Nova blinked, disoriented, her vision swimming before it slowly anchored into the world again. The ceiling above her sharpened, lantern light flickering across stone.
Her wrists burned.
Raw. Torn. Angry red and blistered.
Gods… her whole body ached. Her ribs throbbed when she breathed. Her head felt stuffed with cotton and pain.
Voices drifted from the hallway—Jax's voice, low and furious, pacing like a caged storm. She startled at the sound, her heart squeezing painfully.
She looked down at herself. Still in her training suit. She pushed herself upright, wincing at the pull in her side. The memories snapped back in pieces—the cell, the cold stone, the stink of the dungeon air, the guard's voice accusing her of stealing from and assaulting Meredith.
Her stomach twisted. She stood, legs shaking, spots dancing across her vision.
The door opened.
Jax strode into the infirmary, and the anger on his face startled her. It was sharp, barely-contained, haloed in gold from the wolf boiling beneath his skin. For a sickening heartbeat, she thought it was for her.
"Jax…" Her voice was small, rough, but relieved despite her fear. "I swear I didn't—"
She didn't finish.
He reached her in two strides and pulled her into his arms, crushing her against his chest with a fierceness that stole her breath. She gasped surprised, unsteady—but then melted against him because gods, she needed this. More than she knew. More than she would ever admit.
"I know you didn't, Nova," he said, voice a low rasp against her hair.
Her throat tightened. She hugged him back, swallowing the trembling breath that wanted to break into a sob. She refused to cry—not in front of him, not now—but her eyes were red, her lashes damp.
Still, she held on.
And he held her tighter.
Jax breathed her in—vanilla and moonlight and something warm and alive—and every spark that ignited where their bodies touched shot straight down his spine. Everything about her felt right in his arms. Too right. Terrifyingly right.
His arms stayed around her when they should have dropped. He did not want to let her go. He was already trying to think of an excuse to remain at her side, something that would not frighten her, something that would let him stay close.
Gods, he was falling for her. Maybe more than he had allowed himself to realize until now.
He finally loosened his hold, hands lingering a second longer on her waist as he stepped back. Nova looked up at him, green eyes soft and tired and stunning even through the exhaustion. Jax swallowed, the desire to protect her—and gods, to touch her again—burning through him like wildfire.
He leaned in. Slow. Careful. Like she might vanish if he so much as breathed wrong.
His hand cupped her jaw, thumb brushing her cheek as though she were something precious. And she was. She leaned into his touch, only slightly, barely at all, but enough to break something open inside him.
Sparks crawled across his skin, hungry and immediate.
His lips moved toward hers, hesitant, his heart pounding hard enough that he felt it in his throat. He paused a breath from her mouth, giving her every chance to pull back.
She didn't.
So he let himself fall that last impossible inch.
His lips grazed the bottom of hers. Just a whisper of contact, a soft brush, but the jolt that tore through him was violent. Sparks more intense than anything he had felt with his fated mate. His wolf surged so hard he nearly lost control.
In that exact millisecond, Elias's voice shattered the moment.
"Raid Halvarn, if you misplace one more salve jar, I will start labeling your fingers," Elias barked from the hallway.
Nova jumped and Jax jerked back, releasing her as if reality had snapped him in two.
For one breath, he stood there staring at her, chest rising too fast, lips still tingling from the faint brush of hers. He didn't know if she jumped because of Elias's voice or if it was because she felt that spark too. The jolt that detonated through his body the instant his mouth touched hers. And that uncertainty nearly undid him.
Elias walked in without looking up from the stack of papers in his hands. "Nova, you are awake. Raid, bring her the tonic we prepared. And try not to drop it this time."
Raid hurried over and handed Nova the vial. She avoided Jax's eyes entirely, focusing on the bottle in her shaking hand. "Thank you," she said quietly, lifting it to her lips.
"Twice a day for a few days, Nova," Elias said, still flipping through pages. His tone made it sound routine, but Nova stiffened. How did he know she had been cuffed in silver again.
"I am omniscient." Elias said sarcastically, reading her mind.
She drank the tonic. Jax hadn't taken his eyes off her.
When she finally dared glance his way, her face flushed instantly beneath his gaze. It melted something in him. His expression stayed unreadable, carved from a discipline he barely had a grip on.
Nova wasn't sure if what just happened actually happened. Did their lips brush or was she imagining it. She must have imagined it. Jax was her friend and the Shadowclaw Gamma. He was always so kind to her. She almost scolded herself for even thinking it. Her mind spiraled uselessly, and she forced a steadying breath.
Jax couldn't look away because he was trying to understand how in all the gods' realms they weren't fated mates. Sparks still lingered on his mouth, faint but unmistakable. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen and her scent was intoxicating.
His thoughts dragged back to the chest pain that had knocked the breath out of him hours earlier. He wondered now if that had been her. Had he felt her pain. Her fear. Was that what tore through him like a blade?
Fin's voice struck his mind like a command through steel.
Fin: Come to the warroom.
Jax tore his eyes from her and cleared his throat. "Please excuse me," he said stiffly, forcing himself to step back. Every instinct screamed at him to stay. To return to her side. To pull her into his arms and kiss her for real.
He pushed every instinct down and walked out before he did something he could not take back. The moment the door closed behind him, he shook his head hard as he strode down the corridor, trying to clear the fog of desire and instinct clawing at him.
Surely he had imagined that.
He could not feel her emotions. That was not possible unless they were fated or she wore his mark. And she was neither. There was no bond between them. No claim. No explanation for the way his chest still ached or why her scent lingered like a brand on his skin. This was in his head.
"Elias…"
She stopped. The words caught in her throat. She didn't know if he knew. She didn't know if she should say anything. She didn't know how much of this nightmare was still unfolding around her.
Elias finally set his papers down and softened his voice. "We know you did not do it."
Nova nodded, throat tight, exhaustion settling into her bones. She clutched the tonic with both hands, steadying herself—not from the pain, but from everything else she did not know how to face.
Nova left the infirmary, exhausted and aching, and made her way back to her room. The moment she pushed the door open, something moved—a blur of dark red hair flying straight at her.
Elle slammed into her with a force that nearly knocked her backward.
"Nova! I'm so glad you're alright. I was so worried."
Nova let out a soft breath she hadn't meant to. Elle squeezed her tighter, her fingers curling into Nova's shoulders like she needed proof she was real.
After a moment, Nova pulled away with a faint smile. "I'm alright. I promise."
"Good, because I was about to march down there and set the dungeon on fire," Elle said, wiping her eyes and pretending she hadn't been crying.
"I'm confused on what the hell happened," Nova said, sinking onto the edge of the bed.
"We all are," Elle replied dryly.
"Did Meredith really say I assaulted her? And stole something from her?"
"That's what the rumors say," Elle said with a shrug. "But magically, the moment the Alpha got back, she was perfectly fine. He said he would question you himself, and suddenly Meredith changed her story. Said maybe you were confused."
Nova stared at her. "You're joking."
"I wish I were. I don't know the full details, but you'd have to be brainless not to see how stupid that makes her look."
Nova exhaled slowly and stood, heading for the shower. She let the hot water wash away the dried blood, the grime, the dungeon. The memory of silver burning into her skin clung for a moment before the heat chased it back.
When she stepped out again, wrapped in a towel and exhaustion, Elle was already perched cross-legged on her bed.
"Finally. You look less like a corpse now," Elle said.
Nova snorted softly and sat. "You're terrible."
"Yes, but honest," Elle replied.
For a small, precious moment, they laughed like they usually do. Easy. Light. As though nothing had happened. As though Nova hadn't been thrown into a dungeon and nearly killed.
Then Elle's smile faded.
She was staring at the window.
Nova followed her gaze.
A message had formed in the condensation on the glass, written by a finger that should never have been in their room at all.
You should have stayed in Ashbane.
Next time, you won't crawl out.
Nova's breath caught. Her eyes stung, a sudden heat burning behind them. Her chest tightened, and she swallowed hard, forcing herself to stand a little straighter.
Elle rose immediately, wrapping her arms around Nova and pulling her close.
"Fuck them," Elle said, voice sharp and vicious. She wiped the message from the glass with the side of her hand. "It's hard to be pretty sometimes."
Nova let out a tense laugh, shaking her head, tears threatening but not falling. "You're impossible."
"And we're both gorgeous. Which apparently pisses off every insecure brat in a twenty-mile radius," Elle said with a dramatic sigh.
Nova nodded, a small smile returning despite the fear coiled in her stomach.
She wasn't alone.
Not entirely.