Irene"You are still in pain?" I asked as I saw Lucien writhing in pain.Lucien barely reacted to my words and blatantly ignored me as if I was talking to myself.That was quite rude. I was only showing that I cared about him, and now he was pretending as if no one did.Fine! If that was what he wanted. Whatever suited him then.I tried to ignore him, but I couldn't. My conscience was pricking at me, and I had to attend to him."Lucien. Are you still hurting?" I asked again, this time my voice was louder, and his back was turned.I had expected to see him healing by now. I expected him to be stronger and sharper, the way he always was.But he looked weaker than before. He looked like something was slowly eating him inside, causing him to look so pale.I stepped closer to him with my hands akimbo. I didn't like the fact that I was kept on the edge."Lucien, please talk to me. I have been here for the past few minutes asking you some questions, yet all you do is ignore me," I complained
IreneThat was not the end. In fact, whatever issue we both had continued, and it made me want to talk more to him.“Is there anything you are expecting me to say, Irene? I need to know because you keep calling me back like you're forgetting something,” he said, and I nodded.He was right. I was forgetting something, and that was because of him."If you want me to leave, then I will have to go back on my word. I would have to tell everyone, and I don't fucking care what you have to say that would stop me,” I revealed to him, and my voice rang through the room. My voice was so sharp that even a deaf person could hear me.Lucien stiffened at the sound of my voice, and his eyes flickered with shock, anger, maybe even fear.I didn’t care much about that because I had long told him all I had to say."You wouldn’t do such a thing. Stop switching up immediately just because I said you can leave if you want. Don't you crave freedom again?” he asked, and I laughed.He was making sense, and he
Lucien I couldn't run in circles anymore. I had to tell her the truth."They want me dead, Irene," I informed her, making sure she heard me properly.Irene’s face twisted in confusion, and she readjusted her dress on her body, moving closer to the table beside her."I'm sorry. I swear, I don't understand what you mean by that," she answered, and I knew she was only playing me around. I was going to tell her everything anyway. I had already made up my mind."Alright. I will explain. I said the Council…" I started, bringing my voice low. "They have been plotting this for months and maybe years. They want me out of the way so they can replace me with Chris. They want to dethrone me," I explained, and Irene blinked, shaking her head.She couldn't believe what she was hearing, but it was the truth."They want to replace you with Chris? Your Beta?" she asked, and I nodded.Was there anyone else named Chris that she knew? I was talking about the one who followed me around, claiming he had m
IreneI didn’t know when I suddenly switched. The other minute, I was already saying that I was going to be Lucien’s spy to help bring down Malcolm.I guessed I said all of that because Malcolm was the one who did all of these to hurt me and my family.He was the one who killed my father, making me pass through this pain and stress that I was going through now.I didn’t need anyone to tell me anything. I needed to help myself and also help get the revenge that I sought after.But after countless thoughts, I had a change of mind instantly. It was as though I got a click that all these thoughts were a lie.I shouldn’t trust anything that Lucien said."You are lying," I blurted out. I didn’t mean to say it out loud, but the words slipped before I could stop them.I was not to blame for that. Me accusing Lucien of lying didn’t mean that I had proof that he was lying.It was just that everything he said did not align with my thought process."I’m not. How could you suddenly call me a liar
Lucien“You make me sick,” Irene said after everything. But I was not surprised she said that to me after all the words we had exchanged She was only triggered by me giving her space.Irene’s voice was cold, and it cut through the air like a sharp blade that aimed straight for my throat.It shouldn’t have affected me. It shouldn’t have sunk under my skin the way it did, but it did.I didn't have any control over that.I held my jaw tight, forcing down the fire that burned the tip of my tongue.I didn't have much patience left. I was already losing all that was in me.I muttered, “Is that so? Now, I suddenly make you sick?” crossing my arms over my chest.She scoffed, shaking her head as if she couldn’t believe what she was hearing.“You had all the power in the world to stop this, but you let it happen. You let them kill my father. And now you expect me to just… accept everything? You must be out of your mind!” she yelled at me, and the accusation stung me hard.A bee sting would hav
Lucien“You really think I did all of this to hurt you?” I asked, frustration clawing at the back of my throat.I should have let her be but guilt and regret were both threatening to swallow me whole. I had to make her understand. I had to explain everything but I was starting to realize that nothing I said would change how she saw me now.Irene stared blankly, but I could see the pain and anger in her eyes. All these emotions were in her eyes and stood there in front of me. While we stood there, I noticed that there was something cold in the air between us now. This was a feeling that had not been there before..She didn’t say anything for a long time. And then, as if the words had been boiling inside her for too long, she opened her mouth.“You did it for power. You can't convince me otherwise that you did it for your own damn selfish reasons.”My eyes bulged out and my lips fell open. I wanted to shout back at her and tell her that she was wrong, that she didn’t understand anyt
IRENE’S POV"How long have I been this blind?"I wish I could get the answer to that particular question but there was no one here to answer me.I sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the wall, my fingers digging into the fabric of my dress.My heart pounded against my chest and this was not as a result of love or excitement. It was far from that. I just suddenly realised that my entire relationship had been a lie and it was not just a small lie.It was a massive, twisted and ugly deception that I had been entangled in and I had been the fool who believed in it.My throat felt dry and my chest tightened. Everything I knew kept flooding in and it kept on hitting me like a sharp slap to my face. I was totally ruined by everything going on with me. Silas’s cold glances and his empty apologies were not helping and I had ignored it all. He had warned me so many times about making a good decision to forget about whatever relationship k had but I had convinced myself that he was just
Irene“But you know what, Irene? You are the last person I expected to see crawling back to me,” Kael said, bursting my bubbles. The switch in his reaction was crazy. So, everything he said to me earlier was just to deceive me that he actually felt good about helping me. This time, his eyes were burning with fire and his smile appeared wicked. I looked lost in everything and his laughter came rumbling close to my ears. I almost wanted to walk away from him so that I could ignore the way his words made me feel bad. The reason I was here was not because I wanted to waste my time or to settle whatever we had in the past. I had one purpose, and I wouldn’t let his arrogance distract me.“Are you done?” I asked him and my voice flat remained flat and unimpressed.Kael smirked, pushing himself off the wall. “Not even close,” he answered. “I knew you might be wondering why I decided to honour your call. Tell me, princess, why would someone like you want to talk to someone like me? Were
LUCIEN"Find her. I don’t care how long it takes. Just find her and bring her back to me!” I commanded. The words burned as they left my mouth. They were like hot iron branding my tongue.I stood in the middle of my office, surrounded by my most trusted guards. Their faces were hard, determined and they knew better than to question me.This was a very critical period for all of us and I was not going to take any chances. "I want every inch of this territory searched," I said, voice cold and sharp. "Every border, every river, every cave. No one rests until she’s found. People can't disappear under my watch! It's uncalled for!” They nodded and they raised their fists to their chests."Go," I barked at them and in a flash, they scattered like wolves on the hunt.I was left alone again, and silence began to consume me. I was relieved that I had given out that order. Now, I have to wait for them to bring back good news. I slammed my fist into the desk and the papers scattered to the
LUCIEN"Where the hell is she?" I thundered and my eyeballs moved from one end of the corridor to another. I was so loud that my voice bounced off the walls of the empty corridor. I was angry and scared at the same time because I feared that something evil must have happened. I stood there, holding myself down as I kept breathing hard like I had just run a marathon.Two days!! Two damn days and still, nothing.At first, I thought she was just furious with me. This wouldn't be the first time Irene gave me the silent treatment. This wouldn't be the first time I deserved it either.But this? This silence and this complete disappearance from her was something that threw me off guard. I turned and stormed down the corridor, ignoring the curious glances thrown my way. Let them stare. I didn’t care. I needed someone to sit me down and explain to me. I stormed down angrily and I didn't even realize I was heading straight for Silas until I almost collided into him at the bend of the hal
IRENEAfter minutes of trying to be calm, I got up from where I was sitting. What even came over me? Why was I being so calm about it?"I’m not staying here to rot, Kael,” I ranted out and unfortunately, I couldn't stop myself from saying it. Kael sat by the door with one of his legs stretched out. His arms were also crossed and he could clearly see that I meant all that I said. “You heard me, Kael. I said you can't keep me here. I'm not a fool! I'm finding my way out,” I said again and this time, he just stared at the wall like it held the answers to all his problems.Bastard! I paced the small space and my bare feet slapped against the cold floor. My hands were tightened at my sides and I was already breathing out fire. I couldn’t sit still. I couldn’t breathe right. I had to move and do something.But Kael just sat there. Watching. Breathing. Being the wall between me and freedom."Did you hear me?" I snapped, stopping to glare at him. "I said I’m not staying here. Why are yo
IRENE"How was it possible? No way! I couldn't be Kael's mate,” I said, stubbornly disagreeing. I refused to accept the news that Kael broke to me. This is nonsense if I must say. Kael leaned against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest, watching me like I was something pathetic. "You think this is about us?" he asked sharply. "You are scared. You don’t know how to handle your feelings. That’s why you’re doing this. You’re acting out of desperation."He laughed, shaking his head. "Feelings?""You love me," I said quickly. "You are just... confused. You are trying to protect me in your own twisted way. I don't think it's going to work.”"You still don't get it, do you?" he said, straightening.I shook my head stubbornly. I still had a lot to say. "You locked me up because you're scared. Not because you want to hurt me."Kael moved before I even saw it coming, he gave me a slap on my face. The slap hit me so hard, my head snapped to the side. A sharp sting exploded acr
IRENE"Where the hell am I?" I whispered, jerking upright.My heart pounded against my ribs as I looked around, wild-eyed.The last thing I could remember was a sudden blanket of darkness. Now, I was in a bright and cozy room. It was nothing like the nightmare I had expected.There was a large bed with fluffy white sheets, a small bookshelf and soft rug. On top of the nightstand was a little lamp with a golden base. I swung my legs off the bed and stood up fast. My head was spinning for a second and I grabbed the bedpost for balance. I was breathing so hard."What is this place?" I muttered under my breath, walking to the door.I tried to push it open yet it was locked.That was strange. I twisted the knob harder and I kicked it forcefully. Yet, Nothing. It didn’t budge. I leaned my forehead against it, closing my eyes for a second."Okay, Irene. Stay calm. Stay calm. Kael wouldn’t hurt you," I whispered, forcing the words out like a prayer. "He’s not like the others. He’s good
IRENE"Are we almost there?" I asked, forcing a small laugh to hide the unease rising inside me.We had been going round different roads but we were yet to arrive at our destination. Kale must have noticed how uncomfortable I was but he didn't seem to mind. I contemplated within me if I should ask him what was going on again but it was clear that he ignored me the first time. I tried to sit up and straighten my back. I let out a loud cough and held my face. “Can you please answer me? This is becoming really creepy and I'm not comfortable,” I said, letting the cat out of the back. Kael just smiled and handed me a cold bottle of water. I hesitated for a second before taking it. Did he just dismiss what I just said? Or did he translate what I meant into being tasty?Kael was being so unpredictable and it was alarming. I stared at the cold bottle of water and it was tempting. My throat was dry anyway and with a shrug, I twisted the cap open and drank greedily."Thanks," I said, wip
IRENE"You deserve to know the truth, Irene," Kael said to me when he decided to have a word with me. I wasn't expecting something from Kael but I had to pay attention to what he had to say since we had been fighting a lot recently. “Is anything the problem, Kael?” I asked, looking around. I also tried to search to get any clue about what he meant by that. But, I got nothing. I wasn’t expecting him to start talking like that. I thought he would throw another insult or maybe brag again. But instead, he stood there, staring at me like he actually cared.It was surprising and at the same time, I was taken aback. "What truth are you talking about?" I asked, folding my arms. "More lies? It what? Let me put it straight to you. I can't be deceived now. I'm wiser. I'm saying this if you ever thought that you were playing with a fool.""No! No lies. I'm done doing all of that. You deserve to know everything that has been going on. "I raised a brow, feeling skeptical. Why did he sound lik
Irene Earlier today, I stormed out of Lucien's presence out of anger. I couldn't believe he was making me feel less than myself. Now, I was fighting with myself and before I could get to where I was headed, I heard some hushed voices. I recognised one of the voices of the person talking as Kael and it was quite surprising how he got here before me. He was such a busy man with a loud mouth, wasn't he?“He’s not going to listen. We will take him, whether he likes it or not,” Kael said and his voice was as sharp as a blade. He couldn't even try to talk a little lower. I froze and came to a stop immediately I heard him speak. My heart pounded so hard that I could barely hear Justin’s reply.“Are you sure about this?” Justin asked, his voice tight. “Lucien will kill us if we act without telling him. This is not something that we should risk.”Kael chuckled darkly and I could tell that he was the mastermind behind this. “Lucien doesn’t need to know. Why would this be his business? If
LucienIrrespective of the fact that I wanted to know what exactly was going on between the both of them. I was very mad that Irene had the guts to talk to someone I regarded as my enemy. I couldn't wrap my head around what was happening. Why didn't I ask her this in the first place instead of trying to know why they were about bringing down the place?"You must be kidding me, Irene! Come to think of it. This is who you choose to talk to? Him? And why the hell are you back after telling everyone that you have nothing to do with me. You literally stressed the hell out of me as I looked for you," I asked and the moment the words flew out of my mouth, I regretted the tone I used in talking to her but I didn’t care. The sight of Irene standing there, exchanging words with Kael of all people boiled my blood in a way I couldn’t explain.She turned slowly, calmly, too calmly, like my rage didn’t matter to her. “Why are you talking to me about choices, Lucien? Haven't you made worse ones?