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Malekh stared at me and then a slow smile formed on his lips. “Even though you despise me, you’re willing to do that much for them?”

I pursed my lips, feeling dejected. However, if he agreed to it, then my freedom in exchange for Ashton’s life seemed like a good deal. I hated the thought of being mated to Malekh and I had to fight the urge to cringe and shudder.

He laughed lightly. “What an unfair deal for you. Even if I accept, I still cannot give up the plan. It’s not only my goal.”

My temper flared and I could feel my face heating up in anger.

“You really are despicable,” I hissed.

Malekh smiled. “I really am. The most I can offer you is the opportunity to return to your normal human life.”

“I don’t want to live a normal life when my friends could be killed!” I yelled at him. “Don’t you understand that? How could I live with myself?”

“How can I live with myself if I let my mother die in vain? How can he live when both of his parents died in vain?” Malekh asked grimly.

“I spent twenty years in complete darkness,” Demetri said. “I wasn’t even allowed to see my mother. She died after I only met her once.”

“That’s because of your father too,” I pointed out to Malekh.

“I know and he paid the price for his sins with his life.”

My breath hitched in my throat, as his black eyes stared back at me angrily.

“How did the king die?” I whispered.

“I killed him,” Malekh responded. “And I freed my kingdom from his tyranny. They’re happier now than they were before.”

I stared at him in horror. “You killed your own father?”

“It was for the sake of peace. Does that make me a monster in your eyes?”

My expression said it all.

“You are the self righteous one,” I spat. “Your father might have been a tyrant, but he never directly killed anyone. Do you think you have the authority to take anybody’s life you choose? Is life meaningless to you? Do you enjoy killing like a mindless animal?” I was angry and shouting at this point.

If he could have done something that grotesque to his own family, he could definitely do it to the royals in Crysauralia. The situation suddenly felt a lot realer and the thought of my friends suffering at his hand made my blood boil.

“Mindless?” he breathed. “I am simply delivering justice. He did kill people. I want to make this a better place. You see how everyone lives in the Crysauralia, especially the Omegas. The only ones who are happy are the nobles and the upper class. Nothing will chan-”

“It can change and it will!” I yelled. “You two really are selfish. You just refuse to put aside your thoughts of revenge.” I laughed mockingly. “Nothing will change? I think you’re just scared that when Ashton becomes the king, the kingdom will change and you’ll lose your motivation for revenge. Isn’t that right?”

I looked between them. Demetri leaned off the wall and I could see his canines extending.

“You’re actually just doing this to make yourselves feel better. You say you’re doing it for the kingdom, but the kingdom would be happy if they could see things change internally instead of war. You’re just cowards pursuing your own selfish desires.”

“That’s enough.” Malekh warned.

“Enough?” I glared. “If I can stop Ashton and his family from dying, then that will be enough for me.”

Tears were streaming down my face as I thought about Ashton, Brooke and CaVaughn. I thought about the queen who was always trying her best. As much as I didn’t like the king, if he made up his mind to change it was possible that he could.

I might be naïve and optimistic, but without hope wouldn’t everyone fall into despair? Without hope what else would we have left? Everyone had the capacity to shape their lives. Destiny was a shackle that could be cast off. Even if not by your own actions, then by the actions of those around you.

“Tears?” Malekh frowned as he reached out to touch my wet cheeks. His expression suddenly morphed into anger . “You would cry for them?”

“How can you not consider the life of someone you call a friend?!” I yelled.

“Forget it, Elizabeth. My mind is made up!”

“You’re all Origens!”

“I am no longer an Origen!” he hissed, whirling around, and in a moment of anger, he pushed me away from him.

I felt my body go airborne and a second later, I collided with the wall on the other side of the room. There was a loud crack, but I couldn't tell if it was me or the wall. I gasped at the abrupt contact. Then, I couldn't breathe, as if the air had literally been knocked out of me. I couldn’t stop myself from tumbling down onto the table and knocking the lamp onto the floor. I fell among the shattered pieces of glass.

At first, I felt nothing. Then, the pain shot through me with terrible intensity, sending its reach through every fibre of my body. My back arched and my fingers curled instinctively, but that only added to the excruciating burn.

Every jostle, even the most minuscule movement was enough to send ripples of pain through my back and neck. I couldn't scream, the sound died in ny throat. It hurt too much to even take a breath. My eyes squeezed shut, my mind went blank from the searing sensation.

My head must be getting pounded by a hundred pound mallet. Hundreds of small knives must be piercing my skin. That had to be the reason for this agony. Warm liquid trickled down my forehead and I cracked an eye open but my vision blurred.

Somehow, the lamp was still able to give off light. The bulb was okay, because the glass shade had protected it.

I tried again to move my fingers, but my left hand was completely numb and I could feel a stabbing pain in my back.

The mess of glass served as my bed and the splintered pieces of the broken table were my pillow. I bit back another groan, my muscles going taut with the pent up tension. Red. The floor was becoming red? My confused mind was surprised to see the carpet becoming stained with crimson. Was that my blood?

I looked up as Malekh stooped beside me. Demetri came up to stand beside him. Malekh’s brows furrowed as he touched my forehead.

Demetri glanced at him anxiously. “Can you-”

“It’s fine,” Malekh waved him off. He stared at me in thought. “I keep forgetting how fragile humans are,” he murmured. “I ended up hurting you, Elizabeth.”

“I know it can’t compare,” I mumbled. “But like this, maybe I can feel some of the pain inside your heart.”

Malekh chuckled softly. “It was your intention to make me angry?”

“When people are angry, they say what’s really in their hearts,” I whispered. “I lost my mother because of the king too. You and Demetri are probably hurting a lot more than I can imagine.” I winced as my headache got worse. The metallic taste of blood laced my mouth.

“You really are remarkable,” Malekh sighed. “To put yourself in the receiving end of my anger... What would have happened if I had killed you?”

I sighed. “I won’t die that easily.”

I paused to breathe and my vision became even more blurred. It took too much energy to talk.

“I can understand your determination to save your kingdom,” Malekh said as he brushed my hair back from my face. “I will not change my mind, but for your bravery and perseverance, I will give you a reward.”

“Hmm,” I mumbled.

“Five years,” he said. “I will reward you with time to prepare. Let me see how the kingdom will change in that time. If I am satisfied, only the king will pay the price and I will allow everyone else to live.”

I heard him turn to Demetri. My vision was turning black and I could only make out their outlines.

“Three years,” Demetri agreed hesitantly after a moment of thought. He didn’t sound pleased, but it was a compromise he could work with.

I opened my mouth, but no sound came out. I was losing consciousness. I needed to go to a hospital.

“What will you do with her?” Demetri sighed as he knelt beside me.

“It’s not my intention to let her die,” Malekh murmured. “If it comes down to it, I’ll use my power to save her.”

“That ‘power’ is nothing but a curse,” Demetri sneered. “I don’t particularly like her, but if she is to live, it should not be because of that. I’ll call the hospital and get an ambulance.”

I heard him stand up and walk off.

“Aren’t you reaching your limit?” Demetri asked, looking back at him. “You’re not an Origen anymore. You are-”

“I know what I am,” Malekh snapped. “To be fair, I am still an Alpha.”

“But you’re no longer truly an Origen,” Demetri insisted. He continued out of the room to call the hospital.

In a moment, he was back. “They’re sending an ambulance.”

“Good,” Malekh said. He stroked my cheek. “You’ll be fine, Elizabeth.” He stood up. “They’re here.”

“What?” Demetri growled.

“They must have followed him here, Or rather, he allowed them to follow him here.”

“Did he betray us?”

“No. He was loyal to the end. He did this as his final act of loyalty to them. He’s decided to be on our side.”

“We should go,” Demetri suggested. “Fighting right now won’t accomplish anything.”

“It’s as Cyrena predicted,” Malekh mused. “She was right for once.”

Demetri grunted in disapproval.

“Hmm,” Malekh pondered. “I haven’t seen my dear friend Ashton in a while. It would be rude to leave without saying hello first.”

“You’re enjoying this a bit too much,” Demetri chuckled. “Then, are we taking her with us?”

Their words drifted to me slowly. Like the lazy, viscous flow of lava.

“No. Although I don’t want to leave her with him, I don’t think she’ll agree to come with us. But he should learn his lesson. The reason she’s here in the first place is because of him.”

I winced, but not just from the pain, but because of his words. I still couldn’t bring myself to believe that Ashton would do something so stupidly selfish.

There was a loud crash and I could hear angry voices and growls.

“Hello, Ashton,” Malekh greeted.

After that, their words drifted to me in bits and pieces. It was so cold now. My body shivered. I struggled to keep my eyes open as a shadow loomed over me.

“Liz! Stay with me!” I heard a voice yell, but it was so distant.

I felt myself being carefully lifted off the ground and then garbled, panicked shouting.

I tried to hang on to my last shred of consciousness, but my eyelids drifted closed and the world around me faded away.

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