Xavier's POV
The moment the last rogue hit the ground, my head snapped toward Mia. My heart slammed against my ribs, my wolf roaring in my head.
She was alive.
But she was hurt.
Blood smeared her skin, a small cut on her cheek, a rip in her shirt exposing a deep scratch along her shoulder. It was already healing, but I didn't care.
She was injured.
Because I wasn't here in time.
I crossed the space between us in two strides, my hands gripping her waist firmly, my body caging hers before she could move.
I didn't give a damn if she fought me.
I needed to see for myself.
I tilted her chin up roughly, scanning her face, my thumb brushing over the cut as my teeth clenched. "Who did this to you?" My voice was low, raw, barely controlled.
Mia jerked away, eyes flashing with fury. "It's none of your business."
My grip tightened, my control snapping. "None of my business?" My eyes darkened, my chest heaving. "You could have been killed, Mia. Do you even realize what kind of rogues these were? What if we didn't get here in time?"
Her jaw clenched. "I didn't need you to save me."
A sharp laugh rumbled from my chest, but there was no humor in it. "You were bleeding, Mia." I grabbed her wrist, running my fingers over her pulse, over the dried blood. "You're shaking."
She ripped herself free, her chest rising and falling fast. "That doesn't mean I need you."
A growl rumbled in my throat, my wolf furious, but I forced myself to let her go before I did something stupid.
Before I pinned her against a tree and made her feel exactly how much she still needed us.
Instead, I took a deep breath, running a hand through my hair before clenching my fists at my sides.
"You are reckless," I muttered, trying to keep my voice steady. "And stubborn as hell."
Mia's eyes flashed. "And you are possessive and overbearing." She shoved my chest, stepping back, her breathing ragged. "I don't belong to you anymore, Xavier."
I flinched.
The words shouldn't have hurt as much as they did.
But they did.
I opened my mouth, ready to fight back, but she was already turning away.
Walking away from me.
From us.
I clenched my jaw so hard I swore something cracked, but I didn't stop her.
I couldn't.
Nathan exhaled heavily, stepping beside me as Mia disappeared into the woods. "She's getting stronger," he muttered. "Stronger than we ever imagined."
"She was always strong," I murmured, my voice hollow. "We just never let ourselves see it."
Sean leaned against a tree, arms crossed, his expression unreadable. "The demon rogues aren't normal. Someone is controlling them."
My head snapped toward him, grateful for the distraction from the ache in my chest. "They fought with too much coordination."
Rolex ran a hand down his face, looking tired. "They weren't fighting to kill." His sharp gaze flicked to us. "They were fighting to take Mia."
A tense silence settled over us.
I already knew it.
I just didn't want to say it out loud.
"They came for her," Tristan finally spoke, his voice cold, calculating. His eyes weren't on us. They were still on the spot Mia disappeared from. "And whoever sent them won't stop until they have her."
A growl built in my chest at the thought of someone else taking her. Of losing her again.
Over my dead body.
Nathan cracked his knuckles, his voice deadly. "Then we need to find out who's behind this before they come back."
I turned my gaze back toward the dark woods, my pulse roaring in my ears.
They wouldn't take her. I'd kill them all before I let that happen. The air was thick with tension as we sat in Lucas's study, the weight of what just happened pressing down on us like a storm.
We had fought demon rogues before-but not like these. These weren't mindless creatures driven by hunger. These wolves were controlled, their movements coordinated, their attacks calculated.
Someone was commanding them.
And they wanted Mia.
Lucas leaned back in his chair, fingers steepled, his expression unreadable. His golden eyes flicked between us, analyzing, calculating. "This wasn't a random attack," he said after a long pause. "They didn't just happen to be in the area. They knew exactly where she would be."
Nathan ran a hand through his hair, frustration radiating off him. "Which means someone inside this pack is leaking information." His jaw ticked, his fingers twitching, itching to punch something. "No way those bastards just stumbled across her."
Sean, ever the quiet observer, leaned against the wall, his arms crossed, his gaze dark and piercing. "They weren't trying to kill her," he murmured, voice calm but laced with something dangerous. "They were trying to take her."
My fists clenched at the thought of it. The idea of someone else putting their hands on her-trying to steal what was ours-made my vision blur with fury.
"They're getting bolder." Rolex's voice was grim, his expression unreadable, but I could see the way his hands were tight fists at his sides. "Whoever is behind this knows Mia is the white wolf. And they're not going to stop until they have her."
Lucas let out a slow breath, his fingers tapping against the desk in measured beats. His gaze flicked toward me, his golden eyes narrowing. "There's only one person I can think of who would have the ability to create something like this… and a reason to want Mia's heart."
Silence.
Cold, thick silence.
Then-
"Keith."
The name dropped like a bomb in the room, the weight of it suffocating.
My breath came out slow, controlled, but my wolf was already pacing, ready to rip apart the bastard who dared to set his sights on her.
"He was the one who tried to hurt Mia before," Lucas continued, his voice even, but I could see the flicker of rage in his eyes. "And he knows about her abilities." His gaze darkened. "If Keith is behind this… he's after her for one reason."
No one needed to say it.
We all knew.
He wanted her heart.