(Xander POV)I am currently in a guest office at Moon Shadow, waiting for Piper to be brought up to see me. It is hard to believe that, after two years, I am finally going to see her.I have been dreaming of this moment for a very long time, and my heart is pounding in anticipation. I have wanted nothing more than to see her for so very long.…And yet, my gut is screaming at me that this is a bad idea. That I should walk away. The words “ABORT MISSION” are raging through my mind. My wolf also seems unsettled. Nothing about this feels right.There is simply too much going on. Too many things have gone wrong already. I am too angry —at myself, Piper, and the situation generally— to meet with Piper right now. I do not want to say something to Piper that I will regret. And now there is Daphne to consider too. How do I explain to Piper that she should wait for me to take her as my chosen mate when her best friend Daphne is my “fated”? What will she think of me when I tell her
(Xander POV)Piper walks into the office, and everything that I had been thinking about for the past hour immediately evaporates from my brain. Now, the only thoughts in my mind are about her. How much I missed her. How badly I want to hold her. How much I love her. How beautiful she looks, despite the fact that she has her blond hair in a ponytail, and despite the fact that she is wearing an apron and work clothes.“Xander?” she asks in disbelief.I smile at her.“Xander… is it really you?” Her eyes begin welling up with tears. “Are you… are you really here?”“I am here, Piper. I am here.”She runs across the office and throws herself into my arms. I wrap my arms around her and hug her as tightly as I can. I get lost in how perfectly our bodies fit together and how good it feels to finally hold her again. I can feel my shirt getting wet as she cries into my chest, but I could care less.“I missed you so much, Xander. You have no idea how scared I have been. I didn’t kno
(Xander POV)I have known Piper for a very long time, but even a stranger could tell that Daphne’s announcement has crushed her. The pain, disappointment, and shock is rolling off of her in waves.A part of me is relieved —Piper’s reaction means that she still has feelings for me— but another part of me hates that she had to find out about Daphne and I this way. My instincts —and my wolf— want to comfort Piper, but I am not sure what to do. The situation is far too complicated.“Is it true, Xander?” Piper asks me. “Is Daphne really your mate?”“No!” I respond instinctively.I see hope flash through Piper’s eyes, but then Daphne discreetly pinches my arm and sends me a warning look. Sh&t.“I mean, yes.” I wrap my arm around Daphne’s shoulders. “Yes, Daphne is my mate. But –”“And you are my best friend, Piper,” Daphne interrupts. “My mate and my best friend are childhood best friends! Could this be any more perfect?!?!?! The Moon Goddess really knew what she was doing!!!”Pi
(Piper POV)“This is not on me, Piper,” Xander growls. “We would not be in this position if you had not whored yourself out at Wildwood!!!!”I have no idea what Xander is talking about, but his words feel like a slap in the face. It was bad enough that Alpha Aiden had believed those things before he got to know me. But for Xander —who I had grown up with and who I considered my best friend— to also believe those stupid rumors? That cuts deep.“I don’t know what you heard, Xander, but those rumors about me whoring myself out at Wildwood are not true,” I respond bitterly.“RUMORS?!?!?! Do you think I listened to rumors, Piper? I SAW THOSE THINGS FOR MYSELF!!!!” Xander roars back at me.“You what?” What is he talking about? I am so confused. He was not there. I would have known if he was… wouldn’t I have? “I don’t know who you saw, or what you think you saw, or when you thought you saw it, but ---"“It was a year ago. You were wearing a slutty black dress and dancing close to
(Piper POV)It took me more than ten minutes to tell Xander everything that had happened at Wildwood Pack, and everything that had led up to that night. Xander gently held my hands throughout the story, and he quietly listened to the whole thing without interrupting or asking any questions. In a way, it felt good to finally talk to someone about what had happened. I had been having a hard time making sense of everything on my own, especially my conflicting feelings about Leo. Xander’s quiet support reminded me of when he was there for me after my mother died. Back then, he let me cry for hours until I had gotten all of the emotions out —good, bad, irrational, and ugly. When I finally ran out of tears and things to say, he took me in his arms and promised me that everything was going to be okay, even if it did not feel like it in that moment.Call me crazy, but I had expected a similar reaction from Xander when I finished talking about everything that had happened at Wildwood. M
(Xander POV)When Piper got that funny look in her eyes, I knew immediately what was about to happen. Unfortunately, there were chairs between us, so —although I have killer instincts and I was able to quickly catch her— I was half a second too late and the back of Piper’s head still managed to hit the corner of the desk.The blood suddenly oozing from her head made our already horrible situation even worse. The overwhelming guilt hit me immediately, replacing the rage that I had been feeling.Goddess, I cannot believe that I blurted out the news about her father that way. The horrified, pained look in her eyes may be forever burned into my memory. I know it is no excuse, but I was just so angry with her… and myself… and the Moon Goddess… and the entire crappy situation. And to make matters worse, I knew I still had to tell her about Alpha Aiden being her brother. On top of that, all throughout our fight, I kept thinking about how we had so many secrets keeping us apart, and how
(Piper POV)I woke up in a strange room. I felt groggy, and I had a massive headache. As my eyes adjusted to my surroundings, I realized that I was in a hospital room. Alpha Aiden was sitting on a chair beside me, holding my hand.“W-where am I?” I asked, as I tried to sit up. “What happened?”“Relax, Piper. Don’t try to move too quickly.”“What happened?” I asked again.“You fainted and hit your head.”“I did what? When?”“You don’t remember?” Aiden asked with concern.I tried to think back. I was working, and Asher came to get me. He said that someone needed to see me. I was a little worried, but he promised me that I had nothing to worry about and that Alpha Aiden and Beta Jonas had both approved of the visitor.I went to the guest office that Asher directed me into and….…then what happened?“I… I’m not sure. I remember Asher bringing me to a guest office, and then….”“It’s okay, Piper. Don’t stress yourself out too much. It will come back to you in time.”Aiden sounde
(Xander POV)I did not want to leave Piper behind at Moon Shadow Pack, especially after our fight. However, the doctor reassured me that she was going to be okay; I had already been there far too long; and I knew that it was only a matter of time before Amanda and Leo’s men came looking for me.Ultimately, trusting that Alpha Aiden and Beta Jonas would follow through on our discussion, I left the herbs with them and headed out with Daphne.As we waited for our taxi, Daphne excitedly asked me where we were going. Her excitement annoyed me to no end, but it was a fair question.A part of me debated whether I should take Daphne directly back to Blue Ridge, or whether I should first return to the hotel where I left Amanda. There were pros and cons with both approaches.The deciding factor for me was that I knew Amanda would lose her sh&t upon seeing me with my fated mate. In fact, I knew that there was a decent probability that —if I brought Daphne back to the hotel— Amanda might even