Alpha Xander's Undoing Chasing my Unknown Mate Back novel Chapter 136

Imperial 136 Summary

Rory wakes slowly in the infirmary, feeling the warmth of the sun and a peaceful silence after recent chaos. She notices Xander dozing beside her bed, his presence comforting and grounding. Despite the absence of Zerina’s usual presence, Rory senses a lingering warmth, signaling that she is not truly gone but simply distant. Rory reassures Xander that she is awake and okay, and he admits he never left her side during her unconsciousness.

As Rory regains her strength, familiar faces arrive. Mona enters first, followed by Isaac, who is injured but alive, bringing Rory relief. Their interaction is lighthearted, showing their close bonds despite the recent battles. Dhara and Castor soon join, dusty and worn but alive, announcing their plan to teach a new course called “Intro to Chaos Management” to help the Academy rebuild after the war. This news brings a hopeful and warm feeling to Rory, highlighting the group’s determination to move forward.

The infirmary and Academy are bustling with life again, filled with laughter, magic repairs, and orders from Vallin. The war is over, fractures are sealed, and the Venatorum threat is gone or nearly so. Though the world remains imperfect, hope feels real and safe for the first time in a long while. Xander’s gentle kiss and Rory’s quiet affirmation mark her genuine return to consciousness and to a sense of belonging and peace.

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Rory

Waking came slowly, like floating up through warm water. The first thing I felt was the sun, soft through a window I couldn’t yet see, and the faint ache of tired muscles that didn’t hurt as sharply as they should have. The second thing was the silence not the hollow kind that had haunted the dungeon or the Solstice, but the kind that settled after chaos, worn around the edges, peaceful in its exhaustion.

I rolled my head slightly, and that was when I saw him.

Xander was dozing in a chair pulled right up against the bed, his arms folded on the mattress, his cheek resting on them. His hair was a mess, sticking up in a way that made him look younger, and he had a faint smear of soot across his jaw that he clearly hadn’t bothered to wash. His chest rose and fell steadily, and his hand was half–curled near mine, like he had been holding it before sleep dragged him under.

Something warm fluttered in my chest.

Zerina wasn’t there. Not fully. That familiar presence, that steady hum behind my shoulder, was… gone. But there was still a faint warmth, like a lantern after the flame had gone out but before the metal cooled. Not absence. Not anymore. More like… a leaving that wasn’t a loss.

I exhaled slowly, letting the relief seep through every rib.

The infirmary was quiet except for the occasional footsteps echoing from the outer hall. Soft morning light stretched across the floor, touching rows of empty beds and baskets of salves Vallin insisted were “organized” even though they looked like someone had dumped herbs in little piles and hoped for the best. The place smelled of mint and smoke and clean blankets

– the scent of survival.

My fingers shifted slightly, brushing against Xander’s. He stirred at the movement, blinked once, and then his head snapped up so fast I almost laughed.

“You’re awake.” His voice came out rough, like he hadn’t spoken in hours. He leaned closer immediately, one hand moving to the side of my face as if he needed the confirmation that I was solid. “Rory… goddess, you scared me.”

“I’m okay,” I whispered. The words felt true for the first time in a long time. “Really. I’m here.”

He rested his forehead against mine, breathing me in. “I know. I just needed to hear you say it.”

His thumb brushed over my cheekbone, and I leaned into his touch, savoring the closeness, the weight of him, the feeling of belonging that didn’t depend on a bond or a wolf or anything except the fact that he was Xander and I was me.

“How long was I out?” I asked softly.

“Almost a day,” he said. “Vallin said your body needed to reset. Said the magic pushed you right up to the edge.” His jaw tightened briefly. “I didn’t leave.”

“I had a feeling.” I gave him a tired smile. “You’re not exactly subtle when you’re hovering.”

That made him huff out a laugh, quiet but real. “Good. I wasn’t trying to be.”

Voices drifted from the hall, muted and warm. Xander glanced over his shoulder toward the doorway. “Everyone’s still here. They haven’t really left since the fighting stopped.”

“Everyone?” I asked, sitting up more carefully than heroically.

1/3

Chapter 136

A shadow moved across the curtain, followed by a familiar sigh.

Mona slipped inside, eyes sharper than usual as she scanned me from head to toe. “Finally,” she said, stepping closer. “If you stayed asleep another hour, I was going to shake you myself.”

Behind her, Isaac followed slowly, wrapped in half a dozen bandages and looking like someone had taken a swipe at him with a flaming sword. His scar stood out sharply against his pale skin, but his eyes were steady tired but steady.

“You’re alive,” I said, a rush of relief blooming in my chest.

He offered a soft, lopsided smile. “Trying to make it a habit.”

Mona crossed her arms and muttered, “He better. I didn’t yell at him all night for nothing.”

Isaac looked at her with the tiniest flicker of amusement. “You didn’t yell.”

“Don’t push it,” Mona shot back. But she didn’t deny it when he reached for her hand.

Xander arched a brow at me. I bit down on a grin.

A moment later, Dhara and Castor appeared at the entrance, still dusty from the battlefield but standing close enough that their shoulders brushed with every breath. Dhara’s hair was tied in a knot that was definitely an afterthought, and Castor had a small streak of dried blood across his temple, but they both looked alive in a way they hadn’t before.

“Look who finally decided to join the land of the conscious,” Castor said with a playful tilt of his head.

Dhara snorted. “Leave her alone. She probably needed the nap more than any of us.”

“I could say the same about you,” I shot back.

“True,” Dhara admitted with a shrug. “But we don’t all get the excuse of sealing ancient cosmic fractures.”

Castor leaned against the doorframe, crossing his arms. “We’ve been talking,” he said casually. “Dhara and I have decided to teach a new course together.”

Dhara lifted her chin proudly. “Intro to Chaos Management.”

Xander froze. Mona’s head turned sharply. Isaac blinked. I stared.

“What?” I said, because that was absolutely the correct response.

Dhara grinned. “Someone has to teach the first years how not to electrocute themselves when they panic.”

“And someone has to stop the earth shifters from accidentally swallowing a picnic table again,” Castor added.

Xander looked between them like they had revealed a secret romance, a secret mission, and a secret punchline all at once. “Is this… official?”

“Vallin approved it,” Dhara said simply. “The Academy is rebuilding. We thought we should help.

A soft warmth curled through me at that the kind that felt like the first breath after crying. “You two are good together. I said without thinking.

Castor raised a brow, smug. Dhara elbowed him.

But she didn’t deny it.

2/3

Chapter 136

Xander squeezed my fingers gently, grounding me again. “Are you feeling any pain? Dizzy?”

“Just tired,” I said. “But not broken this time.”

His gaze softened so much I thought it might spill over. “Good. That’s all I need.”

Zerina didn’t answer when I reached for her – not the way she used to – but there was a warmth in my ribs that reminded me she wasn’t gone, just… quiet. Content. Waiting, maybe.

The Academy wasn’t quiet, though. Not anymore.

Outside the infirmary, I could hear footsteps, laughter, the occasional groan of someone being dragged back to bed. Students hugged each other in the hall. Professors patched holes in the walls with magic that wasn’t perfect but worked well enough. Vallin’s voice boomed orders somewhere far off, sounding more like a commander than a headmaster.

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