Still on Lizzy's POV
The air in the pack house's grand foyer was electric, charged with the kind of energy that made my skin tingle and my heart race. Daniel's face was inches from mine, his hazel eyes locked onto me with an intensity that sent butterflies fluttering in my stomach. His breath was warm, his lips hovering so close I could almost taste the promise of a kiss. My cheeks were already burning from his earlier words; Amore, he had called me, his voice like a caress and I was pretty sure I was about to melt into a puddle right there on the polished hardwood floor.
But before our lips could meet, a loud, exaggerated throat-clearing shattered the moment. "Ahem! Guys, I am right here," Ana's voice cut through, dripping with playful sarcasm. "Maybe before you start eating each other's faces, you could show me to my room? And, you know, get a room yourselves. I don't want my poor innocent child in heaven watching this display."
I pulled back from Daniel, my cheeks flaming even hotter, if that was possible. "Ana!" I squeaked, mortified but unable to suppress a giggle. Her teasing grin was infectious, and I shot her a mock glare. "Child in heaven? Really?"
Daniel, still holding my hand, looked adorably confused, his brow furrowing as he tilted his head. " I am so sorry, Luna," he said, his voice laced with genuine concern. "But... last I checked, you and Xavier haven't even started the mating process. Are you saying you're expecting a child already? With another man?" His eyes widened, and I couldn't help but laugh at how earnestly he took Ana's joke.
Ana rolled her eyes, crossing her arms with a dramatic flair. "You idiot," she said, her tone fond but exasperated. "I said my child in heaven. Don't you know he's watching over his future mama? My little angel's probably up there judging your lack of humor."
The three of us burst into laughter, the kind that starts in your chest and spills out uncontrollably. I clutched my sides, tears prickling at the corners of my eyes as Ana's ridiculous explanation sent me into a fit of giggles. Daniel's laugh was deep and warm, his head thrown back, and Ana was practically doubled over, her shoulders shaking. It was one of those perfect, fleeting moments where everything felt right until I realized our laughter wasn't alone.
A fourth voice joined in, rich and unexpected, echoing through the foyer. My laughter faltered, and I turned toward the sound, my eyes widening as they landed on the source. Standing in the doorway, his broad shoulders filling the frame, was Xavier, the Alpha. His laugh was deep, unrestrained, and so startlingly human that it felt like the room itself had paused to take notice. Daniel's jaw dropped, and Ana's eyes went wide, her hand frozen mid-gesture. My own heart skipped a beat, because this man, this cold, imposing Alpha, was laughing.
The sound cut off abruptly, as if Xavier had just realized what he was doing. His face transformed in an instant, the warmth vanishing behind a mask of icy indifference. His gray eyes, which had momentarily sparkled with mirth, turned stormy, and his jaw clenched so tightly I thought it might crack. Without a word, he spun on his heel and stormed out of the room, his boots echoing against the floor like a warning.
Daniel stared after him, his expression a chaotic mix of shock, joy, and something deeper, something like sorrow. "Oh God," he whispered, almost to himself. "Xavier, was that you? You laughed. Not a chuckle, not a smirk, not a smile, you laughed." He shook his head, as if trying to convince himself it had really happened. "Dude, you laughed!"
I reached out, touching his arm gently. "Daniel, are you okay?" I asked, my voice soft but laced with concern. "You look... I don't know, surprised, happy, sad, all at once. What's going on?"
He turned to me, his eyes glistening with an emotion I couldn't quite place. "There's something you both need to understand," he said, his voice low and earnest. He glanced at Ana, then back at me, his hand still holding mine as if it grounded him. "The last time I saw Xavier laugh, really laugh, not just a forced smile was when he was five years old. Five, Lizzy. He was just a kid, full of life, before... before everything changed. Since then, he's been this fortress of ice cold, guarded, untouchable. But today, not even fifteen minutes after you arrived, Ana, you made him laugh. That sound? It's a miracle. It's hope."
I glanced at Ana, whose expression had softened into something I rarely saw: pity, mixed with a quiet determination. Her eyes, usually so fierce and unyielding, held a flicker of sadness as she processed Daniel's words. "What happened to him?" she asked quietly, her voice barely above a whisper. "What made him... like this?"
Daniel sighed, running a hand through his hair. "It's a long story, Luna, and not mine to tell. But Xavier's carried the weight of the pack for years, and it's broken something in him. He's not cruel, not really-just lost. And you, Ana, you are already changing that. You've been here less than an hour, and you've done what no one else has in decades. You brought a piece of him back."
Ana didn't respond right away, her gaze fixed on the doorway where Xavier had disappeared. I could see the wheels turning in her mind, the way she was already calculating how to reach him, how to thaw that icy exterior. My best friend was the most loving person I'd ever known, fierce and stubborn but with a heart big enough to heal even the most broken souls. If anyone could change Xavier, it was her.
"Thank you, Luna," Daniel continued, his voice thick with gratitude. "Thank you for coming here, for giving us, giving him a chance. You have no idea what this means to the pack, to me, to Xavier."
Ana finally looked at him, her lips curving into a small, determined smile. "Don't thank me yet," she said, her tone light but resolute. "I'm not here to play savior, but if I can help... I'll try. For the pack. For him." She glanced at me, her eyes softening. "And for you, Lizzy. Looks like we're both in this now."
I squeezed Daniel's hand, my heart swelling with a mix of awe and pride. Ana was right, we were in this together, thrown into a world of werewolves and mates and pack dynamics that felt like something out of my wildest novels. But as I looked at her, then at Daniel, whose warm gaze made my pulse race, I felt a spark of certainty. Ana would turn Xavier's world upside down, just as she always did. And me? I was Daniel's mate, caught in a whirlwind of my own. Whatever lay ahead, I knew one thing for sure: with Ana by my side, we'd face it head-on, and maybe, just maybe, we'd bring a little light to this pack's darkness.