CHAPTER 258

CHAPTER 258
Xavier's POV

The moment we landed and stepped off Liam's jet, I felt like I could finally breathe again. Being trapped in that confined space with him for hours, watching him talk to Mia like he had some claim on her, had been pure torture.

I need to prove to her that he's not what he seems. There has to be something she's missing, something that will show her his true nature.

As we walked through the private terminal, I expected Mia to come with us back to our place. We had security measures in place, safe houses she could stay in while we figured out our next move.

But when we reached the parking area, she stopped walking.

"I'm not going home with you," she said quietly, not meeting my eyes.

"What?" The words hit me like a physical blow. "Mia, you can't be serious."

"I am serious," she replied, her voice steady but distant. "I have other arrangements."

Other arrangements. With him.

I looked over at Liam, who was standing a respectful distance away but clearly listening to every word.

"Mia," I said, grabbing her arm gently to turn her toward me. "Can we talk? Privately?"

She nodded reluctantly, and we walked several yards away from the others.

"What are you doing?" I asked, trying to keep my voice calm. "Why won't you come home with us?"

She looked at me with those beautiful eyes, and I could see exhaustion and pain reflected there.

"Because you still have problems you haven't solved," she said simply.

Her words were like a knife to my chest because I knew exactly what she was referring to. That girl - the one my cousins had brought to help us gather information. The one who had caused so much damage to our relationship with Mia.

Fuck. She's right, and I hate that she's right.

"Mia, I'm so sorry," I said, the guilt that had been eating at me for months finally spilling over. "What we did... how we treated you because of her... it was unforgivable."

I ran my hands through my hair, the memories of our stupidity washing over me like acid.

"We humiliated you," I continued, my voice breaking slightly. "We made you feel like you weren't enough, like you were replaceable. We forced you to leave because we were so focused on getting information about our father's killer that we forgot what really mattered."

The look on her face told me she remembered every painful detail.

"We pretended to be interested in her, let her stay in our home, let her get close to us, all while you watched," I said, self-loathing thick in my voice. "And when you called us out on it, when you tried to tell us how much it was hurting you, we dismissed your feelings."

"Yes, you did," she said quietly. "You made me feel like I was being dramatic, like my pain didn't matter as much as your mission."

How could we have been so fucking stupid? How could we have hurt the most important person in our lives for information that turned out to be useless anyway?

"I know I can't take it back," I said desperately. "I know saying sorry doesn't undo the damage we caused. But please, Mia, don't punish yourself by staying with him because you're angry at us."

"This isn't about punishment," she replied. "This is about the fact that you three still haven't dealt with the issues that caused those problems in the first place."

She was right, and it killed me to admit it. We'd been so focused on finding her, on convincing her to come back, that we'd never actually addressed the fundamental problems in our relationship.

"Then let us fix them," I pleaded. "Come home with us, and we'll work through everything. We'll get counseling, therapy, whatever it takes."

"Xavier," she said gently, "you can't fix twenty years of dysfunction overnight. And you can't do it while you're also trying to hunt down the people who killed your father."

She's asking me to choose. Between getting justice for our father and building a future with her.

"What if... what if we put the investigation on hold?" I asked, the words feeling strange in my mouth. "What if we focus on us first?"

But even as I said it, I knew it wasn't realistic. The attacks were escalating, innocent people were dying, and the organization responsible was getting bolder.

"You can't put it on hold," Mia said, reading my thoughts. "And you shouldn't. Your father deserves justice, and those innocent people deserve protection. But that means you need to go home and focus on that, not on trying to fix our relationship."

The logic was sound, but it felt like she was ripping my heart out of my chest.

"So what are you saying? That there's no hope for us?"

"I'm saying that there's no hope for us right now, while everything else is still unresolved," she corrected. "But Xavier, I need you to do something for me."

"Anything."

"I need you to call an emergency meeting of all the pack leaders in the region," she said, her voice taking on a more professional tone. "Every alpha, every council member, everyone with authority."

"Why?"

"Because if Liam is right, if there really is a rogue organization using his pack's reputation to commit crimes, then the real leader could be anyone. Including someone in a position of power."

The implication hit me like a bolt of lightning. "You think one of the other alphas is behind this?"

"I think we need to consider every possibility," she said. "And the best way to do that is to get everyone together in one room and see who's really on our side."

It's brilliant. And terrifying.

"Mia, that's incredibly dangerous," I said. "If the real leader is among the other alphas, we'd be walking into a trap."

"Maybe," she agreed. "But it's also the fastest way to flush them out. They won't be able to resist the opportunity to eliminate multiple threats at once."

I could see the logic, but the thought of putting her in that kind of danger made my wolf howl in protest.

"Where will you be while this is happening?" I asked, though I was afraid I already knew the answer.

"Somewhere safe," she said vaguely.

"With him."

"Yes, with him."

The admission felt like another knife to the chest, but I forced myself to stay calm.

"Mia, I'm begging you to reconsider. I know you think he's changed, but he's still dangerous. His pack is still made up of exiles and rogues."

"And your pack is made up of alphas who put their mission above their mate's wellbeing," she replied quietly. "Everyone's dangerous in their own way, Xavier."

Touché.

The truth of her words stung, but I couldn't argue with them.

"Promise me something," I said finally.

"What?"

"Promise me that if he does anything, anything at all, to make you feel unsafe, you'll call us immediately."

She nodded. "I promise."

"And promise me that you'll be careful. That you won't take unnecessary risks just to prove a point."

"I promise that too."

Looking at her standing there - strong, determined, and absolutely beautiful even in the harsh airport lighting - I realized that this might be the last time I saw her for a while.

Maybe the last time ever, if something goes wrong.

"I love you," I said, the words coming out more raw and desperate than I'd intended. "We all love you. And I know we've done a shit job of showing it lately, but it's true."

"I know," she said softly. "And I love you too. All of you. Which is why I need you to trust me on this."

Every instinct I had was screaming at me to grab her, throw her over my shoulder, and take her home where I could protect her properly.

But looking into her eyes, seeing the determination there, I knew that doing that would destroy any chance we might have of a future together.

"Okay," I said finally, the word feeling like I was signing her death warrant. "I'll trust you."

"Thank you."

As I watched her walk back toward Liam, every step taking her further away from me, I made myself a promise.

I was going to solve this case, expose the real criminals, and eliminate every threat to her safety.

And then I was going to spend the rest of my life making up for the mistakes my brothers and I had made.

Just please, God, let her stay safe long enough for me to get the chance.