Chapter 1

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Numb, yes, that is what she felt. Inside and outside. Numb from everything, from everyone...it was as if she was occupying a body not her own.

The sky was over showed by dark grey clouds, gentle rain splattering on the ground soaking up the earth, it seems even the heavens were not immune from the mood of the people on the ground. With umbrellas they stood, somber and silent. The umbrellas protected them from the storm above but what about the storm that was waiting to rage inside her? Who will protect her from that?

She had tuned out the outside world...their words falling flat on her ears, not penetrating her brain...how could they...what words would make any difference? That is what they were...just words...worthless, for no amount of words could undo this...

So she kept quite when people spoke to her, expressed their sorrow. She kept quite when they expressed their sympathy and showed empathy, she kept quite when they gave her glances filled with pity. She did not react nor her stoic reaction change for they meant nothing, however well intended.

Those were not the only ones, there were some others looking at her keenly...observing her, salivating at her vulnerable state. They knew she was ripe for picking and they could smell it, they could not wait... they would not wait, they would pounce on her at the first opportunity, this she knew for certain.

To her left she saw Sebastian observing them as well...he was marking his targets, potential threats to take out, he would not take any chances now, he was in no mood to play nice, it was time to get his hands dirty.

They lowered the coffin in to the ground slowly and once lowered they waited for her, everyone looked at her...as if she was the answers to all their questions. How ironic.

She walked slowly, every step robotic as if it moved out of its own violation, she was locked up firmly in her head. She took the dirt and put it on the coffin and tears gently streaked out of her eyes, she hadn't even realized she was crying until one fat tear rolled down her cheeks to her chin and formed a drop and fell on the coffin below.

She stared at it for a moment and then she whispered softly to the coffin in the ground.

"Goodbye"

She turned around and walked back to men waiting for her.

One more Roma family member was laid to rest in the family graveyard.

***

Evelyn sat in her room staring out of the window, the gentle rain pelting against the glass, she was taking some odd comfort in that. She was numb...simply numb form everything and everyone.

She heard the room door open and someone enter, she didn't bother to see who it was.

A throat cleared.

She didn't bother.

"Evelyn" Sebastian said firmly.

It was the tone...the tone in which he said her name made her flinch and look at him.

"It's time."

She didn't move...she did not believe she had the capacity to do so.

"How long do you plan to be cooped up here?" he asked her.

She did not respond.

"How long do you plan to wallow in your pity party?" He asked condescendingly.

Something ignited in her, a first emotion in days.

"Let me know if it helps...I will join you in donating a few tears" He added.

She felt a hot pain in the gut of her stomach. The muscle of her jaw tightened.

"If wallowing in misery solved problems...you would be in great demand." He added nonchalantly.

A growl escaped her lips against her violation, she felt confused as to what was happening to her and she felt as if her skin was burning up.

He ignored her growl if he heard it.

"Does it reassure you, the self-pity? Makes you feel better about yourself? Poor Evy...having such a tough life..boo..hoo" He mimicked.

"Fuck you!" she lashed out in absolute venom. The intensity of her feeling threw him off a bit...he was not used to this kind of power radiating off her...something he needs to get used to from her...the Roma family power was soaking in to her.

"Now that is something" he pressed regardless, knowing very well that Evelyn would be unstable right now and this might as well bite him in the ass.

"How to you feel?" He asked.

"Like I want to rip your fucking head of you bastard!" she spat.

"Good!" He added, unaffected by her words. "Now...Imagine how I feel...you knew them for what six months? I knew them for my whole life...imagine how I feel...look at me Evelyn...look how I feel" He bit out trying to control himself.

For the first time in days she saw him, properly saw him, the fire in his eyes sent shivers down her spine, she could only imagine the agony it would cause to its intended recipients.

"Max might be your mate but he is my brother and Roma my mother and look what they did to them, so tell me Evelyn do you want to sit in this room and wallow in self-pity or do you want to do something about it?"

The steam in her had died down and she asked brokenly "What can I do...I don't know what to do...I..."

"What you can do is make whoever did this pay!" He barked at her.

"You made a promise to Roma Evelyn do you have any intention to uphold it?" he asked her.

"Because right now the only thing that is between our enemies and the collapse of the Roma family is you."

"What do I do?" she asked broken, lost. Hysterical.

He walked over to her and put a ring on the coffee table next to her.

"For starters" He said "Step up to what your promised"

Evelyn looked at the ring like a leper.

"It's your ring now Evelyn...time to shoulder the responsibilities you signed up for...right now outside that door" he said pointing at her room door "we have our alpha's waiting in the great hall, waiting to be reassured that there is still a functioning monarchy...right now we are falling apart at the seams Evelyn...we need to get our act together or else forget our enemies...we will implode."

"All this will stop just by my presence?" she asked skeptically.

"Yes" He said with confidence she clearly lacked.

"How?" She asked clearly not convinced.

"It's all about perception of power and hierarchy of chain of command" He added "We need to demonstrate the Roma family is still in control to the world."

"And the alphas in the room are just going to roll over and accept me?" She asked in disbelief.

"No" He said "but they will see me, Adrian and Alex behind you, they will see the entire Roma hierarchy behind you...they will see that you are clearly what we are backing and that will make them pause, will stop them from any crazy idea's they might be forming..." He paused and added "But that will not be sufficient for long, eventually they will start testing you...pushing your boundaries to see how you will react...looking for signs of weakness to exploit... we will have to set examples that is an eventuality that is guaranteed."

Evelyn stood in silence for a minute and asked him the most frightening question.

"How can you...how can you even stand me for what I did?" Evelyn whispered brokenly, guilt was eating her away.

"You did what was needed" He reassured her.

"I killed her, I murdered her...oh god!" She panicked waves of shame overcame her...

Sebastian walked over and held her both arms and shook her out of her misery.

"You did what was asked of you...you did what she wanted"

"Sebastian...I killed Roma!" She whispered frighteningly at him, as if waiting for that fact to sink in to him.

He looked at her steely eyed and said "Yes, you. Did." He paused and added.

"Since you killed the reigning Monarch...you take her place" He added and bent his head in respect to her and whispered.

"Roma"