Rejected And Reborn As The Alpha King's Luna

Chapter 39: Memories in the Dark

POV: Xavier

I watched her walk into that darkness, and every instinct in my body screamed at me to follow. My wolf clawed at my chest, demanding I protect our mate. But Thelma had simply looked at me with those empty eyes and said, "I have to go. You know I do."

Then she disappeared into the cave, swallowed by shadows so thick they seemed solid.

The shadow creature remained at the entrance, a silent guardian that promised death to anyone who tried to pass. I stood there, fists clenched, breathing hard, feeling like someone had carved out my insides with a dull knife.

"Xavier." Luna's hand touched my shoulder. "We should make camp. There's nothing we can do but wait."

"Wait?" The word tasted like poison. "She's in there alone. Anything could be happening to her."

"The Oracle won't harm her," Luna said, but she didn't sound entirely certain. "This is her only chance."

I wanted to argue, to rage, to tear down the mountain with my bare hands. Instead, I turned away from the cave and helped set up camp in bitter silence.

As the others worked, I felt it. A pulse through the mate bond, stronger than any I'd felt since Thelma's heart turned to stone. It wasn't emotion, not exactly. It was more like an echo, a reverberation of something lost.

Then the memory hit me.

I was standing in Marcus's garden three years ago, newly arrived as a spy, my mission clear in my mind. Seduce the Alpha's daughter. Gain her trust. Deliver her to my father for execution.

She came around the corner carrying a basket of herbs, her dark hair falling loose around her shoulders. The moment our eyes met, the world tilted.

Mate.

The recognition slammed through me like lightning. This girl, this target I was supposed to destroy, was my destined mate. Her eyes widened, and I knew she felt it too. That impossible pull, that sense of coming home.

"Hi," she said, and her voice was soft, nervous. "You're the new guard, right? Xavier?"

I should have walked away. Should have told my father immediately and removed myself from the assignment. Instead, I smiled at her.

"That's me. And you're Thelma."

She blushed, actually blushed, and something in my chest cracked open. "Everyone just calls me Thel."

"Thel," I repeated, and watched her pupils dilate at the sound of her name on my lips. The mate bond was already forming, invisible threads weaving between us.

I was so screwed.

The memory faded, and I gasped, clutching my chest. The bond was showing me our past, replaying moments I'd tried not to think about because they hurt too much.

"Xavier?" Theo was watching me with concern. "What's wrong?"

"The bond," I managed. "It's showing me memories. Of her. Of us."

Luna's eyes sharpened. "The mate bond is trying to preserve her essence. It's afraid she won't come back."

"Don't say that." The words came out harsh. "She's coming back."

But even as I said it, another memory pulled me under.

Six months into my mission, I'd fallen completely. Every order from my father to move forward with the plan made me sick. I couldn't do it. Couldn't hurt her.

We were in the forest, hidden from prying eyes. Thelma was laughing at something I'd said, her joy so pure it made my heart ache.

"What are you thinking about?" she asked, noticing my stare.

"You," I admitted. "Always you."

She moved closer, and I could smell wildflowers and something uniquely her. "Xavier, I need to tell you something. I've been having these dreams. About us. About the future."

"What kind of dreams?"

"Happy ones." Her smile was radiant. "Ones where we're free. Where we don't have to hide. Where I'm not trapped in this life Marcus planned for me."

I pulled her into my arms, buried my face in her hair. "I'll make those dreams real. I promise."

"Even if it's dangerous?"

"Especially then."

She looked up at me, her eyes full of trust, full of love. "I love you, Xavier. I know it's fast, I know it's crazy, but I do."

"I love you too," I whispered, and meant it with every fiber of my being. "More than anything."

When we kissed, the world fell away. There was only her, only us, only this perfect moment that I knew couldn't last.

I came back to myself with tears streaming down my face. Theo was gripping my arm, keeping me upright.

"It's killing you," he said quietly. "The bond. It's ripping you apart."

"I don't care." I wiped my face roughly. "If it keeps her alive in some way, I don't care what it does to me."

Elena approached, her face drawn. "Xavier, I need to tell you something. There's a ritual. An old one, from before my family became corrupted by Morgana's influence."

"What kind of ritual?" Luna's voice was sharp.

"One that might restore what was taken from Thelma." Elena wouldn't meet anyone's eyes. "But it requires a sacrifice. Life force from her mate, channeled through the twin bond, guided by blood magic."

"How much life force?" Theo demanded.

"All of it."

The words hung in the cold air. Luna stood abruptly. "Absolutely not. We're not discussing this."

"Why not?" I looked at her, then at Elena. "If it would save her, restore her heart, why wouldn't we consider it?"

"Because you'd die, you i***t!" Theo grabbed my shirt. "You'd be trading your life for hers."

"And I'd do it gladly." I pulled away from him. "She's my mate. My everything. What kind of life would I have anyway, watching her exist as a hollow shell? Feeling her emptiness through our bond every day?"

"That's grief talking," Luna said firmly. "Not logic. We wait for the Oracle. That's final."

I wanted to argue, but another memory crashed over me.

The night everything fell apart. Damien had found us, had beaten me bloody while Thelma watched. I remembered lying on the ground, ribs broken, tasting blood.

"She's a weapon," Damien snarled. "An abomination that needs to be destroyed."