Todos los capítulos de The Mate I Never Chose: Capítulo 1 - Capítulo 7

"Hurry up, Joni. I don't have all day," Rangga said, tapping his fingers frantically on the dusty wooden desk."I'm going as fast as I can, Rangga. These documents require absolute precision," Joni sighed, dabbing a handkerchief against his sweaty forehead. "You're selling a historic property. A Langi estate.""It's a pile of rotting wood and bad memories. Just point to where I sign.""You really hate this place that much?" Joni asked, looking up through his thick glasses."Hate doesn't even cover it. I want to forget Toraja ever existed. I want to forget the rituals, the funerals, the family name. Everything. Now, pass the pen.""Are you sure about the buyer? He's paying in cash, but he seemed very eager to get you to sign quickly.""Eager is good. Eager means I get my money and a one-way ticket to Jakarta before sundown." Rangga snatched the pen, his hand shaking slightly."You can't outrun your shadow, Rangga. People here don't forget who you are. The Langi family has responsibilit

"Get in."Arung shoved Rangga toward the heavy teak door of the bathroom. The room was a sprawling, stone-tiled cavern that looked more like an ancient spa than a private suite."A bath? You’re kidding me, right? I’m covered in pig muck, and you want me to bathe like some pampered pet?" Rangga spat, wiping a streak of filth from his forehead."You smell like a farm animal. It’s insulting to the table," Arung said, his voice flat. "Clean yourself. You have twenty minutes before dinner. Don't test my patience by trying to find a drain to crawl through.""What if I don't?"Arung stepped forward, crowding Rangga against the vanity. "Then I’ll wash you myself. And I promise, it won't be as gentle as you'd like."Rangga’s heart hammered against his ribs. He shoved Arung’s shoulder, but the man didn't budge—he was as immovable as the mountain itself. "You’re twisted. You know that?""I’m waiting, Rangga."*The dining hall was lit by dozens of flickering candles, the scent of burning sandalw

"You expect me to just walk out there with these glowing lines crawling under my skin?" Rangga glared at his own arms, the crimson light pulsing with every ragged breath he took.Arung stood by the obsidian-black window, adjusting his cufflinks with infuriating calm. "The marks are a symptom, Rangga. The solution is at the temple.""A solution? You mean another ceremony? More blood? More 'contracts'?" Rangga threw a pillow at the door. It thudded softly against the wood, which rippled like liquid ink. "I’m not a battery for your family’s ghost stories.""You’re an anchor. And right now, you’re dragging. If we don’t reach the temple, the bond will snap, and the backlash will turn your internal organs to mush."Rangga froze. "You didn't mention the 'mush' part yesterday.""I thought you were smarter than that. Apparently, I was wrong.""Look, if I’m dying anyway, why go to a temple? Why not just let me hop on a bike and disappear?"Arung crossed the room in two long strides, his hand sn

"The entire valley is bleeding, Ambe'?" Rangga stared at the black fog devouring the horizon, his voice tight. "That doesn't just happen, right? That’s not a weather pattern."Arung didn't look at him. His jaw was locked, his gaze fixed on the encroaching ink-stain in the sky. "It’s not weather. It’s a breach. The land is failing to contain what’s buried beneath it.""And you’re the one who keeps saying I’m the anchor," Rangga snapped, pacing the foyer. "If the land is failing, does that mean I’m failing? Is this my fault?""Your biology is shifting, Rangga. Your blood is syncing with the Buntu lineage. You’re not failing; you’re just… waking up to a nightmare.""I don't want to wake up to it. I want to leave.""You couldn't survive a mile outside these gates right now," Arung said, finally turning. His eyes were wide, desperate. "The Datu are hunting. You’re a beacon. Your blood is singing to every predator in these highlands.""Then I’ll go where they can’t find me.""There is nowhe