First Confrontation

The moment the door clicked shut behind Xavier, I let out a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding.

My hands were shaking. I stared at them—the same hands that had just held Moonfire, that had destroyed rogues, that had built a life from nothing—and they trembled like leaves in a storm.

He saw Leo.

The thought hammered against my skull, a relentless drumbeat of panic and fury. Xavier had seen my son. His son. The child I'd raised alone, the child I'd protected from the world, the child who was supposed to be mine and mine alone.

And now Xavier knew.

"Luna?"

Damian's voice was soft, careful. He stood in the doorway, his amber eyes filled with concern. He'd been watching me pace for the last ten minutes, ever since Xavier had left.

"I'm fine," I said automatically.

"You're not."

"I'm fine," I repeated, sharper this time. "I just… I need to think."

Damian crossed the room, his steps slow and deliberate. He didn't touch me—he knew better than to crowd me when I was like this—but he stood close enough that I could feel the warmth radiating from his body.

"He knows about Leo," Damian said quietly.

"He knows."

"And he wants to claim him."

A bitter laugh escaped my lips. "He can want all he likes. Leo is mine. He has no claim—"

"He has blood, Luna. Blood and the bond you shared. The Council will see it that way."

I whirled on him, my eyes flashing silver. "The Council can burn for all I care. Leo is not a bargaining chip. He is not a pawn in Xavier's games. He is my son."

Damian held up his hands in a placating gesture. "I know. I know. I'm on your side, remember?"

The fire in my chest dimmed slightly. I exhaled slowly, forcing myself to calm down. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you."

"You didn't snap. You asserted yourself. There's a difference." He smiled, that warm, easy smile that had made me fall in love with him. "Besides, you're terrifying when you're angry. It's kind of attractive."

Despite everything, I felt my lips twitch. "You're impossible."

"I try."

He pulled me into his arms, and I let myself lean into him, drawing strength from his steady presence. Damian had been my rock for three years—my friend, my partner, my mate. He'd seen me at my worst, at my weakest, and he'd never once looked at me with anything but love.

Unlike Xavier.

"I won't let him take Leo," I murmured against his chest.

"I know."

"I won't let him take anything."

"I know." Damian pressed a kiss to the top of my head. "And I'll be right beside you, no matter what happens."

We stood like that for a long moment, wrapped in each other's warmth. But the peace couldn't last. The summit was still ongoing, and Xavier was still out there, plotting, scheming, doing whatever it took to get what he wanted.

I pulled back, my expression hardening. "I need to talk to him."

Damian's eyes widened. "Luna—"

"Not to forgive him. Not to give him hope. I need to make it clear that Leo is off-limits. That I am off-limits. He needs to understand that the past is dead, and there's no resurrecting it."

Damian studied me for a long moment, his amber eyes searching my face. Whatever he saw there must have satisfied him, because he nodded slowly.

"Okay. But I'm coming with you."

"No."

"Luna—"

"This is something I need to do alone." I placed a hand on his cheek, feeling the warmth of his skin beneath my palm. "I need to face him without you standing behind me. I need him to see that I'm not afraid of him anymore."

Damian's jaw tightened, but he didn't argue. He never did. That was one of the things I loved most about him—he trusted me. Completely. Unconditionally.

"One hour," he said finally. "If you're not back in one hour, I'm coming to find you."

"Deal."

---

I found Xavier in the garden.

It was the same garden where I used to sit as a child, dreaming of the day my mate would claim me. The same garden where I'd whispered secrets to the moon, believing the Goddess was listening.

Now it felt like a graveyard. The memories buried beneath the roses, the ghosts of my past haunting every corner.

Xavier stood by the fountain, his back to me, his posture rigid. He must have sensed me—wolves always did—but he didn't turn around.

"I wondered when you'd come," he said, his voice low and rough.

"I'm not here to reminisce." I stopped a few feet away, keeping my distance. "I'm here to set boundaries."

Xavier turned. The sight of him—the same dark hair, the same stormy eyes, the same cruel mouth—sent a bolt of pain through my chest. The broken bond throbbed, a phantom ache that refused to fade.

Ignore it, I told myself. He's nothing to you now.

"Boundaries," Xavier repeated, a bitter smile twisting his lips. "You've changed, Luna. The girl I knew was never this cold."

"The girl you knew died three years ago. You killed her yourself."

He flinched as if I'd struck him. Good.

"I know what I did was unforgivable—"

"You don't know anything." I stepped closer, my voice dropping to a deadly whisper. "You don't know what it's like to be rejected in front of everyone you've ever loved. You don't know what it's like to feel your soul being ripped in half. You don't know what it's like to crawl through the forest, bleeding and broken, wondering if you'll live to see the sunrise."

Xavier's expression twisted with pain. "Luna—"

"I'm not finished." I held up a hand, and to my surprise, he fell silent. "You don't know what it's like to discover you're pregnant with the child of the man who destroyed you. To raise that child alone, to protect him, to love him more than you've ever loved anything in your life."

"You should have told me—"

"You rejected me!" My voice rose, echoing through the garden. "You declared me worthless in front of the entire pack. You severed our bond and cast me out like garbage. And now you expect me to what? Welcome you with open arms? Let you into my son's life like you didn't try to destroy me?"

Xavier's eyes blazed. "He's my son too."

"He's my son." I stepped closer, close enough to see the muscle ticking in his jaw, close enough to feel the heat radiating from his body. "You gave up any claim to him the moment you rejected me. Leo is not your heir. He is not your legacy. He is not yours."

"You can't erase blood, Luna."

"I can try."

We stood there, inches apart, the tension between us crackling like lightning. I could feel the broken bond pulsing, could feel Xavier's wolf, Kael, pushing at the surface, desperate to reach me.

Ours, Kael seemed to whisper. She's ours.

No. She's not.

Xavier's hand shot out, gripping my wrist. His touch was like fire—hot and electric and terrifyingly familiar. The broken bond surged, and for a moment, I felt everything he felt. Regret. Longing. Desperation. Love.

"No," I whispered, pulling my hand free. "Whatever you're doing, stop."

"I can't." His voice was ragged. "I've tried. For three years, I've tried to forget you, to move on, to be the Alpha everyone expects me to be. But I can't, Luna. I can't stop thinking about you. I can't stop dreaming about you. I can't stop loving you."

"You don't love me. You love the idea of me. You love the power you think I represent."

"That's not true—"

"It is true." I met his gaze, my eyes glowing silver. "You never loved me, Xavier. You loved the Moon Goddess's choice. You loved the idea of a mate who would make you stronger. And when it turned out I was weak, you threw me away."

His face contorted with anguish. "I was a fool. I was blinded by pride. But I've changed—"

"Have you?" I tilted my head, studying him. "You say you've changed, but here you are, demanding access to my son, trying to force your way back into my life. You haven't changed, Xavier. You're still the same selfish, possessive Alpha you always were."

Something flickered in his eyes—something dark and dangerous. His wolf was rising, his control slipping.

"You're mine," he growled, his voice dropping an octave. "You've always been mine. And I will not let another man raise my son."

"You don't have a choice."

"I can take you both. I can challenge Damian. I can—"

"You can try." I let my Moonfire flare, silver-white flames dancing across my palms. "And I can show you exactly what happens when someone threatens my family."

Xavier stared at the fire, his eyes wide with shock and something that looked almost like fear. He hadn't seen my full power yet. He hadn't understood what I'd become.

"You're not the same, " he said, his voice barely a whisper.

"No," I agreed. "I'm stronger. I'm faster. I'm more powerful than you could ever imagine. And I will not let you destroy my life. Not again."

I let the fire die, the silver light fading from my palms. Xavier was still staring at me, his expression a mix of awe and horror.

"Stay away from my son," I said, my voice cold and final. "Stay away from my mate. Stay away from me."

I turned and walked away, my heels clicking against the stone path. I didn't look back. I didn't need to.

I could feel Xavier's eyes on me—burning, desperate, possessive.

And I knew, with absolute certainty, that this wasn't over.

It was only the beginning.