The Rogues Who Went Rogue
Chapter 129

Those who were found and brought back from Neptune's warehouse were now placed in a guarded apartment building near the castle. They were given food, clothing, medical checkups, and therapy if they wanted it. Toys had also been donated by civilians of the empire to the hybrid children. Lucianne, Xandar, Christian and Annie made regular trips to visit the families with Pellethia, Octavia, Rafael and Amber, to see if the families needed anything that they could provide. Even Maddock and the other ministers came along a few times.

A few of the families began asking whether they could return to the lycan kingdom to visit families and show their parents their pups. Xandar and Lucianne immediately granted such requests and even gave the families a few dates where a jet would be sent to come pick them up. The families began to trust the royal family and close aides as the visits frequented. But the widows and widowers were still closed-off. Most weren't even ready to begin therapy. But the therapists assured Pellethia that, with time, those who lost their spouses would be ready to open up.

By far, the most difficult part of this whole thing was for the single parents to tell their children that one of their parents was never coming back because they were sacrificed in battle. Most cried, some screamed, and many became closed-off.

Michael, for instance, could sense that his mother zoned-out every now and then. He sometimes wondered if it was something he did. Regina did try her best to be there for Michael but seeing Chong's face in her mind just made her miss him so much that she wanted to cry all the time.

Ever since Michael was told about what happened to his father, he had only interacted with his mother, his mother's closest friend, Aisyah, and Lucianne. He was replaceing it difficult to open up like he used to, even smiling a lot less.

When Lucianne and Xandar were playing with him one day because he refused to join the other kids, he asked Lucianne with watered eyes, "Did papa die because he was bad?"

Lucianne immediately placed him on her lap and said, "No, Michael. Your papa was very brave. He stood for what was right."

"Then why did he die?"

"Because...doing what is right...isn't always safe. Your papa was not safe when he did the right thing."

Michael started sniffling when he choked out, "Why...di-didn't...anybody...save...him?"

The memory of Saxum's claws going through Chong's gut came to Lucianne's mind. The two were mind-linking before the sudden homicide. Lucianne could hack into mind-links. She should have hacked into theirs. If she knew where things were going, she could've emitted her Authority to make Chong step back, or restrain Saxum even if it were just a little. She had the power but didn't use it. She should've done more.

When Lucianne gently wiped away the boy's tears, she tried not to choke when she admitted, "We weren't fast enough, sweetheart. I'm sorry."

After some more sobs and sniffles, he looked up at Lucianne and asked, "Is mommy going to die?"

She frantically asked, "What? Why would you say that? Is your mommy okay?"

"She is not...talking much...like before."

Lucianne gently stroked his hair as she explained, "Your mommy is grieving, Michael. She needs time. You need time, too." "What's grieving?"

"It means...allowing yourself to be sad after someone close to you died."

"Do you grieve, Lucy?" Michael asked innocently.

Lucianne nodded with a small smile, "I do."

"So mommy and I will be sad forever?"

"No, sweetheart. It won't be forever. You and mommy love your papa, and you will be sad that he's no longer here, but he's in here," she placed her hand on his chest, and continued, "A part of your heart will always be connected to him. You will still miss him, as will mommy. Both of you still have each other, so there will still be sad days, but there will also be happy ones."

Michael sniffled some more and leaned into Lucianne's chest as she stroked his arm. After a moment, Michael looked at Xandar and asked, "Do you have a papa?"

Xandar smiled and answered gently, "I did, but he died a long time ago."

"Oh...did you grieve?"

As Xandar gently stroked the boy's hair, he replied, "I did."

Michael then murmured, "Okay."

Lucianne held Michael for an hour before he let Aisyah pull him away for lunch. Families like Michael's were left alone when they wanted to be alone to grief, and when they requested visiting the graves that the rulers claimed to have buried their loved ones at, their request was approved with provision of transportation.

At the graves, they wanted to hate the creatures who went against their loved ones in battle. But after learning about what Saxum and the other administrators planned and executed, it was difficult to see that their enemies were the true criminals.

Pellethia granted permission for grave visitations no matter how frequent they were, sending regular reminders that she was willing to provide flowers for them to bring along, if required.

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After Lucianne and Xandar left, Lucianne stayed silent in the car and on the jet. On the jet, Xandar held her close and planted a deep kiss on her forehead when he said, "What happened to Michael's father wasn't your fault, Lucy." He felt the guilt engulfing her when Michael asked why didn't anyone save Chong, and even he didn't have an answer.

Lucianne argued in a whisper, "I'm gifted with a power that I didn't even use. I could've hacked into their link and then pushed them apart. But I didn't."

He cupped her cheeks, looked intensely into her eyes and declared firmly, "You did everything you could, Lucy. You always have and you always will. That's who you are. Bordure was no different. Hacking into their link would not have guaranteed Chong's safety. If you did something before Saxum attacked Chong, it would look as if you were trying to start a fight between them. Even if you did manage to get Chong to step back...Saxum's claws would've still gone through him, sweetheart. They were standing very close, and Saxum was swift in that kill. He might not have managed to tear out his gut right away, but Chong's death was certain. Saxum wasn't letting anyone get in his way."

After wiping away her stray tear, he said, "The losses on their side are not your fault, my little freesia. Alright?"

She sniffled once and buried herself in his chest, making him hold her close. His grip instinctively tightened around her. Only after a few minutes did Lucianne manage a small smile and kiss his cheek before uttering, "Thank you, my love. I love you." He pecked her on her lips before uttering with a soft smile, "Thank you, baby. I love you too."