I had seen her face before—in the old photographs hidden in his drawer, in the stories he shared with a wistful smile. The girl he once loved. The one he claimed had disappeared years ago, leaving behind a scar he thought would never heal.
Victoria.
My breath caught as I pressed my palm against the cold glass. My wolf whimpered softly, her sorrow wrapping around me like a heavy shadow.
Xavier gently brushed his fingers through Victoria’s hair, his voice low and filled with warmth.
“I never thought we’d have a pup together,” he murmured. “I’m grateful you came back to us. I’ll give you everything.”
The words tore through me.
I staggered backward, my vision blurring as the hallway spun around me. The boy on the news—he wasn’t just some child Xavier had rescued.
He was their son.
My knees nearly gave way, and I grabbed the wall for support, biting down hard on my lip until the metallic taste of blood filled my mouth. Every promise he had made, every vow whispered beneath the moonlight, shattered all at once.
He had told me he had no mate. That Victoria was gone for good. That destiny had chosen me to stand beside him as his Luna.