Xavier’s POV
Mia’s words hit me like a freight train. Reject me. She hadn’t shouted,
hadn’t pleaded, but the weight of those three words was enough to shake
me to my core.
I stood there, frozen, watching her retreating back as she stormed
toward the stairs. She didn’t even glance over her shoulder. Not once. It
was like we didn’t exist to her anymore-as if the bond we shared meant
absolutely nothing.
Nathan’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts. “What the hell is her
problem?” He marched toward the stairs, his face contorted in anger.
“Nathan, don’t,” I said sharply, stepping in his way.
“She’s asking for rejection, Xavier!” he growled, his eyes blazing. “She’s
making a fool out of us. We’re the Alphas, and she thinks she can
demand this from us? Hell no.”
“She’s not wrong,” Sean muttered from the corner, his voice low but
cutting.
Nathan spun around, his glare narrowing in on Sean. “What’s that
supposed to mean?”
Sean didn’t flinch. “It means she has a point. We’ve done nothing but
treat her like trash since the moment she got here. And now we’re
surprised she wants out? What did you think was going to happen?”
“She doesn’t get to walk away from this bond,” Nathan shot back, his
hands clenching into fists. “We’re her mates. She’s supposed to-”
“To what?” Sean interrupted, his voice rising. “To love us? To save us?
To forgive us for every single horrible thing we’ve done to her? You’re
delusional.”
The anger that surged through me at his words was instant and
uncontrollable. My wolf bristled, and my fists clenched so hard my
knuckles turned white.
“And whose fault is that?” Sean fired back before I could.
Nathan didn’t respond, his jaw tightening as he turned away.
I took a deep breath, trying to steady the whirlwind of emotions
churning inside me. The truth was, I couldn’t stop thinking about how
she had looked at Tristan-like he was the only one who mattered. The
way she had fought for him, the way she had touched him… it burned me
from the inside out.
But it wasn’t just jealousy. It was regret.
We had ruined everything. Every chance we had to show her that she
mattered, that she belonged with us, we had thrown away. And now,
watching her cling to someone else, I couldn’t ignore the voice in the
back of my mind that whispered it might already be too late.
Rolex stepped forward, placing a hand on Nathan’s shoulder. “Sean’s
right. We’ve given her every reason to hate us. If we’re going to fix this,
we need to stop acting like she owes us anything.”
“She doesn’t need fixing,” I muttered, surprising even myself.
All three of them turned to look at me, confusion etched across their
faces.
“What are you talking about?” Nathan snapped.
I hesitated, the words catching in my throat. “I mean… she’s stronger
than we’ve given her credit for. She doesn’t need us to fix her. We’re the
ones who need to change.”
Nathan’s expression twisted into something unreadable. “You’ve gone
soft, Xavier.”
“Or maybe he’s finally using his brain,” Sean interjected.
Nathan ignored him, his attention locked on me. “You’re jealous, aren’t
you? Because she cried for Tristan and not for us.”
The accusation stung because it was true. I had felt a surge of jealousy so
strong it nearly blinded me when I saw her on her knees, begging for his
life. The way she clung to him, the way she looked at him-it wasn’t just
the bond making my chest ache. It was something more.
“Stop it, Nathan,” Rolex warned, his voice calm but firm. “This isn’t
about jealousy. It’s about survival. If we don’t make this right with her,
we’re as good as dead.”
Nathan let out a bitter laugh. “Good luck with that. She doesn’t want
anything to do with us.”
“Can you blame her?” Sean asked, crossing his arms. “We starved her.
We humiliated her. And then we tried to kill the one person who actually
gave her a chance. What the hell did you think was going to happen?”
“She’s still our mate,” Nathan argued.
“For now,” Rolex pointed out. “But if we keep pushing her, she’ll find a
way to sever the bond. And when that happens, we’re done.”
The room fell silent, the weight of his words settling over us like a heavy
fog.
“She’s more than just a mate,” I said quietly, my thoughts spilling out
before I could stop them. “She’s not like anyone else we’ve ever met. She
doesn’t need us, and that terrifies me. But it also makes me want her
even more.”
The admission hung in the air, and I couldn’t meet their eyes.
Sean let out a low whistle. “Wow. Never thought I’d see the day Xavier
admitted something like that.”
“Shut up,” I muttered, running a hand through my hair.
Rolex leaned against the wall, his expression thoughtful. “Maybe it’s not
too late. If we play this right, if we show her we’re willing to change,
maybe she’ll give us another chance.”
Nathan snorted. “She doesn’t want us. She wants Tristan.”
“And whose fault is that?” Sean shot back.
Nathan didn’t respond, his jaw tightening as he turned away.
Later that night, I found myself standing outside Mia’s room, my hand
hovering over the doorknob. The urge to go in and talk to her was
overwhelming, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it.
What would I even say? That I was sorry? That I didn’t mean to hurt her?
That I wasn’t sure if it was the bond or something deeper pulling me
toward her?
I sighed, leaning my forehead against the door. “I’m sorry,” I whispered,
even though I knew she couldn’t hear me.
The next morning, the house was unusually quiet. I sat at the kitchen
table with Rolex, Sean, and Nathan, the tension between us thick.
“She’s going to leave,” Sean said, breaking the silence. “If we don’t do
something, she’s going to leave for good.”
“We need to show her we’re serious,” Rolex agreed. “No more games. No
more controlling her.”
Nathan scoffed. “And what? Grovel at her feet?”
“If that’s what it takes,” I said firmly.
Nathan stared at me, his disbelief clear. “You’re really willing to stoop
that low for an omega?”
I don’t know how to answer him, she was not just an omega now, but a
girl whom I wanted more than anything.
I want to kiss her, love her, and rejection would only make me away from
away her, but why I fell so hard for her. When I should hate her?