LOGINTHIRD PERSON'S P.O.V Three endless days of sitting in a stiff chair, Xavier’s body was aching from lack of movement and his eyes were burning from staring at the same pale figure over and over. Three days of listening to the monitors beep erratically, each pulse and flutter a reminder that Althea’s heart was fighting a losing battle. They had successfully brought her to the hospital but she hadn’t wait up till then. He rubbed his temples for what felt like the hundredth time, trying to will away the growing panic in his chest. Her chest rose and fell with shallow, uneven breaths, and every exhale felt like a knife twisting in him. Dr. Chen had told him that the body was rejecting her heart this morning. That without the bond sustaining her, her human body was realising it had a werewolf heart and was trying to destroy it. Xavier’s fists clenched at that thought. He had begged, pleaded and promised. “There has to be something we can do!” He had shouted. His voice was raw from des
THIRD PERSON’S P.O.V It took Riley eight minutes. She appeared in the doorway with a tablet in one hand and a face so composed it could only mean she was furious and using every part of that fury to become useful. “His grandfather’s chapel. It’s forty minutes north on family land. It was sealed since the grandfather died, but Marcus has been making maintenance visits every month for the past year.” Xavier’s eyes locked on hers. “Every month?” “Every single month.” Riley said. “Sometimes twice.” “Anyone else with access?” “No. Just him.” “Mind-link Leo.” “I tried. Nothing.” Xavier’s jaw flexed. “Blocked?” “Either he is blocking us, or something is blocking him.” The room went very still. Then Xavier turned. “Get the warriors. Full escort. We leave in three minutes.” Riley was already moving. Xavier was about to move as well but Marla caught his sleeve before he could pass. “Xavier.” He turned back. “She really loves you.” The words hit him harder than any accusation
THIRD PERSON'S P.O.V Xavier had not moved from his desk in over an hour. Marla stood in the open doorway of his office and watched him sit there with eyes fixed on nothing. He looked like a man who had returned from war. Even worse. He looked like a man who had won a battle he should never have fought. The papers on his desk had not been touched. The cup of coffee Riley had brought him sat near his hand, untouched and going cold. The fire in the hearth burned low, throwing quiet orange light across the room, but it did nothing to warm the space. Xavier had been like this since he walked back from the courtyard. Silent and still. Stillness that did not come from peace, but from a man holding himself together by force because if he moved, if he breathed too deeply, if he allowed even one thought to settle fully, he would crack. He looked up when he sensed Marla. “Marla.” He acknowledged her with a rough and hollow voice. “Alpha.” She stepped into the office and
AlTHEA’S P.O.V I woke to voices. Distant. Muffled. Like I was underwater. "...not responding..." "....pulse is weak…" "....don't know if she'll make it…" I tried to open my eyes, but they were so heavy. My entire body felt heavy. Like I was made of lead. "Althea, can you hear me?" That was Dr. Chen's voice. "Squeeze my hand if you can hear me." I tried. God, I tried. But my fingers wouldn't cooperate. "She's in and out of consciousness." He said to someone else. "The rejection shock was too severe. Her heart is barely functioning. We need to get her to a hospital." "No hospitals." A different person said in a cold and authoritative voice. "She stays here." That voice. I knew that voice. But it wasn't Xavier. "Marcus?" That was Leo. "What are you doing here?" "Checking on the girl." He said smoothly. "Making sure she's being cared for properly." "Dr. Chen has it under control…" "Does he?" Marcus's voice moved closer. "Because it looks to me like she's dying. And if sh
ALTHEA’S P.O.V The morning of the rejection came grey and still. The kind of grey that made the world look as if it had already given up trying to be beautiful. I had slept badly. Sleep had come in pieces, thin and broken, slipping away every time the pain in my chest pulled me back to the dark room. By dawn, I stopped pretending I could rest. I lay on the narrow bed with both hands pressed flat over the transplant scar beneath my clothes and stared at the ceiling while the first pale light crept through the curtains. The pain had settled into something constant overnight. It sat behind my sternum like a tight fist, pulling with every breath, tightening whenever I moved, refusing to ease no matter how still I stayed. I closed my eyes and I told the heart beneath my hands to hold on a little longer. For a moment, there was only silence. Then it pushed back against my palm. A small, broken breath left me. “All right.” I whispered to the empty room. “Then we fight.” The words s
ALTHEA’S P.O.V Xavier stopped in the doorway and our eyes met. He looked at me with a face that revealed nothing and his eyes revealed everything. HIs eyes went to the book and the cardigan in my hands and his jaw set. "What are you doing in here." It wasn’t a question. "Collecting my things." I said evenly. "You should have asked someone to do that for you." "I didn't want someone else to do it." I held his gaze. "I wanted to be in here one more time. I think I've earned that much." Something tightened around his eyes. "You've earned nothing that gives you the right to go through my space without…" "I am not that ill-mannered. I wasn't going through your things." My voice came out steadier than I felt. "I was standing in a room where I have lived for weeks. A room where you made space for me. Where you chose, every single night, to be close to me." I took one step toward him and watched something happen in his face that he controlled immediately. "And now you walk past me i
Althea's POV The howls grew closer. I stood frozen in the sitting room, surrounded by women who looked worried but not terrified. They moved around calmly, gathering children closer and whispering to one another like this was something they had experienced before. Meanwhile my entire world had j
Althea's P.O.V I knew it would be bad before I even walked through the doors. My stomach had been turning all afternoon. My hands wouldn't stop shaking while I dressed. The heart in my chest beat an uneven, anxious rhythm that I had learned, over these past weeks, meant something my body understo
Althea's P.O.V Xavier's voice was flat with absolutely no room for argument. But he was not looking at Selene. He was looking at me. And the intensity in those silver eyes made my breath catch in my throat. It made my heart stutter. "But Alpha..." Selene started. "I said she stays." Xavier s
Althea's P.O.VOnce I entered, I assessed the formal dining hall and my breath hitch. It was stunning.Candlelight flickered from elaborate candelabras placed down the length of a massive wooden table. Flames were dancing. Cast were moving shadows on the walls. The scent of roasted meat and fresh b







