Xavier's Apology

The pack gathered at sunset.

Luna stood on the balcony of the packhouse, watching as wolves filed into the main square below. Warriors, servants, elders, children—all of them had been summoned by Xavier's command.

"What's he doing?" Damian asked beside her, his voice tight.

"I don't know." Luna's hands gripped the railing. "He didn't tell me."

The bond pulsed between them—nervousness, determination, hope. Xavier was up to something. Something big.

And Luna had no idea what.

---

Xavier stepped onto the platform at the center of the square.

The same platform where, three years ago, he had rejected Luna in front of the entire pack. The same platform where he had destroyed her.

The irony wasn't lost on him.

The crowd fell silent as he raised his hand. A thousand eyes fixed on him—curious, wary, expectant.

"I stand before you tonight," Xavier began, his voice carrying across the square, "not as your Alpha, but as a man who has made mistakes."

Murmurs rippled through the crowd. Xavier's jaw tightened.

"Three years ago, I stood on this platform and rejected my fated mate. I called her worthless. I called her weak. I cast her out in front of everyone she had ever loved."

Luna's heart clenched. Beside her, Damian tensed.

"I was wrong."

The words echoed through the silence, heavy with meaning.

"Luna was never weak. She was never worthless. She was the strongest, bravest, most powerful wolf I have ever known. And I—in my pride, in my fear, in my blindness—I threw her away."

Xavier's voice cracked. He paused, composing himself.

"I have spent three years regretting that night. Three years of nightmares. Three years of phantom pain. Three years of waking up every morning wishing I could take it back."

He looked up, his stormy grey eyes scanning the crowd. They landed on Luna—standing on the balcony, watching him with an unreadable expression.

"I can't take it back. I can't undo the pain I caused. I can't erase the years she spent alone, raising our son without me. But I can do this."

He turned, facing the entire pack.

"I, Alpha Xavier of the Silver Moon Pack, publicly apologize to Luna Nightshade. I apologize for the rejection. I apologize for the humiliation. I apologize for every cruel word, every heartless action, every moment of suffering I caused."

The crowd was dead silent.

"I don't ask for her forgiveness. I don't deserve it. But I want her to know—I want all of you to know—that I was wrong. And I will spend the rest of my life trying to make it right."

He stepped back, his chest heaving.

For a moment, no one moved. No one spoke.

Then, slowly, the crowd began to murmur. Whispers spread like wildfire—shock, disbelief, grudging respect.

Luna stood frozen on the balcony, tears streaming down her face.

He did it, her wolf whispered. He actually did it.

"I know," Luna breathed.

What are you going to do?

Luna didn't answer. She couldn't.

---

Later that night, Luna found Xavier in the garden.

He was sitting by the fountain, his head in his hands. The moonlight cast shadows across his face, highlighting the exhaustion, the vulnerability.

"You didn't have to do that," she said quietly.

He looked up, his grey eyes meeting hers. "Yes, I did."

"You humiliated yourself in front of the entire pack."

"I humiliated you three years ago. It's only fair."

Luna sat beside him, the fountain bubbling softly between them.

"Why?" she asked. "Why now?"

Xavier was quiet for a long moment. Then he said, "Because I dreamed of the Moon Goddess."

Luna's breath caught. "What?"

"She came to me last night. She told me I had to make things right. Not for you—for myself. For Leo. For the future."

Luna stared at him. "She came to me too."

Xavier's eyes widened. "What did she say?"

"She said I can't break the bond. That it would destroy me. That I have to learn to live with it. To accept it. To heal—not just myself, but you too."

Xavier's jaw tightened. "And Damian?"

"He's still my choice. My love. My future." Luna's voice was steady. "But you're part of my past and my present. And maybe… maybe part of my future too."

Xavier closed his eyes, a tear slipping down his cheek. "I don't deserve this."

"I know."

"I don't deserve you. I don't deserve Leo. I don't deserve a second chance."

"I know." Luna reached out, her hand hovering over his. "But the Goddess seems to think otherwise."

Xavier opened his eyes, looking at her hand. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying…" Luna took a breath. "I'm saying I'm willing to try. Not to forgive you. Not to forget. But to try. To heal. To see if there's something worth saving."

Xavier's hand trembled as he reached for hers. Their fingers touched—tentative, hesitant, full of unspoken words.

"Thank you," he whispered. "Thank you, Luna."

"Don't thank me yet." She pulled her hand away. "This isn't forgiveness. This isn't trust. This is just… a beginning."

"I'll take it."

They sat in silence, the fountain bubbling softly, the moon watching from above.

And for the first time in three years, the bond between them pulsed with something other than pain.

Hope.

---

The next morning, Luna woke to find a small package outside her door.

Inside was a necklace—a silver crescent moon pendant, identical to the one her mother had given her. The one she still wore every day.

A note was attached:

I know this won't make up for anything. But I saw this and thought of you. Of the girl who used to sit in the garden and talk to the moon. I hope you're still talking to her.

—Xavier

Luna's fingers trembled as she touched the pendant. It was beautiful. Thoughtful. Personal.

She didn't know what to feel.

"You're not going to wear it, are you?" Damian asked from behind her.

She turned, her expression conflicted. "I don't know."

"It's from him."

"I know."

"He's trying to win you back."

"I know." Luna set the pendant down, her heart heavy. "But he's not just trying to win me back. He's trying to make amends. There's a difference."

Damian crossed the room, pulling her into his arms. "I'm scared, Luna. I'm scared of losing you."

"You won't."

"You can't promise that."

"Yes, I can." She cupped his face, her eyes steady. "I chose you. I will always choose you. No matter what Xavier does, no matter what the bond does—I am yours."

Damian kissed her, desperate and fierce. "I love you."

"I love you too."

But even as she said it, even as she meant it with every fiber of her being, Luna couldn't stop thinking about the pendant.

Or the man who had given it to her.

Or the bond that pulsed between them—warm, steady, alive.

Growing stronger.