Chapter 22 - The Truth Revealed

"What the hell do you mean, your future mate? I'm already mated, and it's not to you." Luci stood with her arms crossed, looking at Nolan as he smiled.

"You see, Luci, I think it's time you learned the truth. I can't kill the prince here, but I can take you from him by force if necessary, and there's nothing either of you can do about it." Nolan felt very sure of himself; after all, he did have her father's blessing.

"We haven't officially met, but you're not taking Luci from me. We've already marked each other, and there's nothing you can do about that. If you don't leave us alone, I'll have so many royal guards after you that you'll know how it feels to be hunted." Xavier was doing everything he could to keep Zeke from taking over. Nolan was threatening them and talking as if he was going to take Luci. Xavier would die before he let that happen.

"Prince Xavier, it's nice to meet you. I don't care if you've already marked Luci because that can be undone. You both may feel some pain for a while, but you'll get over it. Besides, wouldn't you rather be with a mate who hasn't spread her legs for almost every man alive?" Nolan didn't have time to react before a punch landed on his face and sent him flying off the couch.

"If I ever hear you say another disrespectful word about my mate, I will burn you myself and send your ashes to hell." Xavier was shaking with anger. Luci put her hand on his shoulder to try and calm him down even though inside, she was jumping up and down. No one had ever stood up for her like that. It was satisfying to see him send Nolan flying, even if the damage to his face was minimal due to him being a vampire.

"You're going to pay for that, you royal prick. No one hits me and gets away with it; I don't care who your daddy is." Nolan started going toward Xavier but stopped when he saw the wild look in his eyes. He didn't want him to turn into his Lycan, or Xavier would have a real chance of killing him.

"Speaking of parents, where's mine? I'm sure my dad would love to hear this conversation and what I witnessed in New York. Let's call him in here, shall we?" Luci looked at Nolan smugly, thinking she had an ace up her sleeve because her father was above him when it came to vampire ranking. She wasn't prepared for what Nolan did next.

"Come on in, Damien." Luci looked toward the door and watched her father walk in with a sheepish look on his face. He wouldn't meet Luci's eyes.

"Dad, would you like to explain to me what's going on? Nolan thinks I'm going to leave my mate for him, but that's not happening." Luci reached for Xavier's hand because she needed some comfort. She knew she wouldn't like whatever she was about to hear.

"I'm sorry, but Nolan's right. I promised him that you would be his mate; however, that was before I knew you had marked your fated mate." Damien looked at Nolan, still unable to look at his daughter.

"Dad, how could you promise me to this monster? Do you know what he's doing? He's kidnapping vampires and shifters. He killed all those humans, and I was a witness to it. How can you give me to someone like him?" Luci was screaming at her father. How dare he try and push her off on Nolan? Xavier put his arm around her shoulders as she cried.

"Should you break the news to her, or should I? You know it's time. There can be no more secrets." Luci looked between her father and Nolan, wondering what else they could be talking about. She suddenly heard Xavier mindlinking her. She had temporarily forgotten that now they were mates, they could mindlink.

*"I need you to remain calm when they reveal whatever they're hiding. I'm going to get us out of here, trust me. I love you."* She felt Xaver squeeze her shoulders.

*"I trust you. I can't imagine what else they can say at this point, but I promise to stay calm even though I feel like murdering them both right now. I love you too."*

"I'll tell her, but I think you should leave while I do. This is a family matter, and you're not family. Have Alessandra come in here so I can get it over with." Nolan looked like he was going to argue, but when Damien glared at him, he nodded and left the office.

Xavier looked around discretely for an escape if needed. However, if Luci's mother wasn't part of whatever this was, he would also need to get her out of there. He then remembered those vials in his pocket that made Luci feel sick just by smelling them. If he had to, he would use those on Damien and Nolan so they could leave.

Alessandra walked into the office with a smile, oblivious to what was going on. Nolan shut the door behind her as she looked around the room and saw the tension on everyone's faces.

"What's happening in here?" Alessandra questioned, looking at her mate.

"Everyone sit down; I have something I need to tell you." Damien sat on the couch where Nolan had been while Xavier, Luci, and Alessandra sat opposite him. Luci sat between her mother and her mate, holding each of their hands.

"You both know that Nolan and I have known each other for a long time. We have also been in business together for about the past hundred years or so. What you don't know is the nature of our business. You see, Luci, when you witnessed Nolan and his men kidnapping the shifters and Vampires, they were there on my orders. We sell those of our world to humans or anyone else that wants them."

Xavier, Luci, and Alessandra all looked at him in disgust. Damien was expecting this reaction from them and couldn't blame them. However, that didn't mean he was going to stop what he was doing. He made a lot of money and had many high-profile contacts because of his business.

"How could you do something so horrible? You must stop this now and pay retribution for those you hurt." Alessandra felt like someone had just pulled the rug out from under her. How could her mate be doing this for so long, and she not know?

"Xavier and I have been running all over the country trying to escape Nolan and his men. He even kidnapped me in Arizona and brought me against my will to New York. Are you telling me that you knew about that and supported it?" Luci was shaking with anger, and if it wasn't for her mother and Xavier, she would have already lit his sorry ass on fire.

"I told Nolan to leave you alone, but he didn't listen. When he came here yesterday and asked me to make you his mate so that you wouldn't mess up our business, I agreed. I didn't know you had already found your mate, but that doesn't matter. You'll reject Xavier and mate with Nolan so he and I can continue our business. Alessandra, you will continue being oblivious as you always have been. Xavier, I'm sorry, but you'll have to accept Luci's rejection and leave her alone. If you tell the king or anyone else about this, Nolan will kill her, and I'm sure you don't want that to happen."

Xavier couldn't believe what he was hearing. Damien expected Luci to mate with Nolan and Alessandra to pretend she didn't know what he was doing. He also wanted Xavier to accept Luci's rejection, or he would let Nolan kill his own daughter. He knew it was time to act because Damien was deranged and wouldn't let them leave if he thought it threatened his business. Xavier reached into his pocket and took a couple of the vials out of the small box. He held them in his hand, waiting for the right opportunity.

"Dad, you've lost your mind if you think I'm going to mate with Nolan. I'm staying with Xavier, and you can do nothing about it." Luci looked toward Xavier, and he gave her a slight nod.

*"When you feel my fingers push on your hand three times, cover your mouth and nose as well as your mother's. I'm going to throw some of these vials on your dad and Nolan so we can get out of here. I don't know what they do, but I don't care. I need to get you both to safety and then we can figure this out."* Luci squeezed his hand to let him know she understood.

"You don't have a choice. It's either mate with Nolan or die. I can't risk my business, but I can always have more children." Luci was hurt that her dad would choose his business over his daughter. She had always looked up to him, but not anymore. He was a monster.

When Damien called Nolan back into the office, Xavier knew it was time to execute his plan. Nolan walked in with a sick smile on his face when he saw Alessandra crying while Luci and Xavier glared at him.

Xavier waited until Nolan took a seat next to Damien, then he pushed on Luci's hand three times. At the same time, he popped the top off a few of the vials with his other hand. When Luci jumped on her mother to cover her nose and mouth, Xavier stood up and threw the liquid from the vials into Damien's and Nolan's faces.