MIA'S POV
The moment I opened my door and saw them standing there, I knew what they wanted.
And I wasn't having it.
I barely got a word out before Xavier stepped inside, his tall frame brushing against mine as he closed the space between us. My breath hitched as he reached up, his fingers soft, barely grazing my lips.
"Still running from us, princess?" His voice was low, deep, filled with something dark.
I flinched, pressing my back against the wall. "Don't call me that."
Before I could push him away, Rolex was beside me, his hand slipping around my waist, hot and firm, pulling me closer. His breath fanned my ear, sending shivers racing down my spine.
"You always tell us to leave," he murmured, his lips ghosting over the side of my neck, not quite touching. "But your body tells a different story."
I clenched my teeth, forcing myself not to react, but I knew they could feel the heat rising in me.
Nathan's hand found my chin, tilting my face up.
"Look at me."
I refused.
"Mia."
I hated the way my heart slammed against my ribs at the way he said my name-like a prayer, like something sacred.
He leaned in, so close I could feel his lips brush against mine, but he didn't kiss me. His thumb traced over my lower lip, slow, deliberate, like he wanted to commit the feeling to memory.
His voice was raw, hoarse with emotion. "I would rather die than let you go."
A sharp inhale rattled through me, but I shook my head, trying to clear the haze they had trapped me in.
I hated them.
I hated this.
I hated that my body still responded to them, that every inch of me was betraying the walls I had built so carefully.
I shoved against Nathan's chest, but Sean was there before I could escape, his palm sliding up my bare arm, leaving goosebumps in its wake.
His lips hovered over my ear, his voice like silk. "We don't just want your forgiveness, Mia. We want your love."
I snapped my head toward him, eyes burning. "You lost that right the moment you destroyed me."
Xavier's hand slid into my hair, gently, forcing me to look at him. His pupils were blown wide, his jaw clenched like he was barely keeping himself in check.
"But you still feel it, don't you?" His thumb brushed against my cheek, slow, teasing, deliberate. "No matter how much you fight it, you feel it."
I sucked in a sharp breath, my fingers trembling against the wall.
"I hate you," I whispered.
His lips curled into something almost pained, something dangerous.
"No," he murmured, pressing closer, his chest against mine, heat radiating off him. "You wish you did."
Rolex gripped my waist tighter, pulling me flush against him. His lips hovered over my collarbone, his breath warm, tormenting me, daring me to push him away.
"We should let her go," he muttered, his voice thick with amusement. "If she wants to leave, we should let her walk away."
My pulse pounded in my ears.
I shoved against his chest, but he didn't move.
Nathan's hand slid lower, tracing the curve of my hip, igniting something I didn't want to acknowledge. "But we both know she won't."
I needed to stop this.
I needed to breathe.
But they wouldn't let me go.
"You think you can keep me trapped here?" My voice was sharp, but my hands betrayed me, curling into Xavier's shirt as if I needed something to hold onto.
Sean leaned in, so close his lips grazed my jaw. "No," he murmured. "We just want to remind you what's yours."
His voice was rough, filled with something raw. "I wake up every day, and the first thing I think about is you."
I sucked in a sharp breath.
"We did everything wrong," Sean murmured, his fingers grazing my wrist, sending electricity up my arm. "We destroyed the one person who was meant to be ours."
My heart slammed against my ribs.
No.
I wouldn't let them do this.
I wouldn't let them melt away the pain with sweet words and soft touches.
I pushed against Nathan's chest, forcing space between us. "You don't get to act like this now," I bit out, voice shaking with everything I refused to feel.
Rolex exhaled sharply, his hand running through his hair, frustration clear in his expression.
"We're not asking you to forgive us," he said, voice gravelly, "but damn it, Mia, you have to know we love you."
My stomach dropped.
My hands trembled.
I swallowed, my throat tight, my chest aching.
I could feel it-every ounce of regret pouring off of them, every unspoken plea, every silent desperation.
They meant it.
But it didn't change the past.
I squeezed my eyes shut for a moment, forcing the burning sensation away before looking at them once more.
"I can't," I whispered, the words cutting through me as much as them.
Xavier's jaw ticked, pain flashing through his expression, but he nodded.
I shoved past them, my breath uneven, my heart warring with my mind, but I didn't let them see.
I refused to let them see.
I almost broke.
Almost.
Instead, I forced my way out of their grasp, my breath ragged, my body burning.
"Get out," I hissed, shoving past them, my entire body shaking.
They didn't stop me.
They let me go.
But I felt their eyes on me, their heat still clinging to my skin, their words echoing in my head.
And worst of all…Later that night, I sat beside my father's bed, carefully placing a damp cloth on his forehead as he blinked up at me, his gaze tired, but warm.
He studied me for a long moment, and I knew he saw too much.
"You seem lost," he murmured.
I swallowed, shaking my head. "I'm fine."
A small chuckle left him. "You've never been a good liar, Mia."
I forced a smile, pushing down everything that clawed at my chest. "You need to rest."
His gaze softened, but he didn't push. "What do you want to do with your life?"
The question caught me off guard.
For a moment, my mind was a blank slate.
Not because I didn't know, but because I had been so consumed with revenge, with pain, with running from the past, I hadn't thought about the future.
But deep down, I already knew the answer.
I sighed, adjusting the covers over him. "I want to be a doctor for werewolves."
His eyes brightened slightly, pride flickering through his expression. "A healer."
I nodded, exhaling slowly. "Yes."
A silence stretched between us before he finally spoke again.
"You have a big heart, Mia." His voice was gentle, full of understanding. "Even when you try to convince yourself otherwise."
I swallowed hard, my hands gripping the sheets, because part of me knew-
I wasn't just trying to heal others. But I was also trying to heal myself.
My father's grip on my hand was warm, steady-the kind of touch that made me forget, just for a moment, how much pain I had carried all these years. His eyes, still slightly weak but filled with warmth, studied me with that same quiet understanding he always had.
"If this is what you want, I'll make sure you get it," he murmured.
I felt a lump in my throat, my chest tightening. He meant it.
For the first time, someone wasn't asking me to sacrifice something for them. He wasn't demanding I stay, wasn't using my abilities for his own gain.
He just… wanted me to be happy.
I swallowed the lump down and gave him a small nod. "Thank you."
Lucas leaned against the doorway, arms crossed, his piercing eyes fixed on me. "You're really leaving?"
I turned to him, exhaling slowly. "I was never meant to stay."
A flicker of something passed through his expression, something I couldn't quite place. "You belong with family," he said, voice firm.
I let out a soft laugh, shaking my head. "Family isn't always about blood, Lucas."
His jaw clenched, but he didn't argue.
I knew he wanted me to stay. I could see it in the way his fingers tensed against his arms, the way his eyes searched mine for a reason to make me change my mind.
But my decision was made.
Even if a small part of me-the part that still felt drawn to them, to the bonds I never asked for-hesitated.
They didn't push me further.
Maybe they understood that this was the only way I could breathe again.
The next day, Daisy and I slipped away to the wildflower fields near the edges of the pack's borders.
I let the gentle breeze brush against my skin, the scent of blooming petals filling my lungs. The golden sun painted the fields in soft warmth, and for a moment, just a moment-it felt like peace.
"Are you sure about leaving?" Daisy asked, bending down to pluck a flower.
I sighed, running my fingers along the delicate petals of a lavender bloom. "I have to be."
She hummed, twirling the flower in her hands. "You love them."
I stiffened.
The words were soft, but they felt like a blade against my chest.
"I don't," I said quickly.
Daisy rolled her eyes. "You can lie to everyone else, Mia, but not me."
Before I could respond, a low, guttural growl ripped through the air.
My entire body tensed.
The flowers around us shivered under the sudden gust of wind, the air thick with an unfamiliar, rotting scent.
Daisy straightened, her expression hardening. "Do you smell that?"
I nodded, my wolf already stirring beneath my skin. Rogues.
A rustling noise came from the tree line ahead, and then, they emerged.
Six of them, their fur matted with dried blood, their eyes hollow, lifeless-but filled with nothing but hunger.
My heart slammed against my ribs, but I didn't panic. I had faced worse.
One of them snarled, stepping forward, fangs bared.
"You're trespassing," Daisy said, her voice sharp, unwavering.
One of the rogues, a tall, wiry one with jagged scars along his muzzle, chuckled darkly. "No, sweetheart. You are."
The other wolves circled us, their muscles coiled, ready to pounce.
I shifted slightly, angling my body in front of Daisy.
This wasn't a random attack.
They came for me.
I could feel it in the way their eyes locked onto mine, in the way their bodies tensed-not in preparation for a meal, but for a capture.
Someone had sent them.
And I had a damn good idea who.
Daisy's fingers flexed at her sides, her wolf ready. "We take them down?"
I cracked my knuckles, a smirk pulling at my lips despite the tension twisting in my gut.
"Try and keep up."