When fate and worlds collide

24 | What If's

He looked at me then, a small, quiet smile tugging at his mouth—the kind that believed in his dream while knowing, with painful clarity, it would probably never come true. I couldn’t decide what hurt more: that it would always remain just that—a dream—or that I likely wouldn’t live long enough to ever touch something resembling a normal life again. Fate, it seemed, had already written my ending, and it wasn’t a gentle one.

“Well,” I replied lightly, because heaviness had never stopped anything from falling, “I suppose it’s comforting to know you wouldn’t ditch me for a younger brunette at the first opportunity.”

Xavier snorted. “And deprive you of my world‑class, entirely unappreciated puns? How would you survive?” A laugh slipped out of me before I could stop it. He bumped my shoulder, gentle and familiar, and for a moment the world didn’t feel quite so sharp.

The moment didn’t last.

“Why do I feel like something terrible is coming?” I spoke quietly. The humour drained from my voice, leaving only truth. “The incidents over the past few days… they’re off. Even by our standards. It feels like something has shifted in the Aura—like a ripple that hasn’t finished spreading yet.” Aside from Rowan, Xavier was the only one I would ever admit that fear to out loud.

He nodded slowly. “I’ve noticed it too. The Ferals are behaving differently. Fewer sightings. And the nightmares…” His brow furrowed. “Their grainy residue—their essence—it fades faster now. Like they’re not lingering the way they used to.” I thought of the ambush on the way back with Jax’s group. The timing. The precision. None of it sat right.

“Can you promise me something?” I asked, turning to face him fully. I let him see the seriousness in my eyes—no deflection, no wit to soften it. “If anything happens to me, or to this Tower, you get Rowan out. You take him to the safe spot, and you don’t look back.”

His frown was immediate. “That’s a leap straight into worst‑case thinking, don’t you think?” I reached for my power, the air shifting with magic. Xavier stiffened as his eyes flared bright blue, his Aura responding instinctively to mine.

“I’m asking you,” I spoke evenly, “through an Aura bond—and as your closest friend—if everything fails and I die, will you do everything in your power to keep my son safe? Even if it means abandoning your pack. Even if it means going against your Alpha.” I felt Liam’s attention spike at the surge of power, a brush against my awareness. I shoved him back without ceremony.

“You know exactly what I’m asking, Xavier,” I continued. “You’re the only person I trust with Rowan’s life. If I fail him… will you succeed where I didn’t?” I barely finished before he held out his hand, no hesitation, no fear of the cost.

“I will,” he answered firmly. “I will do everything in my power to keep Rowan safe and alive. I swear it.” I clasped his hand and opened a channel to my Aura, sealing the vow. Power surged—sharp and strange—crawling up my arm, into my chest, twisting and stinging as invisible threads locked into place. Chains made of intent and magic, binding a promise down to a hair’s breadth of power. Then it was gone, my hand dropping back to my side as if nothing had happened at all.

“But,” Xavier added quietly, “I’ll also do everything I can to keep you safe before it ever comes to that.” I nodded, even though we both understood the truth now. Bound by Aura, he would never be able to choose me over Rowan. When the moment came, he would be forced to leave me behind.

“His life is all that matters, Xav,” I replied softly. “You know that better than anyone. Everything I’ve ever done… it’s always been for him.” Xavier pulled me into a brief hug—tight, solid, grounding. He didn’t hold on long, but he didn’t need to. It meant more than words ever could.

“What happens if Liam finds out?” he asked. “Doesn’t this go against him as Alpha?”

I shrugged, gaze drifting back to the city. “There’s still so much we don’t understand about Aura bonds. Or what the pack is truly capable of.” A beat. “It’s not like an encyclopedia dropped out of the sky when the monsters showed up.” Xavier let out a quiet laugh.

“Would’ve been useful,” he said.

“Right?” I let the weight of the last four years settle over me, tracing the path of survival etched into every scar and memory. The world had turned upside down, filled with creatures plucked from nightmares and childhood stories. Beasts that fell from the sky or slithered from fissures in the ground—monsters we had once dismissed as myth, now flesh and blood. Vampiric predators that haunted the night, draining life from anything unlucky enough to be caught after sundown—we called them Nightmares.

Then there were the Ferals. Wolfish hunters, vicious and relentless, their claws coated in a toxin that could paralyze or kill with a scratch. They moved in packs, each Alpha cunning, strong, and deadly. Both species carried a venom in their fangs, capable of transforming humans. The victims became what we called lessor Auras—powers erratic, uncontrollable, and dangerous. Over time, the venom twisted the mind and body, warping them into monsters no loved one could recognize. Only by joining a pack could some hope to contain the beast within. A few mastered the change, using their hybrid forms strategically, but anger or fear could always trigger a dangerous, uncontrollable shift.

Xavier, ever the enthusiast for absurd pre-fall theories, had called it all “mate bonds” long before the fall. He insisted that some humans had the ability to share their powers—and emotions, sometimes physical feelings—with another. A pull, an instinct. Others, like Liam and me, discovered the bond through intimacy, binding us in ways neither of us fully understood. He was Alpha. I was technically Luna. Or maybe it was the other way around—technically, I had been Alpha first.

I blinked away the memory, and Xavier’s quiet voice cut through my thoughts.

“What are you going to do about the woman?” The question stabbed, adrenaline spiking as my head snapped to him. My pulse hammered, a flush of anger and fear crawling over me. I forced it down, suppressing the heat rising in my chest.

“She can work the laundry shift,” I replied coldly, staring out over the city as the wind tugged at loose strands of hair. “Might make her understand the seriousness of her actions.” I wanted to kick both her and Glen out of my Tower, relish in the abandonment they would feel. But it would do no good—Rowan had not yet made his mind up, and his decision carried weight I couldn’t ignore. Xavier’s voice was quiet but firm.

“It’s a mercy compared to what she really deserves. Throwing herself through your portal? She endangered everyone here, the children, everything you’ve built.” I pursed my lips, weighing his words. He was right. She had risked it all for selfish reasons. My leniency came only because of Rowan’s connection to Glen.

“It’s a hard decision, Xavier,” I murmured, feeling the weight of it press down. “But it comes down to—”

“Rowan,” Xavier finished, almost gently. He knew exactly how I felt, and exactly how powerless that left me.

“So…what do I do?” I asked quietly, letting the question linger.

“I’ll speak to Liam,” Xavier answered. “Explain what happened. He should deal out the punishment. You shouldn’t have to bear the brunt alone. If he really wants to do better this time, he can start by helping you handle situations like this.” He straightened, brushing dust from his pants, then held out a hand. I glanced up at him, catching a flicker of something unreadable in his eyes.

Slipping my hand into his, he pulled me effortlessly to my feet. We were closer than I expected, his scent washing over me, strange and distracting. My breath hitched, a low hum of my emotional switch urging to flick on. His throat bobbed as if he were holding something back. And then, just as suddenly, he let go, his hand falling to his side as he turned toward the rooftop door.

I stared at his retreating back, confusion knotting my stomach. He seemed entirely unfazed, as though nothing had happened. I shook my head, blaming my own tangled emotions from the past few days, the unrest clawing inside me.

I followed silently, chest tight, mind racing. I had to prepare. Whatever unfolded in the coming days, I needed to be ready.