Mia's POV
My stepbrothers' voices echoed in my head: Weak. Worthless. Nothing but a toy to play with.
The cookie turned to ash in my mouth as reality crashed back in. What was I doing? Someone like Tristan - handsome, kind, obviously powerful - wouldn't waste time on someone like me unless he wanted something.
They were right. Why else would he be here? Four alphas - my own mates - couldn't even stand me. What made me think this stranger was different?
I pushed back from the table abruptly, my chair scraping against the floor. "I should go."
"Mia?" Tristan's hand caught my wrist gently. "What's wrong?"
"Don't." I pulled away, hugging my sketchbook to my chest like armor. "You don't have to pretend anymore."
His brow furrowed. "Pretend what?"
"That you want to be here. That you care." My voice cracked. "I know how this works. You're probably just like the others - waiting to see how long it takes to break the weak little omega."
"Is that what you think this is?" He stood slowly, his height making me step back instinctively. But his eyes remained gentle. "That I'm playing some game?"
"Aren't you?" Tears burned behind my eyes. "Why else would someone like you bother with someone like me?"
"Someone like me?" He moved closer, and despite everything, I didn't back away. "And what exactly am I like, little wolf?"
The pet name made my heart stutter. "You're... you're obviously an alpha. Powerful. Important. And I'm just..." I gestured to myself helplessly. "This."
"You really don't see yourself clearly at all, do you?" His thumb brushed my cheek, catching a tear I hadn't realized had fallen. "Maybe I'm here because I see something in you that you don't see yourself."
"Like what?" The words came out as barely a whisper.
"Strength." His eyes held mine. "It takes incredible strength to survive what you have and still be able to smile. To draw beauty even when surrounded by cruelty."
I shook my head. "I'm not strong. I'm just-"
"If you say weak one more time," he cut in, "I might have to prove you wrong."
Something in his tone made my breath catch. "How?"
His smile turned almost predatory, but not in the cruel way I was used to. "By getting close enough to show you exactly what I see when I look at you." His fingers traced down my arm. "If you'll let me."
I should run. Should push him away before he could hurt me like everyone else had.
Instead, I found myself asking, "Why?"
"Because you intrigue me, little wolf." He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. "And I always pursue what interests me."
His eyes never left me as I finished eating, like he was memorizing every detail. "See? Completely harmless," he said with that disarming smile.
"No alpha is completely harmless," I muttered, but without the fear from before.
I picked at the remaining food, studying him from beneath my lashes. His posture stayed relaxed, non-threatening - so different from my stepbrothers' looming presence.
"I know it's hard to trust," Tristan said softly, pushing the cookies closer. "Especially when trust has only ever brought pain."
My hand trembled as I reached for a cookie. "Why do you care?"
"Because everyone deserves at least one person in their corner." His eyes held mine. "Let me be that person, Mia. Just as friends. No pressure, no expectations."
"Friends?" The word felt foreign on my tongue. I'd never really had friends - just tormentors and victims.
"Friends," he confirmed. "Someone to talk to. Share lunch with. Maybe even make you laugh sometimes."
A small smile tugged at my lips despite my best efforts. "You're very persistent."
"Only about things that matter." His answering smile was gentle. "And you matter, whether you believe it or not."
The library's fluorescent lights flickered, reminding me how late it was getting. "I should go home..."
When I gathered my things to leave, he stood too. "Let me drive you home."
I hesitated. The thought of walking home made my legs ache, but getting into a car with him again...
"I promise to be a perfect gentleman," he said, reading my uncertainty. "You look tired."
He wasn't wrong. The lack of food and sleep had taken its toll. "Okay," I whispered.
Though I asked him so many questions to satisfy myself. Was I trusting the right person?
In his car, the silence felt comfortable until he spoke. "You know, I didn't always have my wolf."
I turned to him in surprise. "What?"
"He came late." His hands tightened on the steering wheel. "I was fifteen, weak, constantly bullied. They called me defective, worthless - and I almost gave up but then."
My breath caught. "What happened?"
"I left my pack. Couldn't take the shame anymore." A shadow crossed his face. "Lived on my own until he finally came to me. Then everything changed."
"You went back?"
He nodded. "Different wolf, different me. No one dared bully me after that." His eyes met mine briefly. "Sometimes the late bloomers turn out to be the strongest."
Hope flickered in my chest. "Really?"
"I'll show you sometime, my wolf." His smile turned playful. "Take you for a run, let you meet him. He'd like you."
The way he talked about his wolf, with such pride and affection, made something ache inside me. Would I ever have that?
Will I be strong and confident someday? Will I ever stand back against my bullies?
"Someday, you will also get your wolf, and would be more stronger than mine." He assured me, with a smile that reached to his eyes. Like he was encouraging me not to give up nor like my stepbrothers who only made me feel weak and small.
He was different. And it won't be a lie, I was enjoying it with him.
"Here," he said, pulling out his phone. "Give me your number. In case you need anything."
I typed it with shaking fingers, surprised by my own daring.
I was going through flow, and didn't hesitated.
"Sweet dreams, little wolf," he said as I got out.
I waved goodbye, a genuine smile on my face for the first time in forever. Maybe things could get better. Maybe-
I slammed into a hard chest, familiar cologne filling my nose.
Xavier's chest.
His hands gripped my arms, holding me in place as his eyes blazed with fury. "Who the fuck was that?"