Mia’s POV
The tension in the room was suffocating. I crossed my arms, my gaze
shifting between Damon and the brothers as I tried to piece together
what was happening. The revelation that Damon knew them was an
unwelcome surprise, and I didn’t trust where this conversation was
headed.
“How do you know each other?” I finally asked, my voice sharp as my
eyes settled on Damon.
Damon leaned against the edge of the table, his relaxed demeanor at
odds with the weight of his words. “We were trained by the same
professor when we were in school. Old Professor Hadley,” he explained
with a small smile. “He taught us everything from combat strategy to
pack diplomacy.”
I blinked, the pieces falling into place. “You went to school with them?”
“Not just any school,” Damon clarified, his gaze flicking to Xavier and
Rolex. “The Academy for Elite Alpha Training. It was an exclusive
program for future leaders of the strongest packs.”
The brothers exchanged a glance, and I could see the hint of a smile
tugging at Rolex’s lips. “Damon here was always top of the class,” Rolex
said, his tone lighter than I expected.
“Had to be,” Damon shot back with a smirk. “You two weren’t exactly
the easiest competition to beat.”
I felt my stomach churn as I listened to them. Damon, my cousin-the
man who had become my closest family-was friendly with the very
people who had destroyed my life. It was almost too much to process.
“I didn’t know you kept in touch,” I said carefully, trying to keep my
voice steady.
“We haven’t, not really,” Damon admitted, his smile fading slightly.
“But seeing them again brings back memories. We were rivals, sure, but
we respected each other.”
Respected? The word made my skin crawl. There was nothing
respectable about Xavier and Rolex.
“I see,” I said, forcing a polite smile. “That’s… interesting.”
Damon’s sharp eyes turned to me, and for a moment, I wondered if he
could sense my discomfort. “You seem tense,” he observed. “Is
something bothering you?”
I shook my head quickly, brushing off his question. “No, it’s just a lot to
take in. I wasn’t expecting this.”
“Neither were we,” Xavier interjected, his gaze locked on mine. “It’s a
small world, isn’t it?”
I ignored him, focusing instead on Damon, who seemed to be weighing
something in his mind.
“I think we should help them,” Damon said suddenly, straightening up.
The words hit me like a slap. My eyes widened as I turned to him. “Help
them? With what?”
“With their proposal,” Damon explained, his tone casual as if this were
the most logical thing in the world. “If their idea benefits both packs,
then why not?”
“Why not?” I repeated, my voice rising slightly. “Because they’re
strangers, Damon. We don’t know their intentions.”
“They’re not strangers,” Damon corrected. “They’re trusted allies-at
least, they were once.”
I clenched my fists, struggling to keep my emotions in check. “That was
a long time ago. People change.”
Damon studied me for a moment before nodding. “You’re right, people
do change. Which is why we’ll give them the chance to prove
themselves.”
My heart sank as I realized he wasn’t going to back down. “And what if
they can’t?”
“Then they’ll answer to me,” Damon said simply.
Rolex raised his hands in a placating gesture. “We’re not here to cause
trouble. We just want to work together.”
I bit back the retort that was on the tip of my tongue. The last thing I
needed was for Damon to question why I was so against them.
“I still don’t think it’s a good idea,” I muttered, crossing my arms again.
“I’ll take full responsibility for it,” Damon assured me. He turned to the
brothers. “You have my permission to continue coming to the pack until
we finalize this cooperation.”
The relief on their faces was evident, and it made my stomach turn.
“Thank you,” Xavier said, inclining his head slightly.
“Don’t thank me yet,” Damon replied. “You’ll have to prove that you’re
serious about this.”
The brothers nodded, their expressions solemn, but I wasn’t convinced.
The air outside the meeting room was thick with tension as I walked
briskly down the corridor. My head was held high, my expression
composed, but inside, I was anything but calm. Seeing Xavier and Rolex
again stirred up emotions I thought I had buried-anger, pain, and
something far more dangerous.
Ima stirred restlessly in my mind. “They touched a nerve,” she
murmured.
“Quiet,” I shot back silently. “I need to focus.”
I had almost reached the front doors when I heard their footsteps behind
me. They were following me.
“Mia, wait!” Xavier called out.
I didn’t stop. My heart was already pounding, and I wasn’t sure if it was
from anger or something else entirely. I had barely reached the car
waiting for me when they caught up, stepping in front of me to block my
path.
“Mia,” Rolex said, his voice softer than I remembered. “Please, just
listen to us.”
I froze, my breath catching as they moved closer. The air between us felt
electric, and I hated the way my body betrayed me. My heart raced the
moment Xavier’s hand brushed my arm, and I felt his warmth seeping
into me.
Their presence was overwhelming, suffocating, as they closed the
distance between us. I could feel Xavier’s breath on my lips, hot and
deliberate, sending a shiver down my spine. Rolex leaned in closer, his
breath grazing my neck, and I could feel my resolve wavering.
“You’re her,” Xavier said, his voice low and certain. “We can feel it.
You’re our Mia.”
His words sent a jolt through me, and I snapped out of whatever spell
they were casting. Anger surged, fueling my next move.
“Stay away from me,” I fired back, my voice sharp enough to cut
through the tension. “I am not your Mia. I am Princess Mia of the Blood
Moon pack, and you will address me as such.”
Rolex’s hand twitched as if he wanted to reach for me, but I stepped
forward, raising my chin defiantly. “Don’t touch me again,” I warned,
my eyes blazing.
“Mia-” Xavier began, but I cut him off, stepping firmly on his foot with
enough force to make him wince.
“Next time,” I said, my voice icy, “don’t you dare touch me.”
Their stunned expressions gave me a flicker of satisfaction, but it was
fleeting. I turned on my heel, slipping into the car before they could stop
me again.
As the car pulled away, the weight of the encounter hit me like a tidal
wave. My composure cracked, and tears spilled silently down my cheeks.
I pressed my hand to my chest, trying to calm the erratic beating of my
heart.
“I wasn’t ready,” I whispered to myself. “I wasn’t ready to see them
again.”
Ima’s voice was quiet but firm. “You’re stronger than this, Mia. You’ve
come too far to let them break you.”
I wiped my tears, taking a shaky breath. She was right. I had worked too
hard, built too much to let them ruin everything. But seeing them again
had reignited something in me-a burning desire for revenge.
“They’ll pay,” I thought, my fists clenching in my lap. “For everything
they did, they’ll pay.”