The Alpha and Me

128. Nandini knows the truth

128. Nandini knows the truth

Nandini's POV

My eyes lingered on the date carved on the headstone. The date of her death. It was the same when I concluded that Manik cheated on me and decided to take the matters of my mother's death's revenge in my own hands.

I can't forget that date. It's etched in my mind.

I blinked my eyes and averted my eyes towards Alpha Manav's face, "This is... Alia... She is dead? But Manik... His mate. And Lelah," My mind was blacking out.

I rubbed a trembling hand on my face, "Lelah is not his daughter?"

A painful smile danced on his shaking lips. He slowly shook his head left and right, "Lelah is Alia and her husband Richie's daughter. He's resting over there."

I fearfully followed the direction of his pointing finger. My breathing fractured as I laid my eyes on the grave next to Alia's. The headstone has the name, Richard Donovan, and the epitaph below it read: An obedient son, loving husband, a devoted father.

"Alia already had a family before she met Manik, Nandini, which was torn apart when she was kidnapped alongside her mortal husband. She had been brutally tortured and she was almost dead when Manik met her. In the hours that followed, she took a promise from Manik while she was on her deathbed to give her daughter a family." I took a step back as I couldn't breathe properly.

"Manik couldn't deny and he adopted Lelah with the hopes that... That you and he will be able to raise her with the same amount of love her biological parents would give her. But..." Alpha Manav looked up at me, his gaze holding a grudge that I don't think I would be able to erase even if I used my blood.

"You misunderstood his kindness as his betrayal. You misunderstood Manik." His words pierced through my heart.

I raised a hand and pressed it on my mouth to control my sobs. My knees gave away and I collapsed on the green soft grass. My eyes stalled on the headstone above Alia's grave and I read it over and over again.

She died the day Manik found her. She didn't give birth to Manik's daughter. She was never there with Manik even for one second while all this time I cursed her for showing up in his life and destroying mine.

A punch of guilt lodged itself in my stomach. I leaned towards the grass and tried to breathe. Nevertheless, my throat choked with agony and guilt. My body couldn't hold up straight on its own and I went down, sobbing my heart out.

"Z-Manik n-never b-betrayed me. H-he never... How c-could I... Manik never betrayed me!" I wailed out loud, holding my head in my palms as I pressed the back of my hands in the soft blades of grass.

"No, Nandini. Manik never betrayed you. The thought never crossed his mind." Alpha Manav's hand rubbed my back. "The only woman he ever loved was you."

Guilt ate at my insides like corrosive battery acid. I wished for the earth to tear asunder and take me in. I don't deserve the oxygen I am breathing. Or the open blue sky over my head. I deserve dark prisoner's cell and daily dosage of torture. Hell should be my permanent place and its outrageous fire my punishment.

Oh, what have I done? I was so blinded by rage that I destroyed our lives. I made Manik suffer so much with my misunderstandings. Just how could I?!

"Nandini, Nandini, control yourself." I felt Alpha Manav's hands hold my shoulders and yank me up into a sitting position.

He cast my face with a pitiful glance and pulled me to his chest in a warm hug, "Manik would throw me in the dungeons if he saw you crying like this."

I pressed my face in his chest and hugged him back, "I hurt Manik so much. I... I took his son away from him. I don't deserve any of this mercy from you or anyone else."

"Shh, it wasn't your fault, Nandini."

"H-how's it not my f-fault? It's all my fault. I failed to see Manik's loyalty. I doubted him. I heard him talk about Alia and thought h-he chose her over me and... I ruined five years of our lives." A sob spilled from my mouth and curled my fingers around his shirt.

"I thought he didn't want to help me save my mother."

I cried my heart out when he disclosed that Manik went in search of mom and me when I didn't show up at his birthday party. Manik did investigate her case and came to the woods, following all the trails I left behind. Misery slithered through my veins as I heard from Alpha Manav how Manik struggled to keep up with his life after my leave.

He told me how Manik spent weeks in my room, mourning over the death I faked, and how he became an addict and found solace in cigarettes.

"I destroyed Manik's life. W-will he ever forgive me?"

"You must be kidding!" He laughed. "As far as I know, he's dying to put his ring around your finger and trap you forever as his wife."

I was too guilty to decipher the meaning of his words.

"Manik wanted to propose to you last night, Nandini. He even got the biggest ring for you. He was going to tell you about Alia's death and all but you never gave him a chance." He raised his eyebrows while his lips pressed together.

"You know the truth now. Do you still want to leave?" I already made a huge blunder, I would never repeat it again.

"Can you take me to Manik, please?"

"Right away." Alpha Manav smiled from ear to ear as he led me back to the car.

We stopped in front of a spectacular school that expelled a gasp out of me. I've heard from Manik about their pack's school when we were dating. I didn't expect it to be this mesmerizing and huge, though. It spread over the lands as far as I could see.

"Where is Manik?" Although I reveled in the views of the grand school, my heart was hopping in my rib.

I really wanted to see Manik before my heart jumped up my throat and came out of my mouth in my hands.

Alpha Manav tapped his fingers on the steering wheel, "When I mind linked him, he was in the principal's office filling Mahir's admission form and... Ah, look, there he is."

I impatiently followed his eyes behind me outside the window. Heat flooded through me as I watched Manik walk out of the school. He was dressed in all black and the black sunglasses he wore made my heart flutter.

I fisted my fingers in my lap as he noticed me. I saw his lips mumble my name while he took his specs off. Amazement crossed his face as he rushed towards us.

"Why don't you go out, Nandini?" Alpha Manav said.

I nodded and came out of the car. Grief made my spine turn to steel and I stood painfully still. I didn't know what I was going to say. My emotions were all over the place. But one thing I knew was that my legs were weak and I would fall at his feet the moment he stopped in front of me.

Manik was just a few steps away from me when a white van halted next to our car. We both turned to look at it as the door slid apart, revealing a man with a balaclava cap on. Before any of us could react, he pulled out a gun and shot Manik thrice.

Tbc...

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Ending is on its way 😉