Chapter 62
Xavier
T he early morning light filters through the curtains, casting a soft glow across the room. I stir; the familiar scent lingers in the air. I inhale deeply. The smell of honeysuckle, juicy peaches, cinnamon and nutmeg, Rowan. My morning wood gets harder just thinking about her.
I rise and hurry through my morning absolutions getting dressed in casual attire, jeans and a tee. It’s not my normal attire but I hardly want to wear a three-piece suit all day every day. Even I like to unwind.
Once I’m dressed, I rush downstairs following the scent of peaches. I spot Rowan. She’s leaving. I move to the window, watching as she steps outside. There's a subtle tension in my chest, a protective instinct that has become all too familiar. Without hesitation, I decide to follow her discreetly.
I keep a safe distance, my senses alert as I trail behind her through the quiet streets of Millbrook. The town is still waking up, the streets bathed in the soft hues of dawn. As we walk, my thoughts drift to the past.
I trail behind Rowan, keeping my distance as she makes her way through the cobbled streets of the small town. The morning air is crisp, but there's something warmer in the way she carries herself. It's like she radiates light, and though I stay hidden in the shadows, I can't help but follow that warmth, even if it's just to observe from afar. She’s so damn different from anyone I’ve ever known.
Rowan moves with grace, a quiet confidence that draws people in without ever demanding it. Her sweet nature. Her kindness is something that I’ve come to admire more than I ever expected. She’s not just the nest designer we brought on board. She’s the glue that binds us together. Every time I see her interact with the brothers, there's this undeniable connection, a pull I can't explain. It's the way she listens, really listens, when they speak. The way she’s never too busy to make someone feel seen. The way she makes us feel like we matter. Rowan Hart is the heart of the Kingston pack. Without her, I don’t know where we’d be.
My mind shifts briefly, and I can't help but think about the other Omega. the one who ruined my last pack. The one who made me question everything I knew about what it meant to care for someone in this world. She used my trust, manipulated us all, until there was nothing left but broken pieces of what could’ve been.
Rowan and Seb. They’re nothing like her. I’ve seen them together, watched the way Seb’s presence calms her, the way she lets him, the way her scent settles into a kind of peace when he’s near. That’s something I’d never seen with the other Omega. It was always chaos with her. I thought I had it all figured out back then, thought I knew what a mate should be, what an Omega should be. But I was wrong.
I was wrong about Rowan, wrong about Seb. But it’s not as bad as it was with her, not by a long shot. I was never cruel to Rowan. Never the way I was with the other Omega. But I realize now that I’ve been unfair, that I’ve let my own scars cloud my judgment. Rowan doesn’t deserve the wariness I’ve given her. She deserves more.
I watch her for a moment longer, lost in thought, and realize something deep within me shifts. This pack is meant to be whole, united. And as much as I’ve tried to resist, I can’t deny that she’s the center of it all. If I’m going to let the past go, I need to let Rowan in. Let her shape us, as she’s done from the moment she walked into our lives.
I follow her for a few more blocks, lost in my thoughts, but for the first time in a long while, I feel something like hope stirring in my chest. Something good is coming, something real. And it starts with her.
I lean against the stone wall, the chill of the morning air biting at my neck, but I don’t feel it. My eyes are fixed on Babette’s Kitchen , and more specifically, on Rowan as she walks in. I stay hidden in the shadows, letting my instincts guide me. It’s not like I have anything to prove to myself, but something’s been off all morning. The hairs on the back of my neck are standing on end, and when Rowan stepped inside the café, my gut told me to stay put and watch.
I’m here for her, though she doesn’t know it. She’s completely unaware of the danger creeping closer to her, the same way she’s unaware of how much she means to this pack. To me. Rowan’s heart, her kindness, it brings us all together. It’s the way she listens, how she makes each of us feel seen. She’s the glue that holds us all together, and there’s nothing I wouldn’t do to keep her safe.
I don’t know what the danger is or where it’s coming from, but I can’t shake the sense of impending doom. I’ll protect her with my very life, if I have to. She’s gotten under my skin in a way I didn’t think possible. And I haven’t even fucked her. I fucked Séb during his heat. My teeth ached to bite him, but he wanted to wait until I was ready to bond Rowan.
It was that act of denial that made me start taking a harder look at Rowan. At myself. At the situation with Lara. My ex, Elara, Lara, Ashford, is a piece of work. That’s the nicest thing I can think of calling her. She played me, she played us all. One against the other until my former pack was in tattered pieces.
As I look at Rowan through the window, I think maybe, just maybe I should thank her. Without her trashing my life I would never have become pack with Cole, Massimo, and Laurant. I would never be a part of the Kingston pack. One of the top tier packs in the whole fucking world.
Rowan has changed my life. And now, as she steps out of Babette’s Kitchen , I see it. A black van pulling up across the street. At first, I tell myself I’m just being paranoid. But then the men step out. I don’t even need to know who they are to recognize the threat in their posture. They’ve up to no good. I can feel it in the pit of my stomach.
Rowan has coffee in one hand and a few large bags of to-go food in the other. She’s taking a leisurely sip, completely unaware. I watch as she walks toward them, oblivious, and my heart drops. The moment they grab her; my entire body goes rigid. The van’s doors slide open, and I don’t think. my body’s already moving before my mind catches up. I’m across the street, pushing through the crowd, and everything slows down. The sound of my boots on the sidewalk echoes in my ears, but nothing else matters.
I’m there in an instant. I’ve got my gun drawn, concealed in my hand, just enough to make a point. “Hey!” I shout, my voice low but commanding, cutting through the air like a blade. The man holding Rowan’s arm looks up, surprised. Good.
“Let her go,” I order, my voice even, unshaken. I’m not afraid of these guys, not even a little. My gun is steady at my side, aimed at the ground between them. If they take one more step, I’ll make them regret it.
The man holding her hesitates. I see his eyes flick to his partner, then back to me. But I don’t wait. With one swift motion, I push forward, shoving my shoulder into the man holding Rowan, using my body to shield her.
“Go,” I say to Rowan, my voice dropping lower, more urgent. I don’t need to tell her twice. She runs, and I can feel my chest unclenching as she makes her escape.
But the men aren’t done yet. One of them pulls a knife, and without missing a beat, I take a step back and fire a warning shot into the ground. The noise is deafening, and the man freezes.
“Drop it,” I tell him, my voice cold, steady. He hesitates, and that’s all I need.
The van’s driver revs the engine, but I don’t move until I see the men back down. They retreat, no longer willing to face me. Not today.