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Q U E S T I O N E D

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"But why?" Lucas glanced over to his father. "How did we become part of the royal family? This doesn't make any sense." Next, he got up and began to pace back and forth. His fingers were constantly raking through his hair as he tried to get a firm grasp on the reality sitting in front of him. After Octavius had given him the biggest shock of his life (which wasn't an exaggeration at all), Lucas was too baffled and frazzled to make his escape. He had to get to the bottom of this. Get to the bottom of whatever the hell was going on.

"Ashton was a traitor. He was leading Elysium to its downfall and we couldn't allow that to happen," Lord Vanderbilt answered nonchalantly.

"How—how could you address him as though he was some filth?" Lucas shook his head in disbelief. "He was a beloved king, father. How could this have happened to him? I—how could you let this happen? I thought you were his loyal servant? Oh god. Everything I saw that day was real. The execution of the entire royal family. Was that really necessary?"

"It wasn't an execution of the entire royal family," the man defended. "If it makes you feel better, one of his daughters escaped. However, I'm almost positive the Rogues would have killed her by now since she hasn't shown up yet. What's done is done. We can't go back in time and change anything. It's already too late."

"I can't believe this." Lucas's hands had transformed into fists as he stood rooted to the floor. He could feel the anger and spite growing quickly. It was like a fire was burning inside of him while his father was only adding more gasoline to it. The boy admired and loved King Ashton. In his eyes, the elder was a remarkable and magnificent leader. He was kind and wise. He didn't make reckless decisions and always took the path less traveled by others. He made sure his people were well fed and safe. He was a man who fought with words instead of with fists. King Ashton would definitely be the last person he'd suspect of wanting to hurt Elysium. What the hell was his father sputtering on about? Didn't he realize how ridiculous he sounded?

"Lucas, what's the matter with you?" Lord Vanderbilt questioned. "Your uncle is king now while Gabriel is the crown prince. What's wrong with that? It was the people's decision."

"So was it their decision as well when you had the royal family murdered before their eyes?" Lucas shot back. He remembered all of their faces now. From King Ashton to young Michael. "He was only a child." His heart cracked and he could feel tears forming. Lucas was always too soft and kind hearted for his own good. His father was aware of this. That's why he had sent him into isolation for the last two years of his life.

He had hoped the experience would toughen him up a bit. Show him the world wasn't some perfect fairytale where everyone got along and received a happily ever after. He thought that all of the shit he had put his son through would have prepared him for this moment. But, in the end, his assumptions proved to be wrong and his expectations only ended in disappointment. He should have known that Lucas took after his good-natured late wife.

Honestly, he knew the reaction from Lucas could have gone either way. Most people would be overjoyed to be part of the royal family. It meant money and power. Yet, here was his son not caring about either one of those things. Sometimes he wondered if the two of them were really related. "Lucas." His voice became tender and gentle as he approached the boy. "I admired King Ashton as well but everything has already been proven. There was countless evidence against him and the high council had no other choice but to punish him. I know it was cruel that his family had to die as well but if we allowed them to thrive, we could have sparked uproar amongst the citizens of our kingdom. Wasn't it lenient enough that we didn't have them tortured?"

"I'm leaving," Lucas declared. He made it to the entryway when two guards hindered him from proceeding any further. He looked at them with an annoyed expression and glanced over his shoulder. "I'll be back. I want to get some fresh air and let all of this sink in. Will that be okay?" His father figured he was going to do whatever he wanted anyways and decided he would comply. With a wave his hand, the guards stepped away and cleared from Lucas's path. "Thank you," he muttered before opening the door and leaving.

"Follow him and keep him safe. If even a single strand of hair on his head falls off, I will have you both killed in a matter of seconds. Do I make myself clear?" Henry warned.

Knowing very well that his father would send men to keep an eye on him, Lucas quickly sprinted from the large estate and down the road as fast as he could manage. He didn't know where he was going but he knew once he hit a busy area he would be fine. He could easily blend in with everyone else and, to his luck, he stumbled into a marketplace. Everywhere he looked he saw people and as he peered back, he didn't see anyone in particular following him.

He relaxed and headed for a more secluded area. There, Lucas whistled twice. He had to wait a minute before the familiar messenger owl he and Gabriel used to communicate with one another appeared. "Meet me at the old field we used to play at when we were younger in ten minutes. I have a lot of questions to ask you," he told the creature. Then, the owl spread its wings and took flight, abandoning the boy in order to deliver his message.

* * *

"Maybe we should have thought this through a little more before we came," Xavier said as the two of them wandered the streets with their heads hung low. They were trying to keep a discreet profile, not wanting to get caught by the citizens of Elysium.

"No, I can find him," Irina assured albeit reluctantly. They had crossed the border around an hour back and had been aimlessly walking around with no sense of direction ever since. Who knew how big Collier could be when you had no idea where you were supposed to go? Although Irina was trying to stay optimistic and positive, she couldn't help but agree with the boy's suggestion. How the heck did she expect to find Lucas? She didn't even know his surname!

It wasn't like she could go around and just ask people if they knew him. She could easily be recognized and she couldn't risk putting the two of them in harm's way. What she was doing now was dangerous enough. She couldn't worsen the situation. Plus what were the chances that anyone would know who he was? From what she could remember, he wasn't even from Collier. He resided in Eden and then it dawned on her. What was she doing in the capital city?

The thought of giving up crept into her mind and she could feel her shoulders deflating as she ceased moving. Her mind told her they should return before they got caught but her heart... her heart was telling her otherwise. There was this sudden tug on the organ and she found herself turning back around. She didn't know what she was doing or where she was heading as her feet led her wherever. It was like she had no control over them and Xavier chased after her. "Where are you going?" he asked, trying to match her fast pace.

"I-I'm not sure," she answered truthfully.

"I think your wolf instincts are kicking in," he replied. They made a turn onto another semi-crowded street when a certain name forced Irina's legs to cease movement.

"Can you believe Lord Vanderbilt is actually going to hold an extravagant party just to find his son a suitable wife?" a man snorted, shaking his head in disbelief. Lord Vanderbilt. Those two words burned Irina's insides as she swiveled around to look at the group of men who were too busy conversing to take notice of her presence. She recalled the evil and satisfied glint in his eyes that night they were attacked. He was a factor in her family's premature death and there was no doubt in her mind that she hated him with every fiber in her being. 

"I know. Who does he think he is? Just because he's part of the so-called royal family now he thinks he's so high and mighty?" a second man sneered. "I bet his son isn't even good looking and the only way he'll get wedded is because he's now considered a prince. What was his name again?"

"His son's name? Ah, I think it's something like Lucian Vanderbilt?" another guessed as he snapped his fingers.

"No, no. It's Lucas. His son's name is Lucas Vanderbilt," a brusque man corrected. "I remember because my son had sword lessons with him a few years back. I'm surprised he's back from Eden already." At that precise moment Irina felt a sharp dagger pierce right through her heart. She shouldn't have stayed. She shouldn't have listened because now that she had heard everything they had said, she felt like the one thing that had been keeping her sane all this while had completely slipped through her fingers.

It was like everything around her was spinning around in circles and she felt sick to her stomach. The feeling she was currently experiencing was horrifying. This cannot, under any circumstance, be real. She must have heard wrong. Irina did not want to believe anything they were saying. She could not. Her heart was pounding against her ribcage at a fast and wild rate but this time for all of the wrong reasons. Next, she recalled the note addressed to Lucas in the book she had seen. Those words flashed in and out of her mind but she refused to accept it.

"Irina." Xavier had also taken everything in and was able to put the pieces together. How cruel could fate be? The girl gradually shifted his way and he saw her eyes flash golden auburn. And along with the color change, he saw pain. Suddenly, without warning, Irina sprinted as fast as she could, shoving people out of her way. She didn't care about anything anymore.

She had to find Lucas. She had to find out for herself if what she was thinking was the truth or not. Because if her assumptions were right, she wasn't sure if she'd be able to live another second. And as she allowed her feet to guide her, Irina prayed with her whole heart that she was wrong. She prayed that her Lucas wasn't the same boy those men had been talking about. That her mate—the one person she was destined to love for the rest of her life—wasn't the son of the man partly at fault for her family's extinction.

For if he was, she was certain that she'd go mad. 

* * *

"Why didn't you tell me?" Lucas questioned, slightly hurt that his cousin, out of all people, dared to keep secrets from him. The two of them were best friends. In fact, they were each other's first friends. So how could he do such a thing? Growing up, Gabriel and Lucas were practically attached at the hip. They did almost everything as a pair. Thanks to the blood, which tied them together, they weren't as lonely as the other children who came from noble and wealthy families were. Why? Simple, because they always had each other to rely on.

When they had to take fighting lessons upon both of their fathers' orders, they did it together. When they had to learn how to play certain instruments so that they could further cultivate their minds with the arts, they did it together. They never kept secrets from each other. And although this wasn't really a secret since everyone in Elysium had known about it, to Lucas it had been. Gabriel was aware of the execution of the royal family. He knew that Lucas was now considered a prince, just as he was, yet he didn't bother to tell him any of this when he had woken up.

How could he keep something as crucial as this to himself? Didn't he think it would have been convenient for the Lucas to know that he was part of the so-called royal bloodline now? Just what was he thinking?

"Because I didn't think it was important at the moment," Gabriel answered truthfully. "You were passed out for an entire week, Lucas. So when you woke up, all I thought about was your health and how you were feeling. Plus, I figured your father would have told you everything. But I suppose you're just finding out now."

"Still!" Lucas growled, his jaw clenching tightly. "How could you—how could you be okay with all of this? Do you really believe King Ashton was going to lead our people to their doom?"

"Honestly." Gabriel exhaled and looked up at the raven-colored sky. It was littered with millions of stars while the moon hovered amongst them as well. "I didn't know what to believe." And that was the truth. When his father, Edwin, returned home one morning (the morning after the brutal attack had been made against the palace), he talked about the imprisonment of King Ashton and his family. Well, with the exception of Irina of course.

He could remember vividly just how furious his father was because she had managed to escape. The look in his eyes was absolutely murderous. Gabriel didn't understand what happened and the elder did a good job at keeping things that way. Every time he had tried bringing it up to his father, Edwin would provide him with a vague answer. However, that all changed after the execution.

With the royal family out of the picture, it was declared to the citizens of the kingdom who their new ruler would be. Gabriel didn't know how it happened, but apparently the people had selected his family to be the next successors to the throne. At least, that's what his father told him. The news that he would be the crown prince was obviously rattling to Gabriel. He never thought that there would be a day where he'd be reigning over Elysium and even now it's still rather difficult for him to believe.

It was not easy adapting to life as a member of the royal family. There were new rules he had to follow. New ways he had to behave and less time to spend with his favorite cousin. After Lucas had woken up, Gabriel was summoned by his father and instructed to travel throughout the entire kingdom. He had to do this in order to greet the people he would soon be responsible for in the future and make sure he left a good impression on them. At first, Gabriel refused to go. Being crown prince was too much pressure for him. He didn't want to. He didn't want any of this. But his father never fancied the word no.

Instead of using force though, he persuaded Gabriel to go. And, eventually, the boy caved in. Edwin knew how much his son loved Elysium and used that to lure him to oblige to his commands. He even explained to him every single detail which dealt with King Ashton's case, along with all of his treacherous deeds.

It took a lot of evidence and convincing but by the end of the night, Gabriel was sold. He believed, just like a majority of the population did, that Ashton Kavalier was only a cursed omen who deserved everything done to him. He, too, had once adored the beloved werewolf monarch but with the new information force-fed to his brain, that adoration and admiration transformed into disgust and hate. He had been fooled. Ashton was no good being. He was corrupted and evil and Gabriel had to remove the blinds from Lucas's eyes as well.

"I didn't know what to believe back then either but now I know." Gabriel turned to his cousin, a stoic and stale countenance plastered across his face. "Ashton Kavalier was nothing but trouble. His death was caused by no one other than himself and his selfish desires."

Lucas was speechless as he stared at the shorter male. His mouth was slightly ajar while his eyes were rounded. "You don't really believe that, Gabe."

"I do and you should start to as well. You have to realize that not everyone has a pure heart like you do, Lucas. That kind of naivety could get you killed," Gabriel warned. "You know, at first I didn't want to be part of the royal family either. Let alone the crown prince. But now that I've figured out that I have the ability to help our kingdom flourish, I'm fine with it. The citizens of Elysium need me. They need us, Lucas. We are in charge of their futures. If we abandon them now, we're no better than Ashton."

"But still... I looked up to him," he murmured brokenly.

"A lot of people did but it's time to let go now. He wasn't the person we thought he was. I've read the files and reviewed the evidence. They were all strong and added up. If you don't believe me, I'll show you to them," Gabriel suggested but Lucas cut him off by holding up a hand. This was all too much for him to take in. Who would ever want to believe their role model, the person they wanted to be when they grew up, was the villain of the story? Certainly not Lucas. Just like Gabriel, Lucas loved Elysium more than anyone could ever imagine.

He wanted to protect it because it was his home. The place where the people he cherished most lived. "Was he that bad?" he whispered. Gabriel nodded a little reluctantly but it was still a nod nonetheless. "But what about his family? Did they deserve to perish because of him?" His heart clenched at the remembrance of Michael specifically. He was only a child. What harm could he have done?

"You're right about his family. They were innocent... but it was to secure our safety. Who knows what they could have done to us. Isn't it already good enough that one of the princesses got away?" Gabriel sighed.

"I-I don't know," Lucas said. His head was spinning in circles.

"Just take your time then," his cousin stated. "But we should go back now. The guards are waiting for me at the entryway."

"You brought guards? Why? Did you think I was going to hurt you or something?" Lucas questioned.

Gabriel chuckled and punched his shoulder. "Don't be ridiculous, Lucas. I know you won't hurt me. My mother insisted I bring them along in case something happens to either one of us since you ran away from your guards."

"How did you know about that?" He gawked.

"Your father called mine. When I was heading out, my mother asked if I was going to meet you and well, I couldn't lie to her," Gabriel explained sheepishly. "But don't worry, I didn't tell them you were here. So you still have some time to yourself." Just as Lucas was going to answer, they heard branches snapping from the distance. "What was that?"

Lucas scanned the area but when he heard nothing, he shrugged it off. "The wind?"

"Probably. Anyways, I guess I'll talk to you later, Prince Lucas?" A smile graced Gabriel's lips and he bowed playfully. His childish antics caused the latter to roll his eyes and to lighten the atmosphere, he chose to tag along. Gabriel was still his best friend after all.

"No after you, crown prince." He bowed back even lower.

"I think we can get definitely get accustomed to this." Gabriel chortled. Next, the two of them said their farewells before they went their separate ways. Gabriel would have offered to take the boy home but he knew Lucas preferred to be alone when he was under stress or had a lot going on in his mind.

As he stood in the open fields, he heard fast footsteps approaching him from behind. He thought it might have been Gabriel returning, but realized soon enough it wasn't. Without warning, something sharp clawed at the back of his neck. The unseen attack caught him off guard and he gasped once the pain hit him. The perpetrator then kicked the back of his knees so that he was kneeling on the ground.

"You... you deserve to die," that oh-so familiar voice declared coldly. And before he could hear anything else, everything went black.

* * *

"It's him," Irina murmured when they arrived at a field. She was about to approach Lucas, eager to be reunited with him again but Xavier grasped onto her arm. She looked at him with a bewildered expression, wondering what he was doing. She was ready to shake him off, but abruptly stopped and froze on the spot. Someone else was there. She peered over to Lucas again and as he moved a little, she spotted another boy beside him. Enhancing her hearing abilities, she picked up on their conversation. From what she could tell, his name was Gabriel. Irina didn't know what to think for the time being as she continued to listen to them.

All she was able to do was wait patiently. She told her herself to remain level-headed but when the two humans started talking about her family, she could feel her rage intensifying. Lucas didn't sound like the bad guy though. From what she could hear, he actually sounded remorseful. Gabriel, on the other hand, she knew he was different.

Irina felt this unbearable pain ripping through her entire body the more they talked. She couldn't make a sound though or else they'd be discovered. She had to dig her nails into the dirt beneath her and clench her teeth to hold her anger in. Then she heard it. The words which made her lose the only lifeline she had left. "Probably. Anyways, I guess I'll talk to you later, Prince Lucas?"

No, it couldn't be true. Irina forced herself to look up at them. "No after you, crown prince." She saw Lucas bowing and that was the only confirmation she needed.

"Irina, what's wrong?" Xavier whispered. She was kneeling on all fours, her hair draping over her face as she stared at the ground. "Irina." He reached his hand out to touch her but then she snapped her teeth at him. For a second, he was shocked. Utterly flabbergasted.

Her eyes were golden auburn but not the same shade they normally were. They seemed somewhat darker this time around. And her teeth... They were rather sharp and that's when his mind registered everything.

Irina's mate was really the son of the man partly at fault for the deaths of her loved ones. He was related to the man who killed his Lyra and although Xavier could feel the rage surfacing within him, he couldn't bring himself to hurt Lucas. It wasn't his fault.

He might have come to terms with this fact, but Irina hadn't. Her mind was too screwed up to think logically. The abhorrence she harbored was too strong. Letting the vexation coursing throughout her entire body come to full power, she jumped from her position and sprinted toward Lucas. In one fluid motion, she swiped her hand across the back of his neck and drew blood. Nothing but vengeance and spite clouded her mind.

As if on instinct, she smashed her foot against the back of his knees, which caused him to drop to the ground. "You... you deserve to die," she accused. She raised her hand up, each finger now adorning a long and deadly nail. This was for her family.

"No!" Xavier screamed as he tackled Irina and hoisted her up. He then ran as fast as he could, trying to get as far away as he could manage from the unconscious boy. However, he felt teeth sink into his forearm and it hurt like hell. "Irina! Get a hold of yourself!" Xavier shouted as he threw the girl onto the ground and pinned her down.

Beneath him, she struggled a great deal. She twisted and turned, retaliating strenuously against his hold. Her teeth had sharpened and her eyes had turned a blaring auburn as she growled at him. It was something the boy had never seen before; it was something that frightened him. Her in such an animalistic state.

Losing focus for just that one second, Xavier had provided Irina with the upper hand as she used her legs to kick him off. "Shit," he groaned as his back met a rock. He then rolled over onto his side and glanced over to the girl.

"I'm going to kill him," she promised through gritted teeth. Next, a spark of red appeared in her glossy eyes. "I'm going to kill them all."

- - -

Author's Thoughts: One more chapter before the big time skip. Are you guys excited or what? Irina though ;~; Just to clarify, Edwin is Lucas's uncle and Gabriel's father. His sister married Henry Vanderbilt but passed away after giving birth to Lucas.