Xavier's POV
The door slammed behind me before I could stop myself.
The sound echoed through the hall like a shot.
I leaned against it, chest rising too fast, palms pressed flat against the wood. My lips still burned.
Her taste.
Her voice.
The way she said my name.
What the hell had I done?
I had sworn it would never happen. Sworn I would never touch her, never let her see what she did to me. Because if she became more than just my responsibility—if she became mine—then I would lose her. Just like my father lost my mother.
I forced my eyes shut, trying to breathe. The air felt thick, heavy with her scent and my weakness.
"Get a grip," I muttered under my breath. "She doesn't belong to you."
But my wolf growled deep inside, angry, restless, disobedient. She's ours.
I dragged a hand down my face and pushed off the door. The room was dark except for the moonlight spilling across my desk. The silver glow caught the edge of an old picture frame—one I'd kept hidden under a file.
My father. My mother. And him.
Lorenzo.
I picked it up, staring at their faces. They all looked so damn proud. Young. Untouchable.
Until the night everything fell apart.
Lorenzo had always been jealous, even as a boy. He thought strength alone made a king. But my father had heart—he had compassion. The pack loved him for it. And Lorenzo hated him for it.
When the Moon Goddess chose my mother as my father's mate, Lorenzo snapped.
He killed her. My mother. The Luna. He burned half the pack grounds before he vanished into the woods.
And before he left, he swore something I've never forgotten.
"If I can't have what is rightfully mine, then neither will you. I'll take what every Alpha loves most. I'll take their Lunas, one by one, until none remain."
He's been a ghost ever since. But now he's stirring again. I can feel it in my bones.
I set the picture down and stared out the window. The forest beyond the pack house looked peaceful, but I knew better. He was out there. Watching. Waiting.
Bella didn't understand what kind of world she'd been dragged into. She was human—fragile, innocent—and still she fought like she had claws of her own. She didn't know that her being here painted a target on her back.
That's why I kept my distance. Why I trained her. Why I hardened her.
Because if Lorenzo came for her—and he would—she needed to be able to survive even if I didn't.
But now?
Now I'd gone and kissed her.
"Damn it," I hissed, slamming my fist into the desk. Papers scattered to the floor.
The door creaked open behind me. I didn't need to look to know who it was.
"Philip," I said.
"You're losing control, Xavier." His voice was calm, too calm. "First your temper, now her. This isn't you."
I turned, jaw tight. "What do you want me to say? That I care for her? That I wish I didn't?"
Philip stepped closer, his eyes sharp with concern. "You think pushing her away will protect her. It won't. You're making her an easier target."
I glared at him. "You think I don't know that? You think I don't see her face every time I close my eyes?"
"Then stop pretending, brother," he said softly. "Tell her the truth. About Lorenzo. About what's coming."
I looked away. "If I tell her, she'll run."
"She won't," Philip said. "You underestimate her. She's not weak."
My hands clenched at my sides. The wolf inside me stirred again, low and fierce.
Maybe he was right. Maybe Bella deserved to know.
But telling her meant admitting what she truly was to me—my mate. The one person I could lose everything for.
And that was exactly what Lorenzo wanted.
I walked to the window again, eyes scanning the tree line. The night seemed too still. Too quiet.
"Keep an eye on her," I said finally. "If anything moves near the border, I want to know."
Philip hesitated. "You really think he's coming?"
"I know he is," I said. "He's not done with us."
As the door closed behind Philip, I stood there alone again, staring into the dark.
Somewhere out there, Lorenzo was smiling.
And for the first time in years, I felt something I'd sworn I'd buried—fear.
Not for myself.
For her.