Three days had passed since I had woken up at the private infirmary in Xavier's estate. A day after I'd woken up, I was moved to a private room which had a king-sized bed located right in the middle and a large balcony that overlooked the estate garden. The minute I settled in, my phone began to buzz non-stop. When I glanced at the screen, I found the name of my mom popping up on the caller ID. My eyes snapped to Ariel, who shrugged and pointed back at Bella. When my eyes found hers, she gave me a goofy smile.

"You told my mom?" I gasped.

"I had to, Nora. You were shot, for God's sake." She reasoned.

I frowned, but refrained from replying back. When I answered the call, I spent nearly two hours convincing my parents not to end their cruise-trip and travel all the way across the globe to come see me, and that I was absolutely fine, and that "the police did catch the robber". Bella must've had to come up with a whole story when speaking to them on the phone, without letting away too much that they'd snatch me away and lock me in my old bedroom for the rest of my life.

My parents were fairly protective growing up, which I kind of understood given that I was their only child and they spent nearly seven years trying to conceive me. But as I was leaving for college, I had a heart-to-heart with them about the importance of my independency; and I was beyond grateful for their understanding of me moving out after college instead of returning to my old town. They spent the years after cruising around the world, living off the adventures they couldn't experience during the time I was glued to their sides.

Ariel and Bella rarely ever left my side after that night when I spoke to my parents, on some nights they even threw slumber parties in my room and we watched a dozen chick-flicks until all the romance and humor turned cringe-worthy, all in an effort to get my mind off of the fact that I still hadn't heard from Xavier.

On the first two nights it kind of upset me, the fact that I'd woken up and he wasn't there, the fact that he didn't check up on me. But soon enough my hurt had turned into anger, thinking how dare he ignore me at a time like this. I could think of a thousand different ways I could yell at him.

And another thought that constantly occupied my mind was the fact that even Noah and Elliot were rarely around. None of us girls knew what they were up to or where they were at when they weren't with us. Bella tried to get some answers out of Elliot on the one night she saw him, but his answers were always short and vague.

I saw Seth a night ago. Ariel helped me walk to his room that was just down the hallway from mine. He was in his own bed, his back straightened against the bed-frame with his eyes trained on the Star Wars movie playing on TV. When he heard the door closing, his head snapped to our direction and he gave a wide smile.

"Hey!" He exclaimed cheerfully.

"Hey, you." I smiled, reaching the bed and plopping down, sighing in relief as the pressure on my thigh was decreased. I turned my attention to Seth, inspecting his wounds; but only a few were visible. A small gash on his lower lip, and a fading bruise on his cheek. "How are you feeling?"

His grin widened. "Never better. Have you seen my new room? I might fake feeling unwell for just a week longer so I could stay here. Plus they deliver my every meal; I feel like a lazy king up in his own castle."

I giggled, shaking my head. Typical Seth. "How's your head injury? Are you in any pain?"

He clicked his tongue. "Nah. It was just a small gash that's nearly entirely healed. But what about you? I heard you got shot, are you okay?" His eyes softened up a bit as he glanced at my injured leg, worry coursing through his vision.

"Yeah, don't worry about me, I'm all good." I smiled tightly.

"Dang..." he teasingly huffed, his eyes lighting up in amusement. "Lucky you. Now you have a badass scar to show off, telling stories of how you once got shot and survived. But my scar will be covered by my stupid hair."

I rolled my eyes, and Ariel smacked him on the arm. "You're such an idiot!"

We all laughed; and my heart felt a little lighter.

"I'm really glad you're okay, Seth. I can't begin to tell you how sorry I-"

"Shhh," he interrupted me. "Don't ever say that, Nora. Don't you ever apologize, this wasn't your fault."

I felt my eyes welling up with tears. "B-but it is," I whispered, biting the inside of my cheek.

Seth straightened up in his seat, reaching out to grip my hand tightly in his. "No, it's not." He said firmly. "You were a victim of this mob's rivalry just as much as any of us. So don't you dare blame yourself."

I swallowed the lump growing in my throat, and reluctantly nodded; even though deep down, I still couldn't help shake off the guilt gnawing at my chest.

*

When I woke up this morning, I was adamant on getting out of bed alone and leaving my room; I grew so bored of staying in the same place for too long.

I stood upright on two wobbly legs and made my way to the bathroom to freshen up. The place was breathtaking and so extravagant with its marble counters and golden mirrors. I took a quick shower and then dried my hair off with a towel, and while still damp, pulled it up into a messy bun. We were approaching Fall but the weather was still a bit warm.

After I put on a pair of dark jean-shorts and a plain white T-shirt, I exited the room and found myself in a familiar hallway; the one covered by hundreds of portraits. I walked past them, feeling an eerie sense travel down my spine as I imagined the eyes of the many characters watching my every step. When I finally reached the staircase, I paused and took a deep breath in preparation to the most challenging part, which was descending the stairs.

My injured leg was healing incredibly fast, but there was still a bit of soreness to it whenever I moved it too often or too quick.

I gripped the staircase rails with sweaty hands and began to slowly descend, all the while holding my breath in agony. When I finally reached the ground floor, I heard the chattering of several people and the clanking of spoons on plates coming from the direction of the kitchen, so I made my way towards the noise.

As soon as I entered through the door, every motion came to a halt as everyone stopped whatever they were doing and turned to stare at me horridly as if I was the last thing they expected to see. I gulped awkwardly as my eyes traveled about the room, finding three pairs of eyes to be trained on me.

"Luna," suddenly a voice whispered to my right, and I shifted to look at one of the housekeepers who was in the middle of drying a plate with a piece of cloth; her hands fell limp to her sides and she dropped her head in a respectful bow.

"Oh, I.." I frowned in confusion. "I think you've mistaken me for someone else," I chuckled awkwardly. "My name's Nora, I'm Xavier's guest."

A slight gasp could be heard to my right, and at an impeccable speed, a young girl sitting on the counter stool dropped from her seat and stood on her legs, her head coming down in a soft bow.

I stared at her then did a double take.

"W-why are you doing that?" If I was being completely honest, the action chilled me to the core.

"Are you hungry, Luna? I can prepare you something." A voice spoke from across the counter; which belonged to another woman who stood by the oven with a grey spatula in hand, and a grey apron wrapped around her waist.

"Why are you calling me that?" I narrowed my eyes. "I told you my name's Nora."

The three ladies glanced between each other in confusion.

I'm the one who should be confused here! A voice exclaimed in my head.

"W-where is Xavier?" I asked in hopes of escaping the awkwardness and confusion in the room.

The young housekeeper who addressed me earlier replied to my question; "in his office, ma'am."

I nodded once in thanks and abruptly turned to leave through the kitchen door. I limped my way yet once more up the stairs to where I remembered Xavier's office was from last time. When I finally arrived at the wide double doors, my right hand came up in a fist to knock on the door but I hesitated, my fist coming to an abrupt stop mid-air.

My ears strained to hear the muffled voices on the other side of the doors that seemed to belong to a large audience. There was the thumping of several footsteps going back and forth by the door as if someone was strolling past anxiously, with agitated, angry murmurings going off somewhere in the distance.

I stepped closer to the doors, my chest nearly coming flat against the wood and my palms sitting on either side as I strained my ears to hear better and held my breath in anticipation.

"What's the update on Becenti's location?" Xavier's strained voice suddenly sounded, and for a second I felt a rush of warm familiarity swarm through my veins. I waited for an answer, trying to connect the far-off dots in a weak attempt to make sense of what is going on; on what could be so important to Xavier that he'd ignored me for days when instead he should've been by my side encouraging my recovery.

"Somebody, tell me something!" His loud voice suddenly roared, shaking the doors, and I let out a strangled gasp at the sudden surprise and fear that overtook my body. I stumbled back, in the process tripping over my injured leg and nearly falling to the floor; but on last second I grasped onto the side of the door frame and steadied myself, holding my breath as I prayed that they didn't hear my scuffling on the other side of their door.

"Alpha, Becenti has sent a direct location; he has eyes on the targets." An unfamiliar voice spoke up in rushed sentences.

The scuffling ensued as footsteps began to stomp around the room frantically. I pushed closer against the wooden doors, feeling the rough texture rub against my cheek as my ear fell flat against the surface straining to hear the muffled voices clearly.

"You leave Darius for me," Xavier ordered in a strained voice.

It felt as if an ice-cold bucket of water was splashed on me, a deep shiver ran down my spine. I couldn't control the involuntary gasp that escaped my lips as I stumbled away from the door, in the process stepping hard on my right leg and instantly the pain shot up my thigh. I yelped as I lost my balance, collapsing to the floor and clutching my thigh in agony.

I couldn't have heard him right, Xavier couldn't be speaking of whom I'm thinking.

The voices on the other side of the door came to a halt, and my eyes widened in fear as I tried to get back on my feet. Footsteps could be heard approaching the door, and suddenly it was yanked open rather roughly.

I stared up into a pair of narrowed, steel-grey eyes. My heart sunk into my stomach as I was pinned to my spot by the rage-filled gaze.

But when Xavier finally realized it was me, his gaze softened. The frown between his eyebrows eased as his eyes inspected my body and posture laying on my back, one hand wrapped around my bandaged thigh. He instantly reached forward, his hands gently wrapping around my upper arms as he tried to help me stand upright - and I damn near melted as the warm sparks spread through the spot where his touch met mine.

"What are you doing out of bed?" He questioned in a raspy voice.

I grasped onto the rolled-up sleeve of his white dress-shirt as I tried to balance myself on one leg, fighting hard to not let my face contort in pain. "I-" I looked up at him, about to explain how I'd come to search for him because we needed to speak, but did a double take as I noticed how different he looked at closer inspection.

My mouth fell agape in shock and confusion as I found myself staring at his bloodshot eyes, the bags under them running dark as if he hadn't had a proper sleep in weeks. His usually trimmed beard had grown an inch or two, making him look at least five years older than his actual age.

"Nora, you need to be resting in your room." He scolded, and at the same instance bent down to wrap his arms around the back of my legs and lift me up into his arms. I shrieked at the sudden motion, but Xavier secured his grip around my waist and the back of my knees; and when I was positive he wouldn't drop me, I relaxed in his arms.

His vision moved to straight ahead as he began to move us towards the direction of the room I was staying in.

"Xavier, I need to talk to you."

He shook his head. "Not right now," he replied through clenched teeth, his head remaining directed straight ahead.

I frowned in annoyance at his reply. "If not now, then when? You don't even come around anymore." I accused, trying to hold back the pain in my voice.

His gaze shifted down to glance at me, softening in regret. "Yeah, not when you're awake," he whispered lowly, but I caught on to it given our close proximity.

This time, my frown deepened in confusion. "What does that mean?"

His right arm that was curled around my waist shifted as he tried to lower the handle of my bedroom's door. When we were inside, he let out a sigh.

"I've been working a lot, Nora. But that doesn't mean I haven't been checking up on you. It's just that every time I come around, you'd be sleeping." He explained, his soft eyes meeting mine. His words pulled at my heartstrings. I didn't realize he was.

When Xavier stopped at my bed, he slowly lowered me down to gently lay me on the plush mattress. "I-I didn't know."

He smiled weakly, but it didn't reach his tired eyes. "I know."

The words I overhead earlier at his office suddenly rushed to the front of my mind, paired with his words from now claiming he'd been working a lot lately, and my eyes widened in fear. "W-what have you been working on, exactly?"

Xavier's jaws visibly tightened and clenched, the muscles on either side of his cheeks moving up and down. His gaze left mine to stare at the bandaged spot on my right thigh. After a few seconds too long, his eyes eventually found mine, only now they were harder than steel.

"I need to go." He prepared to leave, but I jumped forward instantly and reached out for his hand, clutching it tightly.

"Xavier, please don't." I begged, the fear of losing him as suddenly as he had walked into my life overtook my senses that my eyes began to well up with tears.

His eyes searched through my own, narrowing in confusion when he noticed my tear-filled gaze. His other hand came to wrap over my own clutching his, and he rubbed soothing circles on the back of it. "What are you talking about, Nora?"

"Please don't go after him," I swallowed a sob threatening to escape. "You don't know how he can be, Xavier."

Xavier's jaws clenched tightly, his eyes hardening.

"And they've been working on luring you in for a long time. This is what they want. P-please, don't go." I begged, a few tears escaping the brim of my eyes and slowly rolling down my cheek.

His narrowed eyes fell on the spot of the rolling tear, and gently, he raised his hand and with his thumb rubbed the moisture away. His hand cupped my cheek, angling my face upwards so I was staring directly in his eyes. His silver gaze moved between my own, studying my expression before he spoke.

"They will pay for what they did," he spoke in a low, strained voice.

I felt my heart clench at his words as the fear began to gain in on me. I opened my mouth to protest, but my words got stuck in my throat as I watched Xavier suddenly lean down, his face inching closer to mine. His lips left a gentle peck on the top of my head, his hand leaving my own. When he straightened up again, I wasn't given a chance to speak before he turned around and started towards the door.

"N-no, Xavier," I begged, my eyes widening in terror.

"Rest." He demanded, his back still facing me as he neared the door. "I will see you tonight."

I opened my mouth to protest, to beg him to stay by my side and not go off to start something I was sure would end in bloodshed; but Xavier spared me no second glance and was out of the door, in a blink of an eye.