Chapter 127: Still Ours

Chapter 127: Still Ours
Magnus’ POV

The morning breeze hit Magnus as soon as he stepped outside the hospital. A cool wind rustled the trees near the entrance. It was a relief for him, made even more so by the faint scent of pine in the air.

Dr. Alexander led him to a nearby bench. They sat side by side, the doctor folding his hands neatly on his knees, Magnus lounging back against the seat. Though he tried to calm his heart, it seemed to skip a beat a few times.

“Alright, doc,” Magnus said lightly, stretching his arms overhead. “You dragged me all the way out here, and not even for a drink? Better make this good.”

Alexander glanced at him, his lips twitching faintly but not enough to be a smile. His eyes were too heavy for that.

“This isn’t a story I can tell inside,” he said. “Not when everyone’s around. But now, I believe it’s time…”

Magnus leaned forward, his grin softening. “To know everything about my Little Wolf?”

“Yes,” Alexander said quietly. He stared ahead into the forest, as though gathering his words carefully. “About why she left.”

Magnus’s chest gave a strange thump, but he forced a chuckle. “What do you all really mean by 'left'? She’s just resting, right? Maybe trying to hide from us sometimes. But that’s just her way…”

But Alexander didn’t answer right away. He only sighed, his voice steady when it finally came.

“Magnus, you first have to understand that Meredith is human. She was born human, and always will be. And no matter what bonds tied her to you, to Damien, and to Xavier…” He paused for a moment, as if trying to remember Meredith’s own words. “She never stopped feeling like she didn’t belong here.”

Magnus blinked, frowning. “What? Of course she belongs. She’s our mate. The Moon Goddess herself made it so. Human or wolf, why does it matter?”

Alexander shook his head. “Well, it matters to her. It matters when every eye in the pack sees her as different. When every step she takes feels like she’s trespassing in a world that isn’t hers. You see her as your mate and Luna. But they see her as an outsider. A stranger…”

Magnus’s lips parted, ready to argue again. But Alexander’s words cut deep, like blades slipping past his defenses.

“She tried, Magnus,” the doctor went on, his voice softer now. “You see, she tried to embrace her place, tried to accept you three as her mates. But every day, she felt the weight of what she was not. She felt it in every stare, every whisper, every moment she couldn’t shift when the rest of you could. She felt it in her very blood. And in the end… she couldn’t bear it.”

Magnus shook his head quickly, forcing his grin back into place, though it felt shaky. “No. No, that doesn’t make sense. She laughed with us. She kissed us. She was happy. I know she was happy. And she…” He sighed deeply.

“She wanted to be,” Alexander said firmly, turning his gaze on Magnus. “But wanting and belonging are not the same. And deep down, she believed she didn’t belong. No matter how much you loved her. No matter how much you tried.”

Magnus stared at him. His chest tightened, but he forced out a chuckle, though it cracked at the edges. “So, you’re telling me… she left because she was human? That’s it? That’s the reason?”

Alexander’s eyes softened. “Not because she was human. Because she felt human. Because the world never let her forget it.”

Magnus pressed his hands against his knees, his grin gone now. He wanted to shout, to deny it, to call the doctor a liar. But the steady calm in Alexander’s voice, the simple logic of it, made something deep inside him tremble.

He shook his head, whispering under his breath, “No… she belongs here with us. She always does.”

Alexander looked at him quietly, then placed a hand on his shoulder. “I know you believe that, Magnus. And maybe… maybe she will come to believe it too, one day. But right now… that’s not how she feels.”

Magnus sat back, staring at the sky. His chest ached worse than his wounds. He wanted to smile again, wanted to laugh it off. But for the first time, the laughter didn’t come.

Meredith, why didn’t you tell me yourself?

Alexander’s hand stayed firm on Magnus’s shoulder as his voice grew quieter.

“Magnus… Meredith made her choice. She believed she couldn’t stay here anymore. She thought leaving was what’s best for everyone.”

The words landed like stones in Magnus’s chest. He stiffened, his jaw tightening. “Best for everyone? That’s bullshit. How the hell is it best for us? For her? We need her. She needs us.”

“I know,” Alexander said gently. “I don’t claim to understand it all. But from what I saw… she was afraid. Maybe she thought she wasn’t enough. Maybe she thought all this was too much for her. Fear can make people run, Magnus. Even from the ones they love.”

Magnus’s fists clenched against his knees. Anger flared hot for a moment. Not exactly at Meredith—never at her—but at the idea of her walking away just because she was scared.

“She should’ve told us,” he said in a hoarse voice. “She should’ve given us the chance to fix it.”

Alexander’s face softened. Lines of guilt flashed across his face. “Perhaps she should have. But maybe she thought you three couldn’t fix it. Maybe she believed it wasn’t something love alone could heal.”

The fire inside Magnus broke suddenly, giving way to something heavier. His throat burned, his eyes blurred before he even realized what was happening. Hot tears spilled over, running down his cheeks. But he didn’t wipe them away. He let them fall freely.

Alexander stiffened, clearly startled by the sight of Magnus crying. Magnus, who always grinned, who was always so bright and so strong. The one who had lived through loss, now breaking quietly on a cold bench outside a hospital.

Magnus laughed bitterly through his tears. “Damn it… I told myself I’d never cry again. Not after what happened to my pack. Not after I lost everyone. But Little Wolf…” His chest shook violently. “She was supposed to be the one thing I couldn’t lose.”

For a moment, silence hung between them, broken only by Magnus’s ragged breaths. Then Alexander spoke again, firmer this time, as though trying to anchor him.

“Listen to me carefully, Magnus. Meredith may have tried to leave, but she failed to reject you. To reject any of you. She didn’t know how it truly worked, and the bond isn’t so easily broken just like that. Not out of your will. And none of you accepted it.”

Magnus lifted his head slowly, tears still running but eyes searching Alexander’s.

“So…?” His voice cracked. “She’s still ours?”

Alexander nodded once. “Of course. Despite everything, Meredith will always be your mate. Nothing can ever change that.”

Magnus let out a shaky breath. His tears kept flowing, but beneath them, a fragile smile tugged at his lips.

“She’s still ours,” he repeated, as if the words themselves could stitch him back together. “Forever…”