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C O L D

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Irina wanted to run back to where Lucas was. She really did. She wanted to finish what she started. It was only fair, wasn't it? Lord Vanderbilt deserved to suffer the same (if not worse) agonizing pain he had put her through when he had her entire family put down like they were just a bunch of rabid dogs. Yes, slaughtering Lucas wouldn't bring any of them back from the dead but it was better than nothing. If she could inflict the same pain upon her enemies that they had given unto her that was all that mattered.

However, Irina found herself sprinting in the opposite direction from where the boy was.

She was having an internal battle with herself. The fight was between her unconditional love and her searing hatred. It was a battle between her heart and her mind. One part of her wanted to shred Lucas into bits and pieces but the other part wanted him to wrap his arms around her as she cried into his chest. He would stroke her hair affectionately while telling her that everything was going to be okay. That they could get through this adversity together but Irina knew better than to believe that. How could she even think that things could ever go back to normal between the two of them? He was Henry Vanderbilt's son for crying out loud! He was... he was her enemy.

"No!" Irina shouted in fury as she continued to run aimlessly through the vast forest, just like the night of the attack. Tears were falling from her eyes but she refused to stop. If she did, she would have the urge to return and she couldn't go back. She shouldn't. He might have been Lord Vanderbilt's son, but he was still her mate. The one she was destined to be with. How could she bring herself to hurt him? What a rather cruel fate this was indeed.

The girl was feeling a number of emotions whirling inside of her and finally halted as she allowed her small fist to collide with the bark of a large tree. You would expect it to have hurt her but instead, the tree shook and a dent was formed at the area she had made contact with. The leaves from the oxygen releasing organism drifted down like rain and surrounded a broken and torn up young girl. Her breaths were short and heavy as she hung her head low.

What was she supposed to do now? Lucas was her last hope but now she had lost even him. Now she had no one. She had no reason to keep living. How was she going to survive? She shouldn't have asked Xavier to bring her back. She shouldn't have been so insistent on coming to see Lucas again because nothing had turned out the way she had hoped they would. She thought meeting him again would help her with the tragedy she experienced but it did the exact opposite. Seeing Lucas only worsened her condition.

He was supposed to be her refuge.

Her light at the end of the tunnel.

The rainbow that appeared after the passing of a brutal storm.

Her reason to keep living.

"I shouldn't have come back," she croaked, her heart aching. If she had just stayed away from Elysium, she could have avoided this. She would have been better off not knowing the truth. At least then she could have gone on living, thinking how wonderful it would be to be with Lucas again. But now that his identity was revealed, she couldn't even bring herself to think of those thoughts.

She felt so betrayed. She felt so foolish. Could this have been their plan all along? Was Lucas supposed to escort her to Collier for her death? So many possibilities were running amuck in Irina's brain, none of them making any sense to her. Her head started to pound and she dropped to her knees. Next, an army of rumbling thunders greeted her ears, followed by lightning flashing through the sky.

The day she had met Lucas out in Eden crossed her mind. Irina couldn't help it anymore and started to cry even louder. She wanted to let it all out. The pain she had been cursed with that is. What did this mean for them? "I can't be with him," she sobbed. "How could I?" Her tears began to mix in with the rain which soon came pouring down. Irina stayed rooted to the ground, unable to move from where she was. She picked up her hand and saw the blood coating it being washed away. Her nails carried flesh and she shuddered realizing it belonged to Lucas.

"What have I done?" She felt so sorry toward him but then the image of her family flickered into her mind. For the second time in her life, Irina found herself cringing. She was utterly disgusted with her own actions. How could she choose a boy over her family? What was she thinking? She should have killed him when she had the chance. Why did she let her fickle emotions get the best of her? How could she allow the perfect opportunity to get revenge slip right through her fingers? What was she expecting? The two of them getting to live their happily ever after together? She was insane to think that something like that was still an option.

Happily ever afters were not real. They did not exist in the world and she had to find that out the hard way. It was obvious Lucas didn't even feel the same way as she did. Why would he? He was a human after all. They didn't believe in soul mates and destiny. And if she remembered correctly, he was going to get married to someone else anyways. Someone that wasn't her. This was all one-sided on her part and she hated it.

She despised the fact that she had no control over her feelings for him. If she had a choice, she would rip out her own heart and feed it to the sharks. The plan sounded so inviting, so tempting, that she could not resist. Irina was positive it would be better than forcing herself to endure the pain. If she was dead, she would not able to feel anything and that was what she wanted.

As the rain soaked through her clothes and drenched her hair, she closed her eyes and moved her hand over to her chest. She could feel her nails poking her skin and just as she was about to pierce through to her heart, everything went dark.

* * *

Cold. That was all Irina felt as she began to come to her senses. Slowly, she opened her eyes, wondering if she had died. When she saw the familiar rocky ceiling dangling above her head, however, she realized she was still alive. "You're awake." Xavier breathed out gently as he helped her sit up. She quickly brushed him off and turned away.

"Why am I back here?" she muttered. Everything was spinning and she felt rather queasy.

"What do you mean?" he questioned. "You promised me you'd come back if—"

"Shut up," Irina snapped brusquely. "Just shut up. I don't want to hear any of this bullshit anymore. I don't even want to be here." She threw the blanket off and attempted to stand on her feet. She failed to take a step though as the nausea began settling in.

"Don't move," Xavier instructed. "You caught a fever. It took me an hour to find you. How could you leave like that? Do you know what could have happened if someone else had discovered you? And what's with the profanity? It's not princesslike to talk in such a manner." Unintentionally, he had raised his voice at her but it wasn't because he was angry at her. It was because he was worried.

After she had kicked him off and ran away, Xavier thought she had gone after Lucas again. So, out of natural instinct, he headed back to the field. Once he arrived, he was surprised to find Gabriel and two other men there. He scanned the area and to his relief (and fear) she was nowhere in sight.

He had to find her but because he had no idea where she had gone, he hadn't had slightest clue which direction to take. If anything, he would have used his nose to pick up her scent but that method was nearly impossible when it started to rain. All Xavier could do was pray that she was safe. That she didn't do anything she would regret later on in her life. And thankfully for him, he had found her.

She had fainted and he figured it must have been because of her slight transformation. If he remembered correctly, Irina was turning sixteen. He didn't know exactly when but this meant that she would be able to shift into her wolf form soon enough. Doing so drained a lot of energy, especially at the beginning of the process. The case was even worse for the girl since the majority of her genes belonged to those of humans.

Fortunately for them, they were at the border of Savage Territory. He had shifted into his wolf form and carried the unconscious girl all the way back to her place of residence. Once he arrived, he was bombarded with questions. He had no choice and had to confess everything to Gideon. Although the Alpha knew the boy had good intentions, he still had to punish him to ensure he would never try to do something like this every again, which would explain the whip marks decorating Xavier's back. Since he hid the pain well, nobody could tell the hurt he'd endured.

"Oh please," she scoffed bitterly. "Who gives a damn about being princesslike? I'm not even a princess anymore!" She regained her composure and shoved Xavier away. "Why did you bring me back? Why didn't you just leave me there to die? Do you want me to keep going through this hell you call a life? Do you want to see me miserable just like you are? I am better off dead!"

"Irina, don't say things like that. You don't mean it," he prodded tenderly.

"And how would you know that? You don't know anything about me!" she spat in return.

"I know that this isn't you!" Xavier argued as he grasped onto her shoulders. "Snap out of it, Irina. Just because Lucas is Lord Vanderbilt's son doesn't mean that you have to hate him. This doesn't change anything. He's still your mate. You still love—" His speech was cut short when Irina lifted her hand and swatted his cheek. The slap resonated through the room and Xavier's head was turned to the side. It stung but the pain soon subsided.

"Are you stupid? This changes everything!" she growled, her body shaking with fury. "He's lucky I didn't kill him!"

"You're being irrational," Xavier spoke, despite what she'd just done. He was trying not to get mad because he knew she was having a tough time coping with everything. He couldn't blame her. However, that didn't mean he was going to allow her to do anything idiotic. Irina might be saying that she wanted to end Lucas's life, but he could tell that deep down there was still a part of her that didn't want any harm done unto him. 

"No, I was being irrational when I chose to let him go!" Irina yelled. "Get out! Get out this instant!"

"I can't. I won't," Xavier answered with determination written all over his face. "It's not good for you to be alone—" Her slender hands coiled around his neck as she pushed him against the wall. He winced because of the fresh injuries he had while his air supply was cut short. Again, he saw that animalistic look in her eyes.

To his surprise, she seemed to have gotten stronger. He had to resort to violence or else he would die. With one hard punch landed on her stomach, Irina released him and clutched the assaulted area. It felt like the wind had been knocked right out of her. "Why can't you just listen, Irina? I can help you get through this. You're not alone."

Next she lifted her head to look at him, her eyes shining auburn. "You can't help me," she rasped. "No one can."

* * *

"What the hell are you still doing here?" Kaleb questioned with a brow quirked. Xavier looked up at him with a doleful expression from where he sat before his eyes landed on the bracelet hugging his wrist. "Are you seriously going to watch over your little girlfriend twenty-four, seven? Look, I don't know what happened between the two of you and my father, but you need to go home and sleep. Don't take this the wrong way but you look like shit."

The older boy was too tired to take offense. Sighing heavily, he ran a palm over his face. "I can't. It's not safe for me to leave her alone. Not after everything she's been through." Kaleb felt this twinge of jealously once he realized just how much his friend cared about Irina. Were they that close? Wait, why did he even care? It's not like he liked her that way. She could be close to whoever the hell she wanted to be close with. It wasn't his problem. However, his friend's health, on the other hand, was his problem. And thus, that was the excuse Kaleb used to utter his next statement.

"She won't be alone," he muttered. "If you want, I can keep an eye on her for you." Hearing those words coming from the younger male stupefied Xavier. Kaleb was never someone who would do something so... considerate. It wasn't like him to offer to do something like this and of course Xavier took notice. He stood up and eyed his friend with much caution. "What?" Kaleb tucked his hands into his pockets. "I just don't want you getting sick or anything. Plus, your parents keep asking for you."

"So?" Xavier shot back, surprising Kaleb. Couldn't he just leave already? Why was he asking so many questions? Kaleb said he would look after Irina, didn't he?

He scoffed. "So you should drop by and show them you're still alive."

It was quiet before Xavier spoke up, "Fine. But if anything happens to her when I come back, you're dead." He took a step toward Kaleb, a hard expression sprawled out on his face. "And I mean it. Don't you dare try anything on her either or else you're going to break a finger. And just know, I won't be the cause if that happens." With his warning having been given, Xavier made his exit.

Kaleb rolled his eyes. "What the fuck. If you're not the one to break my finger, who would be?" It's not like he was going to try to do anything to her anyways. Why was everyone always so quick to assume that he had some kind of romantic relationship with Irina? He was only attracted to her for fuck's sake! Why was everyone making it sound like he was in love with her?

"Young master," one of the servants called out. Kaleb snapped out of his thoughts and turned her way. She was holding a tray of food out for him.

"What's this?" he asked, confused. It didn't look like anything he ate.

"Your friend told me to give it to you. It's for the young miss," she explained.

"Okay? So why don't you go deliver it to her? That's your job, not mine." Kaleb then walked away and the woman just sighed. She made her way over to Irina's room and inhaled a deep breath before she knocked and allowed herself entrance.

"Your dinner is here, young miss." The woman didn't see Irina anywhere though and started to panic. Under Gideon's orders, Irina was not allowed to leave the confines of the home. Since Xavier was always watching her, she never had the chance to escape. Therefore, the woman assumed that Irina must have slipped out when Xavier had departed.

She didn't know how the young girl managed to do it but she was aware that she could lose her head if the Alpha was to find out that Irina was missing. Next, she spun around and was shocked to see the mirror broken. Glass shards were on the floor and she wondered what in the world had happened. She was ready to scream for Kaleb when a hand cupped her mouth and she heard the door shutting.

"Make a sound and I will slit your throat," Irina threatened. Her voice was dangerous and low while her hand felt as cold as ice. The maid thought that she might have been bluffing but when she felt something sharp poking at her neck, she realized Irina was serious. "Take off your clothes. Now tell me, is there a back exit through the kitchen?" Hesitantly, the maid nodded. Then she obliged to the girl's orders. When she was left in nothing but her undergarments, Irina tied her hands together and stuffed a piece of cloth into so that she wouldn't be able to call out for help. Next, she led her to the closet and forced her inside.

"Someone will find you. But I swear, if you make a sound before I get out of here, I will come back for you. If anything, tell them I ambushed you and threatened your life," Irina said. She shut the closet, stripped off her own clothing and wore the maid's. She decided to let her hair down, believing that it would help her conceal her identity better. After, she placed the food on the table and picked up the empty tray. She was determined to get away. To where? She didn't know yet but she assumed she would be able to figure it out once she escaped.

Poking her head out of the door, Irina saw that the coast was clear and stepped out. Hanging her head low, she found the route to the kitchen. Luckily for her there were only a few people around and all of them seemed too immersed with their own work to take notice of her. This was easier than she had anticipated it to be.

Irina was surprised that Xavier was nowhere in sight, but thanks to his absence, she was able to liberate herself. From a distance, she spotted the exit and quickly placed the tray down. She could smell the fresh air and once she got her foot outside the threshold, she was prepared to make a run for it. 

She thought someone was going to stop her. Like Xavier would just pop out in front of her because he had already expected her to try something like this but instead, she found herself dashing into the hoard of trees without any kind of hindrance. Finally she could breathe again. It was a bit chilly since it was already nighttime but Irina didn't care. "And where do you think you're going?" Irina halted in her tracks as she blinked at the person in front of her.

He was definitely not the person she expected to cause any issues for her. "I was wondering why Xavier had told the maid to give me the tray." Irina didn't say a word as she averted her gaze. "Aw what's wrong? Cat got your tongue?" Kaleb then leaned in towards her ear. "You've been a very bad girl. I don't think you were supposed to leave the house."

"And you care because?" Irina sneered, slightly annoyed that Kaleb had chosen now out of all times to interfere with her life.

"Oh no, don't misunderstand. I still don't care about you," he replied, shrugging his shoulders. "You can go wherever the hell you want as long as you tell me one thing."

"And why would I do that? Actually, why the fuck would I do anything you say? Isn't this what you wanted? Didn't you say I was nothing but a nuisance to you? That I was nothing but a selfish, little bitch?" Irina hissed viciously. Her sudden change in speech and attitude knocked Kaleb right off of his feet as he stared at her with wide eyes. He didn't know if this was the appropriate time or not, but he was getting extremely aroused by this feisty side of her. Who knew she could be so hot while she cursed like that? He sure didn't. "Get out of my way. I'm doing everyone a favor." Irina extended her arm out so that she could shove him to the side but Kaleb caught her wrist. "What are you doing?" she growled. "Let go of me." Instead of doing as told, Kaleb dragged her into his chest.

"Now you tell me why the fuck would I do anything you say?" he replied, obviously mirroring her words on purpose. Irina could feel her nails growing and without warning, she pierced through Kaleb's abdomen. It wasn't a serious wound but it definitely hurt. "What the fuck," the boy groaned in pain as he let her go. He examined his wound and noticed the blood slowly seeping out. He then looked at Irina who was wiping her hand off on the dress like nothing had happened.

Her eyes were auburn and even though she had practically stabbed him, he found her to be rather alluring at the moment. There was something different about her. He just couldn't tell what it was exactly. "That was a warning. Try to stop me and I'll do worse." Irina strutted by him and that's when Kaleb spoke up.

"Who is he?" Those three words slipped out faster than melted butter and caused the girl to freeze right on the spot.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she said, her voice faltering.

"I'm talking about the bastard who hurt you. It's can't be Xavier," Kaleb guessed.

"You don't even know what you're saying. Who says I'm hurt?" For some odd reason, Irina wanted to stay and listen to what he had to say. How did he know anything? Xavier had assured her no one else but Gideon knew about Lucas. So just how did Kaleb figure it out?

"I can hear your heart," he replied bluntly. Then he stood up, despite the pain in his abdomen. "So tell me whose head I have to rip off." His statement emitted a sardonic and dry chuckle to fall from Irina's lips. Was he the same heartless bastard she had meet weeks ago? Why the hell was he butting into her business like it was his own?

"And why would you do that?" she questioned.

"Does it have to do with your family then?" Kaleb pressed further. Irina's body became even more rigid as her hands clenched into tight fists.

"Would you just shut up? I'm leaving," she announced. Kaleb latched onto her arm and held her back. Her tolerance level had been met and as she spun around, ready to punch him, he caught her wrist yet again. He pulled her in and stared at her with an unreadable expression.

"Tell me, Irina Kavalier. Tell me what happened to you." His eyes turned into a stunning shade of emerald green. At the sight, Irina felt something inside of her twitch. It was a weird sensation and when she blinked, his eyes were brown again. She wondered if she had seen wrong but dismissed the thought. It probably wasn't even something important anyways.

"And what will you do once I spill my heart out to you?" She lowered her gaze and for once, since her return from Elysium, Irina didn't feel piqued. There was this peculiar comfort radiating from the boy and she didn't know what it was but she kind of enjoyed it.

"Whatever you want me to do," he confessed honestly. Kaleb didn't know why he was yielding and giving into Irina so easily but right now, none of that mattered. Suddenly, there was this abrupt flow of energy rushing into his body. It felt like a mixture of emotions but the thing was they didn't belong to him. Something like this wasn't impossible but it was, however, rare. Kaleb didn't know how to react.

You know how when people are in love they tend to say something along the lines of, "When you're happy, I'm happy; when you're sad, I'm sad. I feel everything you feel because we're one?" Well this thing that was happening was sort of like that. Those unstable emotions weren't Kaleb's. No, they were Irina's. It was called a pathosline. A connection which allowed one person to experience all of the emotions of another person.

No one in Kaleb's generation had ever gotten the chance to experience a pathosline but a couple of elders in his society had. If he remembered correctly, a pathosline, according to those who have experienced it, could only be performed when two halves of a whole come together. In other words, this basically fell under the whole "fate and destiny" crap he hated. But let's just assume that what they had said was true. Did this mean that Irina... that Irina was his other half? The part that would make him whole?

"You're in pain," he uttered. "You're angry and... and you feel betrayed."

"So what if I am?" Irina snapped. "Can't I be? Wouldn't you be upset if you're whole family died when they weren't supposed to? Wouldn't you feel betrayed if the people you thought were your allies stabbed you in the back?"

Kaleb swallowed before his lips transformed into a small smirk. He had found an opening. This was his chance. "I don't feel betrayed when people stab me in the back. You want to know why?" He moved to her ear again and whispered in a rather cynical tone, "It's because I return the favor, only ten times worse. Is that what you want, Irina? To get revenge for your family? If you do, I can help you." 

Here was another person offering her assistance and funny enough, Irina was considering it. For the difference between Kaleb's offer and Xavier's was that Kaleb knew what she wanted and he was willing to help her. Originally, she had planned to kill herself, but as she thought about it now, she realized she couldn't die, at least not yet. Not until she gave everyone in Elysium what they deserved for betraying her and her family. She was going to return the favor ten—no a hundred—times worse. All she could see was revenge. It was all she cared about now.

After Irina had told Kaleb she would accept his offer, she asked for some time alone. She gave him her word that she would return and so he granted her permission. If Irina wanted to be merciless and coldblooded, just like the people who persecuted her family were, she had to make sure she had no weakness that would hold her back. She had to become the thing she feared most but it was necessary. She had to forget the old her. The girl who was raised to be a benevolent, elegant and poised princess. The same girl who had been naïve and blind to the ugliness of the world.

It wouldn't be too difficult to accomplish the task though. Nearly everything tying Irina to her old life was already gone. There was only one thing left and she was certain that if she managed to get rid of it, she would be able to succeed at anything. So, with a loud whistle, she summoned the only thing standing between her and her revenge: Kaya.

- - -

Author's Thoughts: DUN DUN DUN! I'd like to dedicate this chapter to halscion and MissPoultryQueen. I hope you're all enjoying this. Pathosline is something I made up, but doesn't it sound so cool? Big time skip will be in the next chapter! Please leave me your thoughts, loves <3