The Rejected Alpha's Vengeance

[MBALI]

[Still The Lonely Night… A MONTH BEFORE THE GREAT SICARIO WAR]

Amina was seeing this and she was pissed about it.

She hated that that was the reason that this woman was giving up like this. She hated herself for a moment there because it hurt so bad that her mate was more than willing to bear the mark of her sister and a protector, rather than bear her mark as her mate.

All of this was not making them feel any better but then what was the best solution to this when the Savasci Knights were all experiencing emotional turmoil?

"Please, Malika," Mbali pleaded again.

Mbali had always expected Amina to show up and teach her so many things like the words Amina always used with her. She had never been done with other languages, but Mbali wanted to know more.

She had always wanted to understand and even better, speak the language of the woman who made her heart beat so fast and gave her the kinds of butterflies that made her feel safe.

But now as she looked at Amina, Mbali was not sure if this was what happiness was supposed to look like or if the universe had always hated her from the onset.

They couldn't find logic in this, but for Mbali, the pain she had grown up in, the loneliness she had become accustomed to, and the endless questions It had had simply got her to the one woman who was a part of the main problem.

Fate was a fucked-up bitch no doubt.

"You need to heal, mi reina. I can explain everything, but only if you let me fix you," Amina said, not paying attention to her mate's demands.

She knew this was expected the moment she knew who her mate was, but then she had hoped it would be different. Amina had hoped that her love for Mbali would make a difference.

Funny how here they were and she was still at a crossroads, and unsure whether her mate would ever want her again. But then she wasn't going to focus on that. She had come here to make sure her mate was safe.

"Get off of me," Mbali growled in warning as she fought against Amina who held her down so she couldn't hurt herself even more. But then Jabali Lihle was never a traitor to her people, so she wasn't about to start right now.

This woman needed to leave and if she could do so by herself, then Mbali would gladly make her leave, otherwise she would find a way to make sure that there was never an ounce of life in those eyes that were still staring at her with love.

"You. Need. To. Heal," Amina bit out, holding back the anger and disappointment she was feeling because of all this. Maybe she was also tried by her family or maybe she had come to use Mbali as a pawn.

It was hard to tell with the way she was still holding steady despite the literal fact that everyone here wanted her gone, her brother was not even sure what was happening here but the Savasci Knights were willing to cast a death vote for her.

Even that didn't seem to faze Amina Russel.

"And you need to fucking let me go. I'd much rather have my sister bite me than be your mate," Mbali growled out in anger, this time making sure the woman heard her loud and clear. Hell, even people who were in the distance had to have heard the blatant rejection.

It was a heartbreaking time for Amina and with the way she faltered, she had clearly been affected. She had not been sure how this was bound to be, but when the eyes that had wanted her turned to raging eyes, Amina knew it was time for her to leave.

But then she couldn't leave, not when her mate was in pain and not letting her heal her. Not when everything else was so wrong and she was the one with a hurting matte. But then Malika also had a hurting sister, didn't she?

"Holy shit," Ruru whispered in disbelief while Hawi stared in silence.

"Leave this place and don't come back. Or I will be the first one to kill you," Mbali insisted before she stared at her sister, tears in her eyes as she felt the pain in her body multiply.

The poison was spreading fast.

She was losing her mind and if they didn't act fast, not that Hawi had stopped the siphoning. They would lose her for real. They would be digging a grave for one of their own and yet they were the most powerful creatures in the realm.

"Fucking hell, Lili. Here, bite me," Malika sighed as she showed her wrist, seeing how pale her sister had gotten. She needed Mbali to have some of her blood in her system because then their sisterly bond would be reignited.

"Please, let me fix you," Amina pleaded defeatedly as she slumped on the ground, watching her mate lose herself in the mess that had been there. She knew there were so many improbable things, but what else was there for her to do?

"Fuck off," Mbali said as she grabbed her sister's wrist and bit into it, while looking right into Amina's eyes, breaking Amina's heart. She thought this was the worst form of rejection and Mbali was sure she would regret it later, so she chose this.

But would Amina leave like that and never come back?

Would she choose to leave her mate when Mbali needed her the most right now?

"What do we do with her? She is a Russel," Ruru voiced when she saw Mbali heal a little faster than they had thought.

"We kill her, it's that simple," Mbali said when she realized they were hesitating for her sake. They were probably thinking that this would hurt her the most. Of course, it would. Losing someone she had started caring for was not going to be easy on Mbali.

However, she was so angry at this new reality that she wasn't even thinking straight anymore. Mbali was so blinded by the hate she had for the Russels that she wasn't even thinking twice about sending her mate on the chopping block.

"What?" Hawi asked in shock.

"Oh, please. Don't tell me you're getting all emotional just because she claims to be my mate. Who knows if she used her magic and forced a bond so she could know where we are headed?

"Besides, that stupid family ruined our lives. The least we can do is give them a taste of their medicine," Mbali shrugged once she had started healing. Her sister's blood was making her stronger and she loved it.

What Mbali didn't realize was that the place she had bitten was the one spot where the Jabali family always bit each other to maintain their bonds. Mbali may have thought that it was a mate bond like Hawi and Ruru, but it was more of sisters.

However, Malika wasn't going to correct her sister, especially not right now when she was still fuming about the mate she had gotten. Maybe she would, sometime in the future when Mbali had calmed down, but until then, she would wait it out.

"She's your mate, Mbali," Ruru tried, unsure of what she was aiming for. Maybe her humanity… but was that something they would work around Jabali sister of all the creations in the realm?

"She's no mate of mine. I would rather marry Asmodeus than be her mate. I'd rather lose my life if I have to be mated to her," Mbali retorted spitefully as she stared at the mate who had presented herself.

Betrayal had broken Mbali's heart one too many times and while she hadn't expected that Amina would be doing that to her, a part of her had always hoped that Amina was her chance at happiness. Funny how that turned out for her.

"What do you think, Malika?" Hawi asked as she looked at her protector.

"I say we kill her. One less Russel bastard to deal with," Malika said even though she could feel the pain that Mbali was feeling. Her sister wanted her mate, though she was too scared of the repercussions of accepting her.

However, what else could they do at the moment? It was like their worlds were clashing so fast that they couldn't even breathe with ease. Then again, the decision with the Russels had always been clear.

No one would ever compromise when it came to this family so would they start or would they go with the original plan?

"Well then, her execution is set for dawn. We need to get some rest. We've had a long day. Ruru and I will set up camp," Hawi decided and they all just agreed.

"Aren't you going to try and make a defense?" Malika asked Amina curiously.

"Wait for me, you two. I'm coming along. I would rather be everywhere else than here with them," Malika said as she looked at her sister who was having a bored face directed at her mate.

At Malika's statement, Amina let out a snicker, while Mbali just facepalmed at her sister's bluntness. Maybe she would have to figure out a way to keep Malika occupied because her sister could be a menace when she wasn't busy protecting someone.

"So, you'll just leave me here with her? What happened to restraining her before we kill her?" Mbali asked Hawi who just stared at her softly. She was aware that there was more to the heart than Mbali was willing to admit, and maybe this time she would let it out to the right person.