Chapter 127: SOULMATES

"First of all, your mother was the leader of The Rebellion. In fact, her father was the founder of The Rebellion."

"How long have you known she was the leader?" Olexa asked. Prince Tristan watched her reaction, and he wasn't expecting her to be that calm and collected.

"Since the day I got the mantle of leadership," he replied. "But wait, you don't seem too surprised with what I just said. Did you know about it?"

"No. Not until three days ago," she replied.

"Is that so?" Prince said. "Tell me, what else do you know?"

"Well, from what I was told, my mother wasn't the one beheaded as a traitor. They used someone else, while they took her to the dungeon at the Mountain of Bones. Later on, she was moved somewhere else, never to be seen again," she narrated.

"I see," Prince Tristan mused. "That's quite accurate. But there's a far more accurate reason for which she was taken to the dungeon."

"Really? What is it?" Olexa asked with curiosity.

"Your mother never committed a crime. The Rebellion never committed a crime. All The Rebellion ever did was protest for well-being and equality for all, whether you were a werewolf, human, or witch," Prince Tristan began, as Olexa paid rapt attention.

"She was blamed for the attack that led to the death of my father, and my temporal disability. But that was all an orchestration of Ron, my uncle. He paid some sell swords and got the uniforms of The Rebellion, framing The Rebellion, thereby implicating your mother."

Olexa looked at Prince Tristan with utter amazement.

"You mean the King did all that, even to his own brother? Why?" Olexa inquired.

"My father discovered that his brother had begun attempting something vile and forbidden."

"The creation of True Bloods?" Olexa rightly asked.

"Yes. He killed my father so he could continue his evil unhindered. But you cannot create a True Blood, without one. And this is where your mother comes in," Prince Tristan said.

Olexa furrowed her brow, unsure of what he meant by that.

"What, do you mean? Are you trying to say my mother is-"

Olexa looked at Prince Tristan and he didn't flinch. He didn't try debunking her insinuation.

"No," Olexa shook her head in total disagreement.

"Mm mm. No bloody way. You don't expect me to believe that. Do you?"

"Olexa, your mother, is a True Blood."

Olexa's eyes widened in astonishment. "It can't be true. No. Whoever told you that lied to you."

"It was Nima who told me, the day we were leaving the Fourth Kingdom," he responded. Olexa still vehemently refused to believe what she heard, standing up from the grass floor she sat on.

"What did you see, when you were granted sight?" Prince Tristan asked.

"How does that have to do with-"

Olexa's froze immediately, with her mouth gaping as she quickly recalled what she saw. She slowly turned to the Prince.

"What did you see?"

"I saw my mother seated happily in the midst of creatures that look like True Bloods. She called me to come over, but I didn't. They all seemed happy together. I wondered why she was happy with them," she revealed.

"Oh crescent moon! Does that mean that I am a-"

"Hey hey hey. Shh. It's okay. We don't know that for sure. Hmm?" the Prince tried calming her nerves down.

"The day I saw you get married, later that night, I almost killed a man, and I hurt my friend. He is a werewolf, but he didn't stand a chance at taking me down. It was- It was as though I was another person entirely," she said nervously.

"You were there when the wedding happened?" Prince Tristan asked, surprised.

"Is that all you heard from the host of things I said?" Olexa was pissed.

"Pardon me," Prince Tristan pleaded. "So, he couldn't take you down eh?"

"I could feel something really vicious taking over me. Probably the same viciousness that the man at the games exhibited," she said.

"So, what stopped you?"

Olexa thought for a while. "Empathy. Love."

"Those who are being mutated are most probably being stripped of those emotions that keep them in touch with their humanity. They find a way to switch it off, and let the wolf in them take full control," the Prince analyzed.

"So, my mother was used as a specimen, for their experiments? Is that all she was to them? And every other person they've unwillingly used for this purpose, did their lives mean nothing?" Olexa fumed, as tears welled up in her eyes, imagining all that her dear mother went through.

"No one means anything to them. We are all pawns in their scheme. So that's why I joined The Rebellion, to bring an end to all this. But I was limited since I didn't have all the influence I needed. But about the True Bloods, it was a recent discovery," Prince Tristan said.

Olexa sniffed in, wiping her eyes. She took a deep breath in and exhaled, composing herself.

"It's high time these bastards get what they deserve," Olexa said with firmness.

"Absolutely!" Prince Tristan nodded. He walked closer to Olexa, taking hold of her hands, as he looked passionately into her eyes.

"I'm sorry for making you go through all that you went through. I can't even imagine what you went through. Please, forgive me."

"You did nothing wrong Tristan. You've been nothing but honorable and loved me in the way you thought was best. You were even willing to reject me, when you knew it would hurt you badly, just to keep me safe. If that isn't love, then I don't know what is."

"I love you, Olexa."

Jolts of electricity ran through Olexa's body at the sound of those words. She looked deep into Prince Tristan's eyes and saw that he meant what he said. She could also feel the mate bond between them strengthen.

"I love you too Tristan."

Prince Tristan leaned his head forward and slowly gave Olexa a kiss. Olexa grabbed him lightly by the head and kissed him back compassionately.