The Rogues Who Went Rogue
Chapter 106

Whatever Xandar just said was not just 'terrifyingly overwhelming. It was monstrously torturous, heartbreaking and soul-crushing. It was basically the strongest cocktail of all his fears combined into a single scene. Lucianne's hands reached out to stroke his cheek and shoulder, ensuring him that she was right there in front of him, that she was his and only his, that they weren't apart and never will be so. He leaned into her hand and kissed her palm before she asked in a small, encouraging voice, "How did you fight it?" He managed a smile when he explained, "For a while, I didn't think I could. My instinct was to pounce on Greg, who was holding you a little too close for my comfort...actually, I prefer if he didn't hold or touch you at all."

His grip around her instinctively tightened further, and Lucianne made no move to loosen it, leaning closer into him, letting the sparks travel through his being as she waited for him to continue. "I think what made that so convincing was the fact that I did smell Greg, but when I didn't smell you, my animal started to suspect something was up."

He let out a short, dark scoff when he explained, "The setting was a royal ball, and you should have seen the shock and anger on Greg's face when I pulled you right out of his arms and onto the dance floor. When I held your hand and waist, you felt...light, too light for any living being, and your skin felt like the cold night air - lifeless. It was odd."

"With hindsight, I should have just focused on the lack of your warmth and the absence of your scent but whatever I was seeing just dominated my mind." A pause, and he uttered, "You...didn't approve of the way I 'stole' you from my cousin, but you just went with the flow to avoid starting a scene. I asked you why you chose him over me, and the fact that you 'reminded' me our Goddess chose him for you made the manipulation practice turn into a horrific nightmare. I then asked if you...had a say in the Moon Goddess's choice, would you have chosen me over him. You said 'no' without needing to think, and you started looking...disgusted and uncomfortable."

Xandar's heart squeezed at the thought of his little freesia feeling disgusted with him, and his strength was drained when he recalled how she distanced herself from him, like he would break her heart if she ever gave it to him, like he wasn't good enough to take care of her, like he could never be the one to make her happy.

Lucianne started pecking kisses on his chin, jaw and cheek, reminding him about what was real. He took a deep breath from her hair before he continued, "When Greg came over, wanting to take you out of my hands, I lost it. I issued the mate challenge, and used the Authority to compel him to accept. In the midst of all the creatures around us, including you, telling me that I couldn't issue such a challenge when I myself was married to...another, my vision cleared and the manipulation effects wore off, no doubt with the help of the Authority. It was like... when I refused to believe that that was my fate, our fate...the Authority pushed away the lies and nonsense."

Lucianne started wondering why she didn't feel any of this during practice. Then, she realized that she actually did, and she got out using her Authority too. She recalled that Rafael was manipulating her with her relationship with Xandar the previous night too, warning her beforehand this time.

The two vampire best friends must have timed their practice to synchronize hers and Xandar's heartbreak to make it convincing. She didn't blame them for using this method because it was a given that proditors would stoop to any level to win. So it was better to practice and be ready now than to be taken by surprise later.

In her own practice, before Lucianne herself came to realize that the person in the manipulation wasn't really Xandar, her heart squeezed until it was hard to breathe as well. After she came out of the manipulation, she still felt residual anguish, which her dazed self thought was her own pain when it was actually her mate's.

It was also no wonder Xandar felt so relieved when they held each other in a long embrace during their break after that round. It wasn't just her who was seeing these nightmares now, it was him too.

After Xandar pressed a kiss on her forehead, he finished the tale with a merciless complaint, "It's unfair that all Greg saw was his mother being snatched away from his side by a strange-looking lycan when what I saw was my mate being taken away from me." Lucianne carefully uttered, "His mother must have meant a lot to him too. The fear and pain would've been an equal challenge to cope with," she pecked an assuring kiss at the corner of his lips before asking softly, “Did Pelly at least warn you that she was going to do something like that?"

"Yes. Three times, in fact. But I still didn't see it coming. Probably because it was my first time, so it still hurt. And do you know what the most infuriating thing about that whole session was, sweetheart? When my eyes cleared, that little vampire girl-turn-empress was actually sitting on the grass, looking at me with those green, sparkling eyes and wide smile like she was watching a movie. Instead of giving me pointers of improvement, the first thing she said after that whole nightmare she just gave me was romantic. Last I checked, we were supposed to be practicing for battle. I didn't sign up to be an actor in her movie. Was she even supposed to sit down there like that? What if I lost my temper and started randomly throwing and kicking things in the manipulation, including her?!"

Lucianne tried not to chuckle at how Xandar described Pellethia as 'little', and when he complained about being in a movie that he didn't sign up for, she had to try very hard to press back a broadening smile.

After a sweet peck on his lips, she looked into his eyes and said, "Well, My King, you'd make a very good-looking actor."

His mood improved with that compliment, and he gazed coquettishly into his favorite pair of eyes and noted the beautiful blushes before he asked in a deep voice, "So does that mean you would've let me drag you onto the dance floor?"

She traced his eyebrows as her cheeks continued heating up when she said in a small voice, "I think so. I've always accepted and refused dance requests based on the vibes I get from each person, and I've never gotten any bad vibes from you. To me, you've always exuded confidence and assurance."

"Well then," he pulled her impossibly closer and muttered, "Guess I shouldn't have done away with royal balls after my parents' passing. Maybe a formal dance on the first day of the annual collaboration would've kept Cummings's hands off you and bound us to each other a little sooner."

Lucianne chuckled at his line of reasoning before teasing, "Yes, an annual ball would've been a good idea. Imagine the number of beautiful women you'd get to dance with year after year before we meet. I wonder how many times you'd have to spin Sasha Cummings around." "Well, if I spin her once straight into a fireplace, I doubt there'll be a second."

Lucianne laughed at the image he painted, and the melody calmed any storm left in him. With his forehead on hers, he muttered in a firm tone, "Without my parents' nagging at me about the duty to mingle, I doubt I'd dance with any woman. None of them were my type, and there was almost no common ground beyond our privileged status that it was hard to hold a conversation with them about anything other than their businesses and inheritance.” He inched closer to feel the warmth on her cheeks with his lips, making her heat up even more before he whispered into her ear, "You coming into my life just made me understand why I was never drawn to anyone else. I was waiting for you, my little freesia."

Although Lucianne was deeply touched by what he just said, she continued teasing in a whisper, "I have to admit, it feels nice to be complimented by a good-looking actor, My King."

Xandar pecked a kiss on her nose and said, "If I ever go into that line of work, My Queen, I'm dragging you there with me. And there is no way Greg will be on the same set.”

She felt the flash of insecurity come and leave his being. Her thumb traced his lower lip before she looked deeply into his eyes and said, "Whatever happens, wherever we are, know that I'm in love with you. Only you, okay?"

Xandar's eyes glistened in joy and gratitude, feeling the strength of her love in those words, the depth of her devotion through their bond. After pressing a slow, deep kiss on her lips, he murmured into the small space between their parted lips, "Thank you, baby. Know that I'm only in love with you, too."

He waited for the usual answer, and Lucianne responded, "I know. Thank you, my love."

They stayed and watched the sunrise, looking at the dewdrops as the flowers slowly bloomed. When it was time to leave, they decided to just take a slow walk back. Hand-in-hand, they strolled across the freesia field, walked through the forest and crossed the river before coming back to the forest behind their backyard.

They reached home just in time for Lucianne to get ready to go see Margaret, who came up to her the night before and asked if the queen had time to spare because Margaret wanted to talk to someone who could relate to rejections and had lived through the effects of it. Mrs Parker went home, and Xandar took over looking after Reida. When Lucianne was dressed and came to check to see if Xandar needed anything else before she left, Reida pooped. However, the moment Lucianne rushed to the cupboard to get a fresh set of baby clothes, Xandar snatched it from her hands and insisted that he could do it, asking her to leave so she wouldn't be late.

After pecking a kiss on his cheek and on her daughter's forehead, she drove to the station to get Margaret.