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E M E R G E D

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f i v e y e a r s l a t e r

Blood, blood and no surprise here, more blood. The thick, metallic-smelling substance was sprayed everywhere but the strange thing was that there was not even a dead carcass lying around anywhere in sight.

Sauntering away from the area with its fur drenched in blood, the Rogue discovered a lake nearby and entered without a second thought. Its mouth was smeared with blood and dead flesh clung to its razor sharp teeth. As the water became deeper, the wolf began to transform and shift back to its human form. Long blonde hair cascaded down her back while the cool water came into contact with her bare skin. It felt refreshing, like it always did, and holding her breath, she ducked her head beneath the water's surface. It felt so peaceful but she should have known the serenity wouldn't last too long.

"Irina Kavalier!" a voice growled angrily, causing the woman to drone under water. If only she was part fish. She could stay hidden in the water for eternity and there wouldn't be anything anyone could do about it. Feeling her body stir for some oxygen, she was forced to swim to the top. When she broke the surface, she looked to the shore and found no one other than Xavier and he looked all but pleased with her. "What are you doing? Get out of there!" he ordered.

Irina looked at him with a blank expression and then scoffed out her reply, "No. I don't want to." Her rebellious response only frustrated the man further as he flexed his jaw and clenched his fists. "Just go back, Xavier. Can't you see that I'm busy?" The manner in which she addressed him resulted with another slash to his heart and although it pained him, he couldn't afford to let it show.

"If you don't come out this instant, I'm going in and dragging you out," he threatened.

"How did you even know I was here? I made sure I was alone," Irina pointed out, completely ignoring his last remark. 

"Simple. I followed the pungent smell of blood and figured it could only be you. What did you kill this time, Irina? The place looks like a mess." He shook his head disapprovingly at her but she could not care less.

"I was hungry." She shrugged nonchalantly. "Is it my fault my body craved for some protein at this ungodly hour?"

"That's not what I asked you," Xavier sneered. "I asked you what it was that you killed."

Next, a smirk appeared on her face as she lifted a finger and held it to her lips. "It's a secret," she answered and then she winked at him. His blood boiled and to calm himself down, he closed his eyes and tried to control his breathing. "If that's all, you can leave now." But what he did next stunned her. With his clothes still wrapped around his body, Xavier marched into the water and grasped onto her wrist before she had the chance to escape.

"We're leaving now," he declared, unaffected by the fact that she was naked. Xavier saw Irina as a little sister and nothing more. Even though it might be a little awkward for him to see her without clothes on, it didn't matter to him as long as he got her back safely. "And if you even think about shifting, I will shift as well and I know you don't want that." As she allowed herself to be dragged to the land, Irina didn't utter a word. Xavier then threw a dress at her. His back was directed her way and she just rolled her eyes before slipping the dress over her body.

"What? No shoes?" she questioned sarcastically.

Xavier turned around and glared at her. "I figured you would be fine since you've been going around barefoot anyways."

Irina snorted, pushing past him. "Whatever."

"Geez." Xavier massaged his temples and glanced at the bracelet hanging around his wrist. "What am I supposed to do, Lyra? The Irina I see right now isn't your sweet little sister anymore." With an exasperated sigh and nothing left to do, Xavier started to move his feet, making sure to keep a close eye on the young woman. Throughout the whole trip, the two of them didn't walk side by side like they used to.

Irina was strolling ahead of him while he lagged behind. Even the way she walked was different. Actually, nearly everything was different about her. Xavier was glad she wasn't depressed or anything like she was when her family had died, but as awful as it might sound, he still preferred that side of her than the one he had been forced to witness over the last five years. He knew that after all the pain she had been put through, it was reasonable that she would change. He just didn't expect it to be to this extent.

He wasn't certain on what happened during his absence but when he visited her the next day, after Kaleb had persuaded him to go home for a bit, something was off about her. He didn't know what it was but he just got this peculiar aura radiating off of her. Of course he tried to talk to her, ask her how she was feeling and if it was even possible, she seemed to have gotten even more detached from him.

Xavier tried his best to understand her but he just couldn't. So he went and asked Kaleb but the younger boy said he didn't know anything. Xavier, however, was smarter than that. He knew Kaleb had to be somehow involved; but with no evidence to support his suspicions there wasn't much he could do. 

It surprised Xavier how much a person could change. The girl he once knew was nowhere to be found. It may sound overdramatic but it wasn't. It was the cold, hard truth. The old Irina was long gone and no matter how hard he tried to bring her back, his efforts only ended in vain. She started acting out and if someone in Elysium had met her now, they would probably die of shock if they found out she used to be their beloved princess.

That was how drastic her transformation was. And it wasn't only her personality that had altered either; even her appearance took a completely different route as well. The girl who once loved wearing long dresses swapped her entire wardrobe for short skirts and tight corsets. Clothes which she had once found unfitting and unbecoming.

It was no mystery that when Xavier first saw her new wardrobe, he immediately showed disapproval. It was the day of her sixteenth birthday and with the way she presented herself, she did not look her age at all. The boy didn't know where she got her hands on such revealing clothing but he was determined that he wasn't going to allow her to go around looking like—looking like one of those typical female Rogues. But of course Irina didn't listen to him. She did whatever she wanted and that aggravated him so much. Since when did she become so stubborn and hardheaded? Was this all she wanted to amount to?

With her new look, Irina had plenty of guys flocking around her. She never spared any of them the time of day though. She simply ignored them unless it was that time of the month where she couldn't help herself. She fooled around here and there but it was never serious. She only went as far as making out and touching and it was usually with the same guy. He went by the name Jasper. Irina chose him because he was a little different from the other boys, as cliche as that might sound. He didn't try to hit on her or try to look macho. He was just himself and that was all it took for Irina to make him the guy she'd go to if she was ever feeling a little—hot. Although Jasper was the only guy she's ever acted intimate with, many people thought she was rather promiscuous.

Some of the guys even thought she was easy and that if they did anything to her, she would gladly accept it. But they were wrong. If any one of them decided to touch her, Irina refused to stand for it. And the first male Rogue who ever laid a hand on her without her consent broke three fingers that very day. Then, when the news came across Xavier's ears, the same boy ended up beaten to a pulp. Yes, Xavier might not have fancied the way Irina was behaving but he still cared about her. To him she was still the little sister who needed someone to rely on. No matter what happened, he was set on being there for her even when she told him she didn't need his help. He wasn't going to abandon her. Especially not when there was still a sliver of hope dwindling inside of him that one day the old and sensible Irina Kavalier would return. And when she did, he would be standing there with open arms, ready to welcome her back.

"Oh, you've returned." Gideon smiled warmly as Irina entered the room. She sent him a small and lazy bow before she turned away and made her way toward her room. The elder could only sigh as he heard her door slam shut. After Xavier arrived and bowed respectfully to his leader. "Was she out hunting again?"

"Yes sir," he reported.

"And what was her prey this time?" Gideon questioned.

"I don't really know..." Xavier exhaled. "When I got there, all I found was blood. But from the large amount, I could tell that whatever it was that she killed had to have been big."

"Let's just hope it wasn't what I think it is. Thank you so much for taking care of her for all of these years, Xavier. Without you I don't know what I'd do. I'm sure her family would have been grateful as well to know she has someone like you protecting her," he said. "You may leave now."

"I will be back tomorrow," Xavier announced before he left.

Meanwhile, in Irina's room, all she could hear was moaning and groaning. A look of disgust swept over her features almost immediately as her right eye began to twitch. Why did she have to have such keen ears? She was sure the pair was at least a hundred yards away from her but why did it sound like they were right next door? "Kaleb," she heard the woman purr.

"Hold on." He grunted breathlessly and when the woman started screaming, Irina lost all the self-control she had. This scene has happened far too many times already and she was reaching her limit of tolerance. Next, she threw her door open and stormed to entryway located in the back.

"Shut the hell up and take your shit somewhere else, would you?" she spat viciously, not caring if anyone around had heard her.

"What the hell?" The woman gasped beneath Kaleb who was now smirking as he continued his ministrations on her.

"Oh, were you listening in on us?" he teased. Even though he couldn't see her, he could tell from her irritated voice that she was most likely sporting a scowl on that pretty face of hers.

"Anyone within a two hundred mile radius can hear you," Irina hissed. "So I suggest you go somewhere really far away from me before I go over there and rip both of your throats out." Then Kaleb heard the door slamming and smugly simpered. God, did he love pissing her off.

"Was that the little vixen everyone is always gossiping about?" the woman questioned, causing Kaleb to stop what he was doing. He wanted to yell at her but it's not like she was completely wrong. So instead of blowing a fuse, he pulled out and yanked his pants back up, leaving the woman speechless. She sat up and frowned at him. "Where are you going? We're not done," she whined.

"Sorry, I just did you to get under the vixen's skin," he explained bluntly. "You know you're way back, right? If you're not satisfied, go and find Holden or Peter. I'm sure they wouldn't mind having some fun with you. Thanks again, Cora."

Once the man was out of sight, the girl bit her bottom lip, slightly hurt. "It's Courtney," she mumbled bitterly as she forced herself to get dressed. She should have known better. Did she really expect Kaleb Blackwell out of all Rogues to like her that way? Kaleb never liked anyone that way. At least, that's what everyone believed.

"Can I come in?" Kaleb questioned.

"What do you think?" Irina gnarled from the other side.

Next, he entered the room and swallowed seeing her slipping a silky night gown over her head. Quickly, she tugged it down to cover herself but that was enough to have wild, lewd fantasies roaming through Kaleb's mind. "Why the hell did you come in?" She glared at him through the mirror and he snapped out of his thoughts. 

He quickly composed himself and smirked as he approached her. "You didn't say I couldn't come in."

She swiveled around on her heels and sent him an: are-you-a-fucking-moron look. "It was pretty obvious. What? Were you done screwing around? Did I ruin your fun?"

Kaleb laughed and leaned in closer so that their faces were separated by a couple of inches. "Are you jealous?" he taunted.

Now it was Irina's turn to laugh as she accepted his challenge and pressed in closer. "You wish. You can shag whoever the hell you like as long as I don't hear it."

"Why? Does your heart hurt knowing I'm pleasuring another woman?" Kaleb continued.

"And why would my heart hurt for you?" Irina clucked her tongue and ran her fingers up and down his forearm. "You should just consider yourself lucky that I have the decency to do my business in private. If I brought Jasper back for some fun, you wouldn't even be able to block out the sounds we'd make even if you stabbed your ears."

Kaleb's face darkened at the mention of the other male's name. "So it's true then. You and that weakling have a thing?"

"Weakling?" Irina repeated as she cocked her head to the side and smirked at Kaleb. "I don't think that describes him at all. Jasper is actually rather strong and his stamina doesn't seem to have a limit either. I bet we could go at it for hours." Kaleb wasn't the only one who enjoyed ticking people off.

"You're such a bitch, did you know that?" he spat, his body trembling from both rage and envy.

"Why don't you tell me something I don't know for once? And let's not forget that you made me this way," Irina replied coldly. Then, she pulled away and looked at him with a stoic expression. "Now get the hell out of my room." He left with a loud bang and Irina just rolled her eyes at how childish the man was being. He was the one who started it.

Honestly, that night when Irina had been caught by Kaleb she actually thought that maybe, just maybe, he wasn't as bad as she had thought he was. There was just this unknown connection lingering between the two of them and although Irina didn't want to, she thought that there was a chance that she could possibly see him in that kind of light. He wasn't too much of a cad and when he spoke to her about her feelings, she felt like he genuinely cared about her.

Irina would have leaned on Kaleb. She would have opened up to him but when she returned from her time alone, all she could hear were mewls and grunts coming from his room. He had broken her trust before he had even gotten it and that's when Irina figured she must have been the only one to experience the odd sensation. From that day on, she chose to ignore any kind of feelings which might cause her to waver and weaken. And so far it's working for her.

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Author's Thoughts: Oh my gosh. What is going on? Irina has changed! What did you guys think of her? I'd honestly love to hear your thoughts. Kaleb also soiled his chances with her. I can't believe him. Xavier though </3 my poor baby. Also, yes, the cover of this book is a scene from this chapter!