LOGINXARION'S POV"If you need someone to talk to," Danielle continues softly, stepping closer again, "I'm here, Xarion. I know we didn't end things well last time, but… I still care about you. I always will. You don't have to go through this alone."I don't respond.I just stare at her, my jaw set, my wolf rumbling low in my chest."Are Megan's kids inside?" she asks after a moment, glancing toward the house. "I'd love to see them. Maybe I could… I don't know, help somehow. Keep them company. Make them feel better.""Don't worry about that," I interrupt flatly.Her expression darkens with irritation for just a second, betraying her. But it's gone so fast I almost miss it."The twins are overwhelmed, Danielle," I continue, keeping my tone firm. "With everything happening with Megan's kidnapping. They don't need to see people right now."She hesitates, and I can see the frustration working its way across her features before she forces it down."That's fine," she concedes, though her voice i
XARION'S POVOf all the people I expect to see standing in my driveway right now, Danielle isn't even in the top hundred.I stare at her, my mind scrambling to catch up with what I'm seeing.Danielle.Here. At my house. Right now.She walks toward me, her face arranged into an expression I haven't seen on her in… ever, actually. Concern. Soft, genuine-looking concern, the kind that makes her eyebrows pull together just enough to suggest she's worried but not so much that it creates lines.It's unsettling."Xarion," she calls, her voice gentle. Almost tentative.I adjust my posture, arms crossing instinctively. "What are you doing here, Danielle?""I came to see how you were doing," she replies, stepping closer. I blink, caught completely off guard for a moment. "What?""I heard what happened," she continues, her voice soft. "Concerning Megan. I wanted to check on you."Danielle. Came here. To check on me. About Megan.For a second, I just stand there, trying to process the fact that
XARION'S POV“Xarion?”I freeze.That voice…“Are you here?”My mother.Relief hits me so hard I have to catch my breath."In the kitchen," I call back.A moment later, my parents appear in the doorway.My mother's face is drawn with concern, her eyes immediately landing on the twins, and my father's expression is unreadable as always, his assessing gaze scanning the room."We heard what happened," my mother announces quietly, stepping into the room and heading straight for me. "About Megan."I nod once, stiffly. "News travels fast, doesn't it.""Are you alright?" she asks, though her attention is still on Maverick and Makayla."I'm fine," I mutter. "It's the twins I'm worried about."She moves toward them immediately, kneeling down beside them, and her expression softens."Oh, my sweet darlings," she murmurs, reaching out to brush her hand over Makayla's hair. "How are you holding up?"Makayla's eyes fill with tears again, leaning into her touch. "We're scared, Grandma. We want Mommy
XARION'S POVI've never felt this helpless in my entire life.I'm standing in my kitchen, staring at two untouched plates of food that have been sitting on the table for the past hour, and my ribcage feels like someone's wrapped steel bands around it and keeps cinching them one notch at a time.Maverick and Makayla are sitting at the dining table, their little bodies slumped in their chairs, their eyes red and puffy from crying, their faces pale and pinched.They haven't eaten.Not since this morning.Not since I tried to get them to have breakfast and they refused.And now it's well past noon, and they still won't touch anything.And it's tearing me apart.I've tried everything.I made their favorite foods. I offered them snacks. I even pulled out the trick I swore I'd never use and promised them ice cream for dinner if they'd just eat something now.Nothing.They just sit there, staring at the table like it personally offended them, their little hands folded in their laps, looking l
VANCE'S POVGwen flinches, her face crumpling. "I… I'm sorry, sir Vance. I didn't have your number. I started calling Ms. Pierce around eight, but her phone just went straight to voicemail. And then... then the twins called their father with my phone, and he came over, and that's when we found out..."Of course.Of course the twins called Xarion.Of course Xarion swooped in the second things went sideways.The thought sends a hot spike of irritation through me, but I shove it down because this isn't the time.Not when Megan's out there somewhere, goddess knows where, with goddess knows who."Where are the twins?" I ask, forcing my tone to even out. "Are they safe?""Yes," Gwen nods quickly. "Alpha Xarion took them with him this morning. For safety reasons."I clench my jaw, heat flaring in my chest as I hear that.But I push it aside. Hard.Because as much as I want to be pissed at Xarion for swooping in and playing hero, and as much as I resent the fact that the twins called him, the
VANCE'S POVBy the time I pull up to Megan's hotel, it's just past noon, and I've already convinced myself three separate times that I'm overreacting.I've been staring at my phone for the better part of the morning, willing it to light up with a notification.Any notification.A text. A missed call. Literally anything from Megan.But there's nothing.Just radio silence.And it's been eating me alive.It's been over twenty-four hours since I sent that text. A simple, harmless message.‘Just wanted to check in and see how you're doing. Hope everything's okay.’It wasn't demanding or pushy. Just... there.And she still hasn't replied.She's fine. She's probably just busy. Work got hectic. Her phone died. She forgot to charge it overnight and then got caught up in meetings all morning.Perfectly reasonable explanations.Except none of them sit right.Because Megan doesn't just go silent. Not like this. Not without a word, not even a quick text to acknowledge mine from yesterday.And the
XARION'S POVI can see the exact moment my words register with Megan, and her head snaps toward me, eyes flashing with irritation."Excuse me?" she says, her voice cold despite the slight slur. "Since when do you get to decide what I've had enough of?""Since you started looking like you're about t
XARION'S POVAlpha Elias's eyes narrow and I can see the hostility coming off him now. He doesn't like me. That much is clear.And I'm guessing it's because of Vance.He's protective of Megan, and he clearly wants her with his son.But that's not happening. Not if I have anything to say about it."
MEGAN'S POVPain greets me the second I open my eyes.A heavy, pounding ache that pulses through my skull like someone's taken a sledgehammer to my head.I groan, pressing my palms against my forehead as I try to will the pain away.What the hell happened last night?My mouth feels like sandpaper,
MEGAN'S POV"Oh no," I breathe, my eyes widening. "Alpha Elias. I was drunk in front of Alpha Elias. And Alpha Aaron. How am I supposed to face them now?""You'll be fine," Xarion assures me. "Alpha Elias wasn't angry. If anything, he was being overly protective of you."I frown as I catch the slig







