had to appear strong.