Alpha Xander's Undoing Chasing my Unknown Mate Back novel Chapter 116

Chapter 116

Chapter 116

*Rory*

“You’re doing it wrong!” Mona shouted across the field.

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The boy in front of her flinched so hard his own gust of air smacked him in the face. He coughed, stumbled, and nearly tripped over his own feet.

“Your power doesn’t care if you have allergies!” she barked, her braid coming half undone as the rest of the circle tried not to laugh.

I bit back a smile from where I stood near the rune crates. “Remind me again why Vallin made you co–lead this?”

“Because I’m terrifying,” she said matter–of–factly, pointing her stick at the poor boy, who now looked one sneeze away from tears. “He said it’s a leadership quality.”

“Pretty sure his exact words were, ‘You have a loud mouth and enough stamina to scare the lazy ones into competence.”

“Semantics,” she said, flipping her braid over her shoulder.

The field wasn’t the same one we’d used for training months ago, but the ghosts of that night were still buried deep in the soil. If you looked closely, you could still see the faint scorch marks of the Solstice rings–the place where everything had split apart.

Now, new runes circled the field. Blue for sky wolves, red for fire, green for earth, gold for tide. Together, they glowed faintly, pulsing in time with the students‘ energy as they practiced.

The “Gifted Defense Circle” had been Mona’s idea, but I’d helped her bring it to life. It was more than a training program. It was protection. A place where gifted wolves could exist without flinching. Vallin had approved it himself, though I’d seen him watching from the balcony more than once, his expression unreadable as always.

Two–thirds of the academy had returned since his reforms began, and while the halls were still tense with whispers, fear no longer ruled the air.

“Control doesn’t mean silence,” I reminded a student struggling with his flame rune. “It’s not about holding back–it’s about choosing where to let it burn.”

He nodded, sweat dripping from his temple as the fire steadied between his palms.

“Good,” I said softly. “See? It listens when you do.”

Mona barked another order from across the field, her voice carrying like thunder. A few students jumped into line out of pure survival instinct.

She caught my eye and grinned. “Progress.”

“Fear,” I corrected.

13:55 Sat, Oct 18

Chapter 116

“Same thing.”

By the time the sun started to set, the field shimmered with quiet power. The students were dismissed in pairs, their voices low with excitement. It was the first time in a long time I’d seen smiles on faces that weren’t forced.

But as the last group left, Mona sank onto the grass beside me, sighing like she’d just fought a war.

“I think I pulled something,” she muttered.

“Your patience?” I asked.

She smirked. “My back.”

I laughed quietly, passing her the canteen. She took a swig before tossing it back to me.

“Do you ever think we’re just pretending?” she asked after a while, her voice low, not teasing anymore. “Like we’re fixing what’s left of a world that’s still broken underneath?”

I looked around the field, the faint light of the runes flickering against the twilight. “Maybe we are,” I admitted. “But pretending gives us something to build on.”

She hummed softly, not quite agreeing, not quite disagreeing.

When she left to check on the training records, I stayed behind to clean up. Most of the rune stones were already stacked neatly in the crates, but a few had rolled into the grass. I bent to pick one up and froze.

A folded slip of paper sat beneath it.

I frowned, brushing the dirt away before unfolding it. The handwriting was small, deliberate–too neat to be random.

The door you opened still stands.

The words hit like cold water.

For a moment, I just stood there, the paper shaking in my hand. The wind brushed against my skin, too sharp to be just wind. I glanced toward the balcony, expecting to see Vallin, but he was gone. The field was empty.

The shadows stretched long across the grass, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that someone had been standing closer than they should’ve. Watching. Waiting.

By the time I made it back to the dorm, night had settled thick over the academy. Xander was sprawled across the bed, asleep but restless, his hand half–curled near the pillow like he’d been waiting for mine.

I sat on the edge of the mattress and traced my fingers over the folded paper in my pocket. I could still feel the ink, could almost hear the whisper of it against my skin.

The door you opened still stands.

The candlelight flickered, bending against the walls. I didn’t want to admit that the words made sense–but

13:56 Sat, Oct 18

Chapter 116

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they did. Every night since Vallin’s failed ritual, I’d felt something lingering. A hum just beneath my heartbeat, faint but alive.

“Zerina?” I whispered, not sure if I wanted an answer.

For a long moment, there was nothing. Just the steady sound of Xander breathing behind me. I almost laughed at myself for trying.

Then, like a breath across the flame, her voice came, faint but clear.

Balance demands you face what’s unbalanced.

My chest tightened. “You mean the door?” I whispered. “I thought it was closed.”

Silence. But the presence lingered, soft and warm, like her paw brushing against the edge of my mind.

“I can’t do it again,” I said quietly. “I can’t lose you again.”

She didn’t answer, but the flicker of warmth grew stronger for a heartbeat, and I knew she’d heard.

I turned back toward the bed, slipping beneath the blankets. Xander shifted instinctively, wrapping an arm around me, his face burying against my shoulder. His heat seeped through me, grounding, constant. Maybe Zerina was right. Maybe balance wasn’t about sealing what I’d broken, but facing it head–on. Still, I couldn’t stop thinking about the note. About whoever had left it.

I reached for Xander’s hand, linking my fingers through his. He stirred, mumbling something that sounded like my name before falling quiet again.

The shadows outside swayed with the wind. The academy slept, but the unease in my chest refused to.

The door I opened still stands.

I closed my eyes and prayed that whatever waited on the other side would stay there a little longer.

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