****Xavier*****
I stood in front of the mirror, brushing my hair, feeling the weight of five long years pressing down on me. “Did you find the culprit behind the incident?” I asked, my voice steady but with an edge of impatience.Dean, my Beta, hesitated, his eyes dark with concern. “No, not yet.”
“Five years, Dean. We still have no leads,” I muttered, frustration creeping into my tone. My jaw clenched, and my fists tightened instinctively. I didn’t want to let go of the past, no matter how much it haunted me.
He placed a hand on my shoulder. “Maybe it’s time to let go and focus on the present,” he suggested, his voice soft but firm.
I spun toward him, my gaze fierce. “I will never let go of it. Not until I find out who’s responsible for what happened,” I said, feeling the fire rise within me once more.
I closed my fist, turning my head towards Dean, my eyes filled with determination. “I will rest until I catch the one responsible for what happened,” I declared, feeling a renewed sense of purpose. “Just do what you have been asked to do,” I stated, wearing my shirt and heading out the door, ready to start my day. "You know you are the only one I trust to help me with this. You rasied me as the person I am today, and I know you will have my back no matter what," Dean bowed his head in understanding, knowing that I was not going to give up until I found the one who ruined everything in my life. "I will not let you down," he promised, his voice filled with conviction. As I walked out into the morning sun, staring at the horizon with a steely gaze, “What day is it?” I asked, walking towards my car. Dean opened the door for me and replied, “It’s Tuesday, sir.” “Date?” I inquired as I got into the car. “June 15... why do you ask?” Dean responded, his tone filled with concern. I simply shook my head and started the car. Today is Henry’s birthday; the fool will finally turn 18 today. “Turn the car to pack house. I want to check on some things before we head to work,” I instructed Dean as we drove towards the packing house. Dean nodded in understanding and followed my directions without question. Maybe today I will finally get a chance to meet him. It has been 5 years since the last time I saw Henry, and I can’t help but wonder how much he has changed since then. Dean glanced at me with a knowing look, as if he could sense the anticipation in my eyes. “Why the pack house today?” he asked curiously. I simply smiled and kept my thoughts to myself, eager to see what the day would bring. “I am the Alpha; should I not be aware of what is happening within my pack?” Dean questioned, his tone slightly challenging. Dean nodded, continuing to watch me closely as we made our way to the packhouse, his curiosity evident in his eyes. I couldn’t help but feel a sense of excitement building within me, knowing that reuniting with Henry after so long would bring about a wave of emotions and memories. He is my dear brother, but after becoming the Alpha of the pack, I have made myself different from him to keep him away from any potential conflicts of interest. I can’t let any harm come to him because of my position, no matter how much I miss him. It’s a sacrifice I have to make for the greater good of our pack. The car comes to a halt outside of the pack house, where Henry lives with other pack members. As I step out of the car, I can already feel the familiar bond between us pulling me closer to him, despite the distance I’ve tried to maintain. “Just once I want to see him without the past defining our interactions,” I think to myself as I walk towards the pack house. A sweet smell wafts through the air, a scent mixed with cinnamon and pine, as my wolf howls in excitement at the thought of finding his mate within the pack house. I close my eyes, inhaling the scent deeply, allowing it to calm my nerves and reassure me that I am where I belong. I waited 5 long years, and my mate was always within my pack, but why haven’t I found her yet? The anticipation builds as I step closer to the packhouse, wondering if today will finally be the day I meet my destined mate. "Alpha...you are here?” One of the omega wolves shifts nervously, sensing my presence before I even enter the packhouse. I nod, a surge of hope and excitement filling me as I realize that perhaps today is the day my search will finally come to an end. “I want to walk through the packhouse and meet every member,” I said, my heart pounding with the possibility of finally finding my mate among them. “But why?” he asked, making me raise my eyebrow at his disrespectful tone. “Do as I say and call everyone in the living room,” I command, my alpha authority coming through in my voice. The omega nodded, turning to leave me alone with Dean as I waited anxiously for the pack members to gather. “Why do you want to meet every member?” Dean questioned, his eyes filled with curiosity. “Because I have a feeling that my mate is among them,” I replied, feeling a surge of hope and excitement at the thought. “Your mate is in this pack?” Dean asked, surprise evident in his voice. “Yes, and I will not rest until I find her,” I declared, determination shining in my eyes as I prepared to meet the rest of the pack members. I kept walking, the anticipation nearly overwhelming.Where are you? My mind screamed, the urgency in my steps matching the frantic pulse in my veins.Then I saw her. A familiar silhouette in the distance. My heart skipped a beat, and for a split second, I thought I saw everything I had longed for.
She turned toward me, and her eyes met mine—relief and warmth flooding her features.
“Alpha,” she whispered, and her scent swirled around me like home. But something in my chest tightened, a voice inside me warning.
This isn’t her.
My wolf growled, an unsettling discomfort rippling through me. The scent was sweet but wrong. My heart faltered. No, this wasn’t the one.
I turned away without saying a word. The scent lingered, but it wasn’t enough. Not when my wolf howled for something else.
I walked away, forcing myself to leave the moment behind, but then—there it was again. That familiar, undeniable scent, tinged with the same sweetness I had hoped for.
It hit me like a wave, washing over me with such intensity that I stumbled, my chest tightening.
Mate. My wolf growled louder now, filling my ears with the truth I couldn’t deny.
To all my incredible readers on GoodNovel—Thank you so much for walking this emotional road with Xavier, Henry, and me. 🖤 “My Stepbrother, My Mate” wasn’t just a story—it was a journey of love, grief, healing, and the kind of connection that not even death could break. 🌌💔I know… there may be some unresolved threads, plot holes, or side characters you wish had more closure—some might’ve been missed by mistake, and others were left open on purpose… for the future. 😉🔮But in the end, this story was written from the heart, and your support—every read, every comment, every tear and smile—made it truly special. 💬💞This may be “The End” for now… But if the stars align 🌠 and enough of you wish for it, Maybe—just maybe—we’ll return to this world again. (And a certain forgotten side character might just get her spotlight...👀💥)If you enjoyed this journey, please consider leaving a review, sharing your thoughts, or following me for future adventures. Your support means everything, and
Xavier***Years have passed since the war ended, since the sky darkened with the loss of him—the boy who carried the light and the warmth of the stars in his soul. The world has rebuilt itself, the pack has healed, but the gaping wound that remains in my chest has never truly closed. I am Alpha now, but not truly. Not without him. Henry. The boy who dreamed of freedom beneath a sky full of stars, the man who loved me in a way no one else ever could.I wear the title of Alpha like armor, but it’s heavy, and it feels hollow without him by my side.I still hear his name in the wind, still feel his presence in the quiet corners of my heart, where his love once burned so brightly. I see his smile in my dreams and feel the weight of his hands in mine. There are nights when I lie awake and imagine him beside me, as if he never left. But then morning comes, and the silence is deafening. The world spins on, but I walk it alone.Diego has been the rock I needed, the steady force holding the pie
Xavier***I rise—slow, trembling—like a man being dragged from a grave. Every muscle screams, raw and unrelenting, as if grief itself has shredded my skin, replacing it with jagged shards of fire. My bones are burning, my heart a hollow echo, a beat I don't deserve. I gasp for air, but each breath feels like swallowing broken glass, tearing me open again. My fingers curl into fists, not from strength, but to stop them from shaking with the violence of loss. Power lingers beneath my skin, volatile and grief-soaked, pulsing with every heartbeat that shouldn't exist without him.Around me, the sky groans—a wounded beast mourning its fallen. Silver bleeds into darkness, not like twilight, but like the world itself is weeping, like the last light of love is dying.And maybe it is.Maybe a part of the world did die with him.But I’m still breathing.And Cael is still here.He staggers, clutching at the gaping void where Henry’s light gutted him—an abyss carved into his very existence. His f
Xavier****The moment holds like a breath caught in the throat—Like even the world doesn’t dare move, waiting to see if we survive this.I can barely feel my body anymore. Fiona’s magic is fading, its light flickering around me like dying embers. My lungs burn. My soul screams. And Henry—God, Henry—he stands there with the Blade trembling in his hand like it wants to consume him whole.His eyes find mine.Not the golden-black fire that’s taken over him.Him.Just… him.“I remember the first time we met, just as children,” he says.It’s quiet. So quiet I almost think I imagined it.But I didn’t.Because that voice—that voice is Henry.Not the weapon.Not the monster.Not Cael’s puppet.Just my Henry.“I remember thinking…” he breathes out, voice shaking, “if we could just stay like this. Just the two of us.”I can’t speak. I can’t move.All I can do is look at him and let the tears fall.Because I know what’s about to happen.Cael roars, the air cracking as he throws his power forward
The battlefield holds still. Not even the wind dares to move.Then, from the scorched ash, Cael emerges.Tall. Otherworldly. Built from shadow and ancient stone. A figure forged in both divine fire and endless night.His eyes glow— not with light, but with judgment. Stars that never belonged in the sky.Every step he takes distorts the air. A cold pulse rolls outward. warping the ground, making time itself stutter.The silence deepens. Not peaceful— paralyzing.The corrupted power surges through Henry’s veins, overwhelming him. His body trembles, struggling under the Blade’s curse as it claws at his very mind. His voice cracks when Cael speaks to him, each word drowning out the memories of loyalty, love, and the life he once knew.Henry drops to his knees. Breath ragged. Body flickering— caught somewhere between man and beast.Golden fur darkens, sliding into shadow. His eyes—once soft, warm blue— Now blaze with an unnatural gold-black fire.The Blade pulses through
Xavier***The battlefield was a graveyard of shattered hope, where the screams of the fallen still echoed in the hollow silence, clinging to the ashes like ghosts that refused to leave. Bound wolves lay scattered like broken dolls, Firstborns reduced to ash, and the innocent—charred, unrecognizable—were caught in the path of Henry, now a vessel for Cael's wrath.Smoke curled like serpents through the blood-soaked ruins, clinging to the bones of the fallen.And at the center of it all—he stood.Henry.But not the Henry I knew.He shifted into his wolf form—a radiant monster bathed in ruin and sorrow.Golden fur shimmered beneath the ash, glinting like dying sunlight on a battlefield soaked in grief. His frame towered—regal, magnificent, but grotesquely wrong, like a statue of a hero twisted by pain.Power clung to him—not his own, but an ancient poison, corrupted and stolen from the Blade. It pulsed through him like a second heartbeat—merciless and cold.His eyes were wrong.No longer