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L O V E D

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Red was the only thing Irina could see as shrills of horrification, filled with nothing but fright, broke out in her ears, nearly deafening the poor girl in her sleep. "No!" she suddenly screamed out at the top of her lungs. Next, she shot up out of the bed she was laying on, her breathing erratic and uneven. The abrupt shift caused everything in her view to turn black and her head to pound uncontrollably.

"She's awake!" an unfamiliar female voice hollered from down the hall. Before Irina could react though, the door was thrown open without her consent and she could hear at least two people entering the vicinity. "I'm going to get some food, towels and a warm bowl of water for her," the same woman said. She went right back out the door in less than five seconds, not giving a chance for the princess to see her face.

Slowly, but surely, Irina was regaining her sight. Everything was a little blurry at first and she shook her already throbbing head, hoping that it would somehow miraculously clarify her eyesight. "You stupid girl!" a male voice snarled angrily, which caused Irina to look up at him almost immediately. When she met his eyes, she could see that they were icy blue. The same color she had seen when he had nearly choked the life out of her no less than a week ago. "Do you realize what could have happened if you had been caught?" Xavier scolded as he stomped over and grasped onto her shoulders. "Do you want their deaths to all be in vain because of your reckless and thoughtless actions?"

At his last statement, reality slapped Irina in the face as she stared at him, her orbs consumed with nothing but pain. The memories were coming back to her now but she didn't want them to return. She just wanted it to be a nightmare and so she clamped her eyes shut, cupped her hands over her ears and shook her head. She refused to accept the reality. The truth. Because who would want to believe that their entire family no longer lived? Certainly not Irina. "Stop it!" she pleaded hysterically.

"No, you stop it!" Xavier fumed, close to breaking into a senile state himself. He shook her vehemently, wanting her to look at him. "You can't go running off like that anymore, Irina Kavalier! You're in danger and until you regain your title as Elysium's rightful ruler, you can't risk your life like that anymore!"

No matter how hard she strained to block Xavier out, she couldn't and he knew that fact very well. "I don't want to be Elysium's ruler!" she cried as she shook him off and pulled her knees into her chest. "I don't want to be here anymore!" Images of their severed heads flashed into Irina's mind and she shrieked. Her nails dug into the skin of her palm as she continued to shake her head side to side in a complete state of denial. "Father, mother, Lyra, Isaiah, Michael." She began to rock back and forth, her entire body trembling.

"I don't want to live. This can't be happening," she murmured, her voice shaky and weak. "That's right, none of this is real." She then glanced up at Xavier. "You aren't real." Next, she placed her hand onto the sheets and said the same thing. "Neither is this. Everything is just a figment of my imagination. That's right. I must be unconscious now and at any given second, Lyra will come to wake me." Anyone could tell Irina was losing it as she smiled, trying strenuously to convince herself that what she was saying right now was true.

Xavier softened up as his eyes returned back to normal. It must be hard for her too. He averted his gaze and could only exhale while he massaged his temples. "Lyra isn't going to come wake you. She's..." He didn't want to say it because the fact that his mate was dead was not something he wanted to reiterate. The tragic ordeal caused his heart great and tremendous pain; there was no doubt about that and he closed his eyes, fighting off the tears ready to flee from their confines. "They're all gone," were the only words he could muster up the strength to say.

"I'm not listening to you." Irina continued to smile like someone who belonged in an asylum. "You're not even real." After, Xavier walked back over to the bed and took a seat right beside her. She flinched slightly at the shortened proximity between the two but kept thinking that nothing bad would happen to her because he was not even real. None of this was.

"I know you don't want to believe it, neither do I." He paused and gazed at the bracelet which adorned his wrist with a loving and amiable expression. "But you have to accept it. Your family no longer walks the face of this planet and the sooner you acknowledge this fact, the faster you'll be getting back on your feet. You'll be taking a step forward in your life and I'm certain that it is what she—I mean they would all want for you."

"Don't tell me what they want. You don't even know them," Irina replied, the fake smile disappearing from her face.

"I may not have gotten the honor of getting to know all of them but knowing your sister is enough for me to figure out that your family would want you to carry on with your life. You're the only one left and you have to be the one to clear your family's name," he pointed out. Suddenly, his ears picked up on heavy footsteps approaching them and from the laborious panting, he could tell who it was. "And for your sake, I suggest that you admit you were wrong, suck it up and willingly return with us."

Irina hung her head low and tears started to form in her eyes. "It's easier said than done."

"You crazy wench!" Kaleb growled as he barged into the room, his face red with fury. "Are you trying to die early?" He was about to snatch the collar of her dress and yank her to her feet when Xavier intervened and jumped in front of her. "Move," he ordered through gritted teeth but the older boy did not heed to his command. "I won't repeat myself." His eyes flickered green while the latter's turned blue.

"You can't touch her," Xavier declared protectively.

"And why the fuck can't I? Do you know how much trouble this bitch has put me through?" Kaleb snapped, glaring at Irina ferociously.

"Don't call her a bitch. That is no way to speak to a princess," his friend answered sternly.

"Princess?" Kaleb snorted. "Don't make me laugh. If she was a real princess, she would have thought about her people and stayed in her room like a good little mutt instead of being a selfish brat."

"So wanting to see your family when you know you might never have the chance in doing so ever again is being selfish?" Irina muttered brokenly, catching both of the boys' attention. She got up, her legs wobbly and unstable. "So what if I am?" She moved toward them and stood beside Xavier. "It's because I know what love feels like. How sweet and blissful it is. What about you? I bet you've never received any because if you did, you wouldn't be calling me selfish."

Her accusation fueled Kaleb's anger even more as he clenched his jaw. He didn't get mad because she talked back to him but because what she was saying was true. Kaleb had never experienced love and the fact that she was able to say that without even knowing him made him upset. Was he that easy to read? Was he some sort of open book to her? She was the only person who dared to make such an audacious comment like that toward him and he refused to let her get away with it. "Get out," he demanded as he locked eyes with Irina.

"I don't want to," she rebelled.

"Not you." He turned to Xavier. "You."

To this, the boy scoffed. "And why would I leave you alone with her? Do you think I'm an idiot?"

"As the alpha's son, I'm commanding you to leave," Kaleb shot back in a strict tone. His loyal instincts kicked in and Xavier knew he couldn't do anything but obey.

"If you touch even a hair on her head, I don't care if you're the alpha's son or not, I will rip your canines out," he warned before making his exit.

"I'm not afraid of you," Irina announced boldly.

Kaleb strode over to the door, closed it and then turned the lock. He glanced over his shoulder and coyly said, "You should be." Next thing she knew, Irina was pinned down onto the bed, both of her wrists entrapped by Kaleb's hands. She wriggled and squirmed beneath him. And he didn't know why, but something within him was ignited. "Who do you think you are making such snide comments to me?" He leaned closer to her face, so close that she could feel his breath drumming against her skin.

"What are you doing? Get off of me!" she ordered.

"You said you know what love feels like? Why don't you be gracious and share it with me then?" he questioned as he placed a kiss against her jaw, causing her body to stiffen.

"Are you crazy?" she shouted as she tryied harder to fight him off.

Kaleb placed her arms above her head and held them both with one hand while his other ghosted down the outline of her figure. "You're so tempting, did you know that?" he whispered as he examined her body with lust blinding him. "Especially when you're in this kind of state."

"You're repulsive!" Irina spat out, disgusted.

"I'm a Rogue, what did you expect? Maybe you should have just kept your mouth shut. At least then I wouldn't have been more attracted to you," Kaleb stated. "I admit, your looks are worth a second glance but because you were a princess, I thought you'd be all rational and obedient and all of that other shit I hate." His lips formed into a smirk as he moved to her ear. "But you aren't and I like that. And when I like something, I make it mine."

Kaleb was about to continue with what he had in mind when the door suddenly broke open. "Get off of her!" a deep voice yelled. Irina turned toward the door and her eyes widened as she spotted Lucas marching into the room, his eyes dark and his face hard and unreadable.

"And just who the fuck are you?" Kaleb sneered but instead of a verbal reply, he received a punch to the cheek. The action caused him to stumble off of Irina and when she was freed, Lucas grasped onto her hand and placed her behind him.

"I think that's something I should be asking you," Lucas rebutted. "Who do you think you are treating a lady in such a manner? She isn't a piece of merchandise. She's a person," he defended.

Kaleb let out a sardonic and sadistic chuckle as he rotated his jaw. "You really want to die don't you, you piece of human trash."

"Let's not confuse me with yourself," he quipped wittingly. His bravery made Irina's heart swoon and she felt her heartbeat accelerate.

"Who says I'm human?" Kaleb showed his emerald green eyes yet Lucas remained unhindered.

"And do you think I'm afraid of you because I know that you're not a human now? Try me," he challenged. "If you want to touch her, you'll have to get through me first."

"L-Lucas," Irina stuttered, stunned.

The lad peered over to her and a subtle smile graced his lips. "I'm sorry I came in late. I was sort of unconscious."

Irina immediately shook her head and found herself smiling genuinely at him. "You weren't late, you came just in time." Their exchange irritated Kaleb more than it should have and without hesitance, he sprang forward for Lucas.

"Watch out!" Lucas called out as he pushed Irina to the side. With a swift move, he was able to dodge Kaleb's attack but Kaleb was not discouraged as he tried again. This time, he threw a right hook at Lucas and caught him clean. Irina gasped in horror, seeing blood ooze from the corner of his lips but Lucas still stood his ground and returned the favor.

To be honest, Irina wasn't expecting Lucas to be so good at combat because he didn't look like the type who knew how to fight but boy was she wrong. And the fact that he was going against a Rogue impressed her all the more. He was doing this for her and that's when she realized he was her Prince Charming.

He was her Knight in Shining Armor.

He was the light at the end of the tunnel.

He was her other half.

He was her mate.

- - -

Author's Thoughts: I hope you're all doing well <3 This chapter was so sad, especially when Irina was in denial. I hope you listened to the instrumental I linked at the top. It fits the mood well and will most likely be used often. Also, if you enjoy watching Korean Dramas let me know! We can fangirl together haha.

Please do leave me your thoughts on this chapter. And just another insight, Kaleb is not an easy character to understand and I don't approve of what he tried to do to Irina either. Hopefully, he will be able to redeem himself later on. Lucas, on the other hand, you go and save her.