The slight motion as I was carried away from my position on the couch slowly began to pull me away from unconsciousness, and I gradually became aware of my surroundings. The familiar warmth of strong arms wrapped around my body, igniting sparks that shot down every nerve in my being, was the first thing that came to my senses.

Then I felt the warmth connecting with my right cheek as I was brought closer to my carrier's chest, and I felt the butterflies erupt in my stomach. Instantly, my eyes shot open. And I found myself glancing upwards into the eyes of the most striking silver.

Xavier smoothly carried me in his arms and began to walk away from my position on the living-room couch, where I - along with a couple others - had fallen asleep after the fourth Harry Potter movie.

My eyes widened as they connected with his, and I saw the small, warm smile curving up his lips. Instantly, my arms shot up and curled around his neck, bringing him to me as I embraced him tightly. The motion took Xavier by surprise, and he let out a low groan as he steadied us so I wouldn't fall to the ground.

I squeezed my arms around him tightly, the relief of having him back safe and sound overpowering my senses. He let out a slight chuckle, his hand gently squeezing my waist in reassurance.

When I let him go, he pulled back to give me a heart-clenching grin.

"It's good to see you, too."

He carried me away from the living room, smoothly ascending the stairs as if he wasn't carrying my heavy weight in his arms, and headed towards the room I was staying in.

All the while, my eyes continued to scan every inch of his body that I was able to view - checking for any possible injuries; but surprisingly, he bore none.

The warmth that radiated off his body left me as he gently set me on the bed.

"Go back to sleep," he ordered softly; but there was no way that I could've fallen back asleep. I sat upright in bed, reaching for his hand just as he began to turn away.

"No," I pulled him down, directing him to sit in front of me - which he did. "What happened? Are you okay? I heard a large group of your men also joined you. Are they all right? How did it go?" I rushed as my questions came pouring out.

Xavier shook his head, "I'll tell you all about it tomorrow, go to sleep now." He prepared to get up but I grabbed his hand, clutching it tightly, and yanked him back down. Xavier's eyes widened at the sudden aggressiveness, sitting back down and staring at me bemusedly.

"No, don't leave." I pleaded. "Do you seriously think I'll be able to fall back asleep, now?" I scoffed.

He raised an eyebrow. "Well... I guess not?"

I sighed deeply, my patience fed up. "What happened?"

Xavier rubbed at the slight stubble growing on his chin, inhaling in preparation.

"We took care of everything. You don't need to ever worry about them again."

I frowned, digesting his words. "T-they're gone?" I carefully chose my words, afraid that a sudden revelation of Xavier having ended someone's life might shock me into silence.

Xavier nodded stiffly, his jaws clenched tightly.

"Tell me how."

The request even took me by surprise.

His eyes shot up to mine and widened in shock. He raised an eyebrow in questioning.

"I want to know every detail," I continued, but he instantly began to shake his head in disapproval, a slight frown creasing the skin between his eyebrows.

"No, Nora. Are you even hearing yourself?" He scoffed in disbelief, which in turn had me frowning disapprovingly.

"I deserve to know how it went, Xavier." I fought back.

His eyes snapped back to mine, now narrowed into dangerous slits. "Why? Because he was your ex-boyfriend?"

The surprise that overtook me because of his unexpected question left me speechless. I stared back silently, my mouth opening to reply to his rude snapping, but unable to form any words.

That was the last thing I expected him to say.

Xavier sighed deeply, turning to stare at the floor, and his hand came up to run down his face.

"I-" he cleared his throat awkwardly. "I didn't mean it like that."

I scoffed, "I think you did."

He sighed once again, staring daggers ahead of him and clenching his jaws tightly. His nostrils flared as he tried to compose himself before replying.

"I couldn't control myself when I saw him," he finally revealed.

My breath hitched in my throat as I detected the strong emotions behind his revelation. His fists were tightly clenched on his lap as if he was fighting so hard to maintain his composure.

"When I saw him, all I could hear were Elliot and Noah's voices as they spoke of what he'd done and what he deserves." His eyes slowly moved to my own, hard as steel, then they dropped down to my lap and settled on my right leg. "All I could see was the sight of you lying on the dirt covered in your own blood."

My heart began to thrum loudly in my chest. I reached out to grab Xavier's tightened fist, and he went stiff at the sudden motion. Reluctantly, he relaxed his hand muscles and I entwined our fingers, rubbing soothing circles on his bruised-up knuckles with my other hand.

"It's over with now. He's gone, and so is his superior."

I didn't know how to feel about it. On one hand, I knew that he had no other choice but to take them out. They weren't going to stop and everyone in Xavier's life was in danger; so one could say that the action was taken out on self-defense. But on the other hand, I didn't know how I felt about the fact that Xavier was the one who ended Darius's life. An inner voice questioned me, could I really stay with a man who'd killed another?

But I didn't want to dwell on that now; so I jumped into a new topic.

"Why does everyone keep calling me Luna?" I asked.

Xavier's eyebrows furrowed in confusion and shock, his eyes suddenly finding my own. "What?"

I nodded. "Yeah, everyone keeps calling me that even though they know my name is Nora."

He went silent for a moment, the wheels turning in his brain. Then he sighed, shifting in his seat to fully face me.

"That's because I'm the Alpha of the pack," he replied.

I frowned, still not fully understanding what that meant. "Like a boss?"

Xavier shook his head slightly, answering, "more like a leader."

I bit the inside of my cheek as I pondered over his reply, which didn't exactly answer my earlier question.

Xavier surprised me by reaching with his other hand to grasp our already entwined ones; this time, he was the one gently rubbing circles on the inside of my wrist.

"There's another thing I haven't told you about myself," he whispered a confession.

I frowned, red flags rising in the back of my mind. "What is it?"

He cleared his throat, thinking over his answer before verbally speaking it.

"We're not as... normal as humans are."

I gaped at him, unsure of what reaction he expected to receive first.

"Remember the story of my ancestors?" He continued, to which I reluctantly nodded. "After the oath was made, my great, great-grandfather was doubtful of their abilities to properly protect our land; given the fact that they were only men with no real advantage on their side, other than their determination and undying loyalty." Xavier's eyes studied mine, before continuing. "The elder of all three families then traveled for days to seek the aid of an infamous witch, and she brewed them a potion made of the hearts of the most ferocious breed of pure wolves."

A low gasp escaped my lips. It felt like I had gone twenty years back in time, cuddled up on my bed at night as my parents read me thrilling bedtime stories of the mystic world.

"The potion affected our Elders greatly. The first stage was a physical change; their eyes turned the brightest shade of silver, their built grew to twice its normal size, and they could hear the noises of approaching men from all the way across the village. They grew to possess superhuman strength, impeccable speed, and the greatest gift of all was the ability to mentally communicate with their spirit animal - the wolf."

My breath hitched in my throat and my eyes widened as soon as the last word left through Xavier's lips.

Wolf.

The mental image of the wolves in the woods sprung to the front of my mind. The unanswered questions that I had pushed to the back of my mind coming forth;

How had Xavier directed the wolves to move past me, so careful as to not cause me any harm, to attack our rivals?

"The outsiders that witnessed these inhumane powers first-hand, could not comprehend how it was possible for our Elders to possess them. They tried to make sense of these gifts that only some had been blessed with, and the fear that ignited within their souls had them come up with all sorts of ridiculous stories. Hence how the myth of werewolves came to be." My eyes widened in shock, but Xavier was quick to answer my unspoken questions, "which is of course, nothing but a myth. I have not, nor has any of my pack members, ever shifted from our human forms into a savage animal." He tried to hide back a smile, but I could still see the slight curve of his lips.

"Additionally, our Elders had one request for the witch to include during the making of the potion, and it was that the powers be passed down to their first-born sons, so that their descendent protectors continue fighting for their land with the same powers they possessed." Xavier continued. "But to add that request to the equation, the witch had to add a factor that ensures the bloodlines don't reach a dead-end; a single, lifelong mate for every Alpha."

My gaze snapped to Xavier's, the word "mate" bringing back memories of the first time he brought me to his house, and narrated to me his family history.

He had called me his soulmate.

With a trembling voice, I questioned, "m-me?"

I watched as Xavier's eyes softened, his lips curving up into a warm smile.

"I had been waiting for you for as long as I can remember." He whispered, his strikingly silver eyes never leaving my own, igniting warm feelings within my heart that spread through my veins and engulfed me wholly.

I opened my mouth to reply, but was at loss for words.

"As the direct descendent of our Elders, I am the Alpha of this pack, and as my mate, you are their Luna."

"B-but I..."

What could I ever offer them?

"You have their utmost respect and protection," Xavier quickly spoke, as if aware of the personal doubts I was about to voice out loud. "And all I ask for is your loyalty and support, to your pack, as well as your mate."

This was all too much to handle. I couldn't believe the words he was speaking; everything felt so surreal.

"I know that this is all too much-"

"Can you read my mind, too?!" I exclaimed.

Xavier's eyes widened. "No, no," he shook his head.

"How are you voicing out whatever I'm thinking?" I gasped.

He surprised me by letting out a slight chuckle. "That would be the mate bond. As your mate, I can feel your emotions and easily guess your thoughts, because our souls are connected in ways that are far beyond any human's comprehension."

My hands were getting clammier by the minute as they were clutched by Xavier's, my emotions in a whirlwind. Although all of the things he just narrated to me seemed beyond impossible, a small part of me believed him. Because nothing made sense since the day I ran into Xavier, anyway. Not the emotions I felt at his presence, nor the chills he sent down my spine every time my eyes connected with his silver ones, nor the bond I felt we had grown in such a short period of time.

Maybe, somehow, soulmates did exist. And the most powerful man, in perhaps all the world, happened to be mine.