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"Survival," Elysian answered calmly. "Over time, it will become normal, over time, peace will come."

"Normal?" Quinn exhaled, dizzy with how far they'd fallen. She pointed then to the door, a finger stabbed towards that direction. "Look at them and tell me you do not see what you have become. You are just like her, and just because we're all weak now. You use us—" She stopped herself, then tangled by her thoughts breathless as her mind jumped to the future. The books had never mentioned what had become of the women of this story, was this the reason why? "Elysian," she turned, hands pressed to his cheeks, felt the flush of his heat, the blood in his veins. "That scene out there, don't you see it? Don't you see the similarities? Don't you see—"

"I see it," Elysian growled harshly, brokenly. A collapse in his voice, drifting into a whisper. His face was contorting, blurred, furious and wretched. "It is beyond my control."

"Beyond your control?" Her laugh was too loud, but she allowed it to flow. "It was always in your control. How many times must I say this to all of you?" Her voice grew quiet. "How many times must I beg you all to listen? To see the people you've become? This should not be a cure, this would never have been a cure if all of you were willing to forgive."

"And what of it?" Elysian answered sharply, snapping back to her. She hated that he was angry, anger meant that he felt wronged. Anger meant that he believed himself to be right. "Euodia has scalded me. I deserve to have my revenge."

"What revenge? " Quinn cried out. "Gods, those women are dead. That woman is dead. Those people who hurt you? They're gone. Ghosts of their past. The women out there were all products of their situation, just as you are."

"Those girls out there were all outlaws!"

"And that justifies your cruelty?" Quinn cried. "The wastelands were filled with girls that did not deserve death. They were there to suffer, and they did. You brought them back as cattle. Your people will break their minds enforcing your plans. What do you think will happen when the Alphas die? When all is done? What do you think will be left in those shadows? A smiling city of pleasant, gentle, kind Omegas? You'll have monsters. Monsters that have killed a girl they try to care for, a girl they might even love." Quinn was shaking, fingers clutching at his clothes. "It will break them all."

"No one can love an Alpha."

"Elysian," she was shaken then, and the words left her before she could think. And when it did her eyes could not meet his. "Don't you love me?"

He was silent, and the silence echoed hard between them. The bond was burning then, a strand of connected hearts, connected souls. Elysian was her soulmate, and his quiet was a dagger through her heart. She swallowed, knowing just as much, knowing that she was always the girl that didn't deserve her soulmates. She was always the one in the dark. Her hands fell from him, dangled by her side, she couldn't look at him then. "Quinn…" He whispered. "I can't love you."

"I know," she admitted, feeling fucking stupid. "I see."

Elysian shook his head. "You don't," he whispered. "I do so much for you."

She scoffed. "Do you?"

Elysian snapped then, something breaking within him. "You may not remember it. You may act like a messiah." His smile touched his eyes, an insanity bridging. "But you judge them too harshly for what you did not see, a hell so much worse, a hell you could never dream of. My people are angry." He softened then, features melting into one that concealed the sea of red. "You are right, we allowed them to take their revenge because we wanted that revenge. But now I try my best to stop them from going too far because I see what you see." He cursed. "But Quinn, they want to live, and what can I do? We are on the throne to protect our people. We are Kings we have to choose what is best for the majority. The cure was found, and that is all we have."

"No," Quinn answered, pacing, feeling his emotions through their bond. His words made sense, rational and logical. But she could feel the truth in his heart, pulsing between them like a song. "None of you are working towards something else. None of you are trying hard enough. You want the girls gone. Two birds killed in one stone, and you all know it."

"We didn't have time!" Elysian told her, hands wrung, his voice was rising a cry rippling from him. "And those infected by the curse were crawling their way towards people, towards the Alphas. What do you think we should do? Of course, we gave them what they needed! It's common sense! It's our only choice for salvation! What can we do if they were chosen by the Gods to die? It is their fate!"

"Chosen?" Quinn snapped. "You chose them to die! The Omegas are the ones going fucking insane by hordes. No, it is not common sense. Not when you have fucking zombies in your streets. You don't fucking sacrifice those that are sane. You try to save them all. You've settled, you're settling on things that make you feel better. You're not figuring it out. You're pinning it all on goddamn religion because you can't explain it." Quinn was panting, almost screaming, tears burning in her eyes. "You're biting your own fucking leg, picking the weakest goddamn link to die. And it's always women. And what's next? There are children in your plans Elysian. The lives of fucking children!"

He was quiet then, a choked sound escaping him, a sharpness stung in his eyes as if he were wronged. In the corner of her eye, she noted the six other figures standing in the distance, hidden by shadows. But they did not move, did not speak, frozen at her words. They heard everything. Her lashes fluttered, blinking to focus on Elysian.

Good.

They needed to know.

They all needed to know.