Xander’s POV
Life without Sabrina is a hollow existence. The days bleed into one another, each more colorless than the last. I still wake up expecting to hear her laughter, still turn my head at the slightest sound, hoping it’s her. But it never is.
And now… something is wrong.
I can’t explain it, but the air itself feels heavier, colder. I’ve never been one to shiver, yet for the past few nights, an unnatural chill has settled in my bones. It’s not just the absence of her warmth, it’s something deeper, something final.
Like a part of my soul has been carved out.
Like she’s gone.
But that’s impossible.
Sabrina is the Moon Goddess. She’s immortal. She can’t just… disappear.
Yet the gnawing dread in my chest refuses to fade.
I’m pouring coffee when a young pack member hesitantly steps into the kitchen. “Alpha, you have a visitor.”
I nod, setting the mug down without drinking. The walk to my office is automatic, my body moving while my mind remains trapped in that same endless loop. Where is she? Is she safe? Is she happy?
Then I catch it.
A scent.
Josie’s.
And his.
The vampire.
My steps quicken. By the time I reach my office, I’m nearly running.
“Alpha Xander!” Cayden greets with that same slimy grin, lounging in a chair like he owns the place. But my attention snaps to Josie.
She’s pale. Shaking.
Her eyes are red rimmed, her fingers twisting together like she’s trying to hold herself in one piece.
“Josie,” I say, my voice sharper than I intend. “What’s wrong?”
She swallows hard. “I need to tell you something.”
My jaw clenches. “If this is about Sabrina’s new love life, I don’t want to hear it.” The words come out in a growl, my fist slamming onto the desk hard enough to send papers flying.
Josie flinches but doesn’t back down. “It’s not that.”
She stands, moving toward me with slow, deliberate steps. Like she’s approaching a wounded animal. Like she’s afraid of what I’ll do when she says it.
And that’s when I know.
“No.” The word tears from my throat before I can stop it.
Josie shakes her head, but the tears streaming down her face betray her.
“Josie,” I demand, my voice raw. “Spit it out.”
She chokes on a sob. “They did this to her. They stripped her of her wolf. Imprisoned her.”
The room tilts. My vision narrows to a single point, Josie’s trembling lips, the way her hands clutch at her own arms like she’s trying to keep from falling apart.
“I fought for her,” she whispers. “I begged them, Xander. I pleaded. I told them how dangerous it was, leaving her defenceless…”
“What happened, Josie?” My voice is a snarl, my wolf surging to the surface.
But it’s the vampire who answers.
“She’s dead, mate.” His tone is almost casual, like he’s discussing the weather. “Maybe not by their own hand, but their little games led her straight to a lonely death. She was weak. Her wolf was subdued, but by the time it broke free… they were both too weak.”
The world stops.
Josie collapses into a chair, her cries muffled behind her hands.
I don’t move. I don’t breathe.
Because this isn’t real.
It can’t be.
Sabrina is immortal.
Before I can demand answers, the door swings open.
“Alpha,” the young wolf announces, “the Alpha King is here.”
CJ storms in, his presence filling the room with barely restrained fury. “What are you saying, Josie?”
She doesn’t answer.
“Josie!” CJ roars, the command of an Alpha lacing his words. “Say something! Tell me everything!”
But I can’t stay.
I can’t listen to another word.
I shove past them, out of the office, out of the pack house, my lungs burning like there’s no air left in the world.
The second my feet hit the grass, my wolf takes over.
We run.
No destination. No purpose. Just the desperate need to outpace the truth clawing at my back.
She can’t be gone.
She can’t be.
But the cold in my bones whispers otherwise.
—
Sabrina’s POV
The room is silent now.
No screams. No taunts. Just the heavy weight of my father’s regret as he stands before my grandmother, his head bowed.
“Sabrina has suffered enough at her family’s hands,” Grandmother says, her voice like ice. “You have failed her as a father. And as my son, it is my duty to express my disappointment.”
My father doesn’t speak.
“How dare you strip her of her very soul?” she continues, stepping closer. “How dare you torture her as if she were nothing more than a traitor, and not your own flesh and blood?”
“I had to make sure she understood our ways,” he finally rasps.
Grandmother’s eyes flash. “Then let me teach you yours.”
She raises a hand.
My father collapses.
A guttural scream rips from his throat as his body convulses then, in a burst of light, his wolf is torn from him. The beast lies motionless beside him, both writhing in agony.
The room holds its breath.
Then, just as quickly, Grandmother flicks her wrist.
The wolf stirs. Reunites with my father.
He gasps, his entire body trembling.
“I want everyone to understand the pain you’ve inflicted,” Grandmother says, her gaze sweeping over the gathered royals. “My own son could not endure seconds without his wolf. Yet you left Sabrina to suffer for days.”
My father staggers to his feet, his eyes locking onto mine.
“Choose your next words wisely,” Grandmother warns.
But I’ve already made my choice.
“I don’t want to hear a single word from him,” I say, my voice steady despite the storm inside me.
Grandmother nods. “Then that settles it.”
“Wait!” My mother steps forward, her face streaked with tears. “If you won’t listen to your father, then listen to me. Please.”
I shake my head.
“I have nothing left to give,” I tell her. “Not to you. Not to my father. And certainly not to my twin brother.” My voice cracks. “I’m tired. I’m done. And I need time to heal, heal before I start hurting the people who actually love me the way you all hurt me.”
Grandmother’s expression softens. She reaches for me, pulling me into an embrace that feels like coming home.
“Sabrina,” she murmurs, “you have a destiny. One that was chosen for you long before you understood it. But you were raised in another world, never knowing the weight of what was expected.” She pulls back, cupping my face. “I returned because I want you to live. To know love, real love. If not from your parents, then from me.”
A sob lodges in my throat.
“Go,” she whispers. “Find the love of your life. Find your son. Live the life you’ve dreamed of. And when the time comes… you will ascend the throne. I will prepare you.”
She kisses my forehead.
“Go.”
I don’t hesitate.
I run.
Because Xander is waiting.
And so is my son.