23. Loid Mansion.

The Loid Mansion, usually a place of elegance and discipline, had now turned into a chaotic battlefield.

The moment Xavier brought Natasha back—pale, injured, and barely conscious—both Alex and Sasha Loid immediately turned into two very different versions of concerned parents.

Alex, ever the loving husband, stood beside Sasha with a calm and doting expression, ready to be the supportive partner. Meanwhile, Sasha?

Sasha was fuming.

Her beautiful face twisted into a sharp scowl as she looked at her injured daughter, hands on her hips, radiating motherly rage.

"Doctor," Daniel muttered under his breath, already dialing the family physician on his phone.

Sasha pointed a perfectly manicured finger at Xavier, her eyes narrowing dangerously. "What happened?"

Xavier, who had just risked his life to retrieve Natasha from her foolish adventure, was met not with gratitude but an interrogation. He sighed, rolling his shoulders, "Nice to see you too, Mom."

Sasha did not look amused. "Xavier Loid, if you do not start talking right this second, I will personally awaken whatever bloodline you're supposed to have—with my shoe."

Alex chuckled, placing a hand on his wife's shoulder. "Now, now, my dear. Let's not get violent—"

Sasha swatted his hand away. "This is me being calm, Alex."

Daniel, still on the phone, muttered to himself, "Thank God I was born first."

Xavier sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Fine. Here's the short version: Natasha decided to take a lovely five-hour road trip to visit her scumbag ex, got into a screaming match with him, and then, as if that wasn't enough, went outside during the apocalypse where a zombie cat bit her. I had to drive all the way there, deal with her nonsense, inject her with the vaccine, and now here we are."

The room fell silent.

Alex and Daniel turned to look at Natasha, who was still pale as a ghost in Xavier's arms.

Sasha?

Sasha slowly exhaled through her nose, her patience hanging by a thread.

"You went to see that bastard, Ren?" Sasha's voice was deceptively calm.

Xavier, ever helpful, nodded. "Yep. With all the survival instincts of a rock, she walked straight into his arms, where he was shirtless, by the way, and had another woman clinging to him. Then she got mocked and humiliated in front of the side chick, and instead of just leaving, she stayed and argued."

Daniel finally finished his call and gave Natasha the most judgmental side-eye of the century. "Nat, do you have a hobby of collecting red flags? Is it like, a personal challenge?"

Natasha groaned, still half-conscious, and weakly slapped Xavier's arm. "I didn't ask you to come get me."

Xavier scoffed. "Oh, my bad. Next time I'll let you finish your transformation into a zombie dog before stepping in."

Daniel smirked. "She'd make a cute zombie, though. Imagine, little undead Natasha, still out here trying to defend that idiot Ren."

Natasha, too weak to slap Daniel, simply glared at him. "I hate both of you."

Sasha pinched the bridge of her nose. "I hate all three of you."

Alex, ever the supportive husband, wrapped his arms around Sasha's waist and kissed her temple. "But you love me, right?"

Sasha sighed dramatically, "God really tested me with this family."

After the family had calmed down slightly (and Natasha was safely tucked into a mountain of blankets), Xavier cleared his throat.

"Since we're on the topic of reckless decisions, I'd like to formally announce mine."

Daniel sighed. "I don't like where this is going."

Sasha crossed her arms, eyes narrowing. "Xavier, don't test me today."

Xavier, undeterred, stood tall and proud. "I want to go live with my beloved."

The silence was deafening.

Daniel blinked. "You want to what? In the middle of an apocalypse?"

Sasha pointed a finger at Xavier like a judge about to deliver a death sentence. "Absolutely not."

Xavier groaned. "Mom—"

Sasha cut him off instantly. "No. You haven't even awakened your bloodline yet. You're running around like an ordinary human, and if you step out there, you might as well be waving a 'Bite Me' sign for the zombies."

Xavier scoffed. "Even Daniel hasn't awakened yet."

Daniel, sensing danger, held up his hands. "Don't bring me into this."

Xavier crossed his arms. "I don't care about awakening my bloodline right now. Alvin is out there alone, protecting a bunch of kids, and I refuse to sit here while he faces all of this by himself."

Sasha's eye twitched. "I don't care if he's the last person on Earth—"

Alex suddenly cleared his throat. "Then why don't we all go?"

All heads turned to him.

Sasha blinked. "What?"

Alex shrugged casually. "If Xavier wants to be with his beloved, then we just move the entire family. Simple solution."

Daniel rubbed his temples. "Of course you'd say that."

Xavier looked hopeful. "See? Dad gets it!"

Sasha stared at Alex like he had lost his mind. "Do you hear yourself? Just 'move the entire family'—in the middle of the worst crisis humanity has ever faced?"

Alex wrapped his arms around her again, resting his chin on her head. "Darling, you know I can't live without you. So if you won't let Xavier leave, then let's all go together. That way, I still get to hold you every night, and our sons don't die of heartbreak."

Sasha narrowed her eyes, clearly not falling for the sweet talk.

Daniel groaned loudly. "Life in this house is exhausting."

Sasha remained silent for a long moment, thinking it over. Then, she sighed, her sharp gaze moving between Xavier and Alex. "Fine. But we leave tomorrow morning. And if any of you get injured on the way, you better not come crying to me."

Xavier grinned victoriously. "Deal."

Daniel rolled his eyes. "This family is insane."

.

.

A few hours later, Natasha finally regained full consciousness. Her pale skin had a bit more color, but she was still weak.

She sat up in bed, looking at Xavier, her voice soft but filled with gratitude. "Thank you for coming to get me."

Xavier smirked. "Too bad you had to be an idiot for me to do it."

Natasha scowled. "You know what? Forget it. I take my thanks back."

Daniel, from the corner, snorted. "Next time, just get bitten faster. Save us the trouble."

Natasha grabbed a pillow and threw it at him weakly.

Sasha, watching from the doorway, simply sighed and shook her head. "Let them fight. They need it."

Alex, standing behind her, kissed her forehead. "Let's go rest, my love. We move tomorrow."

Sasha sighed again but allowed herself to be led away, muttering, "I swear, this family will be the death of me."