Xavier's POV
Mia's fall had left us stunned, but what shocked me more was how she
stood up like nothing happened. No wolf, no mate bond to share
strength, yet she walked away from an injury that should have left her
broken-or worse.
"She's hiding something," Sean said, pacing the room.
Nathan leaned against the wall, his arms crossed, his brow furrowed in
thought. "There's no way she could've survived that fall without a wolf.
No human could heal like that."
"We've known she doesn't have a wolf," Sean added. "Unless…"
"Unless she's been lying to us," Nathan finished, his hatred for her still
there.
I stayed silent, staring at the spot where Mia had been moments before.
My mind churned with conflicting thoughts. If she was hiding a wolf,
why? What could she possibly gain from keeping it a secret?
She could show us that she is not an omega and won't be have treated the
way she was treated by us.
Scarlet burst into the room, her heels clicking sharply against the floor.
"Are you seriously still defending her?" she snapped, her glare directed
at me. "After everything her mother did to your family?"
Not again, she is using her mother against her agai. Mia is not like her
mother, I have seen in her eyes, she is different.
I don't know, but I don't want her torment anymore.
"We're not defending her," Nathan shot back. "We're trying to figure
out how she survived."
Scarlet scoffed, throwing her hands up. "Who cares how she survived?
She's just like her mother-manipulative, deceitful, always looking for
ways to ruin this family."
"Scarlet, that's enough," I said, my tone firm. This was enough, I
couldn't take any insults for my mate.
"No, it's not enough," she retorted, stepping closer to me. "You're all so
quick to forget how her mother destroyed your family, how she wormed
her way into your father's life and caused your mother's death. And now
you're letting her daughter do the same thing."
"Stop dragging the past into this," I said, trying to keep my anger in
check. My anger was on thin line, one wrong word, and her throat would
be slit.
Scarlet's eyes narrowed. "Why are you so eager to defend her? Is it
because you're falling for her too? Like Tristan?"
I growled at her words, though my anger was piling up, I couldn't show it
in front of my brothers.
Sean let out a frustrated groan. "Enough with the accusations, Scarlet.
We're trying to figure out what's going on with Mia, not dig up old
wounds."
Nathan chimed in, his voice sharp. "She's hiding something. We all saw
how she healed. That's not normal. And if she's keeping secrets, we need
to know what they are."
Scarlet threw up her hands in frustration. "Fine. Do whatever you want.
But don't say I didn't warn you when she destroys everything, just like
her mother did."
I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "Scarlet, leave. This is a
family matter."
Her lips pressed into a thin line, but she didn't argue. She spun on her
heel and stormed out of the room, her anger palpable.
Once she was gone, I turned to Nathan and Sean. "We need to get to the
bottom of this. If Mia is hiding something, we need to find out what it
is."
Nathan smirked. "Finally, some sense."
Sean leaned back against the wall. "What's the plan?"
I pulled out my phone, scrolling through my contacts. "I'm going to have
her followed. If she's with Tristan, we'll know."
Hours later, my phone buzzed with a notification. I opened the message,
my stomach sinking as I read the update.
Mia spotted with Tristan. They're alone.
My blood boiled. She had mates-us. She was supposed to be bound to
us, yet she was with Tristan, a man who had no claim over her. Every
part of me wanted to dismiss it, to convince myself it wasn't what it
looked like, but the anger bubbling in my chest said otherwise.
How could she? After everything we've been through, after everything
we've done for her, this is how she repays us? It wasn't just infuriating-
it was betrayal.
"She's just like her mother," I muttered under my breath. The thought
came unbidden but was impossible to shake. "Clinging to men, playing
the victim, always seeking attention."
Sean looked up from the couch, raising an eyebrow. "What's wrong?"
"She's with Tristan," I snapped, my jaw tightening as I tossed the phone
onto the table.
Nathan, who was leaning against the wall, smirked. "Of course, she is.
She's probably playing the damsel in distress card, making him feel like
her savior. That's her whole thing, isn't it?"
"She's making a fool out of us," I growled, pacing the room. My fists
clenched at my sides, and I could feel my wolf stirring, his rage
mirroring mine.
Nathan chuckled. "That girl's always been trouble. It's just who she is.
The more you try to rein her in, the more she'll slip through your
fingers."
My mind flashed back to her face, to how defiant she had been the last
few days. She had changed-grown stronger, more confident-but now,
it felt like all of that was a show. Was she using us? Playing some twisted
game?
I stopped pacing, grabbing my keys off the counter.
"Where are you going?" Sean asked, raising his one eyebrow.
"To find her," I replied. "This ends tonight."
As I left, I couldn't stop the flood of memories from taking over. I
remembered the first time I saw Mia, quiet and timid, trying so hard to
stay out of the way. She was broken, fragile, and for some reason, I felt
an instinct to protect her, even if I didn't understand why.
But now? Now it felt like she was spitting on everything we'd given her.
What does she even see in Tristan? I thought bitterly as I started the car.
He wasn't her mate. He wasn't tied to her the way we were. He couldn't
feel her pain, her emotions, the way we could.
She's ours.
Or at least, she was supposed to be.