The corridor twisted like a living thing beneath the castle. Cold stone. Ancient shadows.

  Aeron walked in silence ahead of her. He seemed to be deep in thought.

  Jax caught up to her and grabbed her hand, giving it a squeeze. She looked at him with grateful eyes and that nearly broke him.

  He pulled her closer wrapping his arm around her waist and kissed her temple as they walked.

  His scent calmed her nerves. He felt like home.

  They reached a heavy, rune-etched door at the end of the corridor.

  Aeron pressed his palm to the wood. Light shimmered beneath his hand, unlocking it with a soft click.

  He stepped inside first.

  His large study was almost the size of a corridor. It was dim and full of strange artifacts — shelves crammed with weathered book.

  Nova stepped forward, out of Jax's arm. But, before the door could close, Jax entered.

  Aeron didn't react beyond a slight shift of his gaze.

  "Very well," he said mildly amused. "You can stay. Please shut the door."

  Jax did. Quietly. But firmly.

  Nova felt a quiet warmth. Jax wanted to be here, with her. No expectations. Just him, showing up again and again in small, quiet ways that meant everything. This was just another act of quiet care on a growing list she couldn't stop replaying in her mind.

  She was falling in love with him. Completely. Irrevocably. And gods, that both terrified and thrilled her.

  Aeron regarded her for a long moment before speaking. "You're not bound like the others. Not just linked by blood, but recognized."

  Nova swallowed. "Did you hear them?"

  "Yes. But not like you did, I'm sure." Aeron circled to the other side of the table, his expression unreadable.

  He tapped the center of the table, where a thick, leather-bound tome lay.

  "I wanted to show you this after the joining," he said, opening the book. "It's written in an archaic dialect. Older than Lunaglyphs."

  "You channeled something you couldn't control," Aeron said evenly.

  "I suppose that is fair," Nova said swallowing, mind racing.

  Aeron exhaled through his nose. "Kaelith is dramatic."

  "Oh, about my death?" Nova asked.

  "She's wrong," Jax said firmly. He stepped closer to her side so their arms were touching.

  The room was quiet for a moment.

  "I'll look into the bloodbinding." Aeron's eyes flickered to the table again. "There's something I want to test."

  Nova's brows furrowed. "Test?"

  He gestured toward a blank sheet of parchment with runes curved along the edges.

  "Hold out your hand," he instructed.

  She hesitated but reluctantly extended her right hand, palm up.

  Aeron reached for a dagger from his desk and before she could flinch... Slice.

  Nova gasped softly, jerking slightly, but Aeron caught her wrist with a steady hand.

  Silver blood spurted out of her palm at an alarming rate.

  "Are you insane?" Jax snapped, voice low but dangerous. His eyes flashed gold for a heartbeat. "You don't touch her like that."

  Aeron didn't even look up. "Control yourself, Thorne. You think I enjoy this?"

  Jax's hands curled into fists. "You didn't warn her."

  "Because warning her would have changed the result," Aeron said flatly. "Now be still. Both of you."

  Nova's blood spread across the parchment like mercury, symbols twisting into shape.

  Aeron leaned closer, his eyes sharp. "Old Tongue."

  The runes pulsed once, then the words began to move, rearranging into lines.

  Aeron whispered as they formed.

  "Descendant of the Moon-Goddess born,

  The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  When silver bleeds, the gate is torn.

  When blood is bound, the old ones wake,

  The burden hers alone to take."

  "The greatest war Varos has seen,

  Will break to ash by arrows three."

  "White wolf hunted by six and struck by two,

  Seven Kings shall kneel before she's through."

  "Dark rain shall fall then she must go,

  To ruins before the full moon's glow."

  The last line flared too bright to look at, then the parchment burst into flame.

  Jax's voice broke the silence. "What... what does it mean?"

  The room was quiet for a moment. Nova saw spots, and the world began to spin.

  Aeron said something, but his voice sounded muffled. Her knees buckled before at that moment, and everything went black.

  ???

  Jax caught her before she hit the floor.

  He held her tightly, jaw clenched, heart racing. She was too hot, with fever again. A deep one. The kind that seeped into bone.

  Aeron was muttering something under his breath, hands glowing faintly as he moved to inspect the faint scorch mark where her blood had touched the enchanted parchment.

  The air shifted. A soundless pulse rippled through the stone walls — barely perceptible, unless you knew how to feel for magic.

  The door swung open. Fin stepped inside, gaze snapping to Nova like a caged predator. The scent of her blood clung to the air.

  "What happened?"

  Aeron didn't look up from the glowing parchment on the desk. "She fainted."

  "I can see that." Fin's eyes flickered to the parchment. "What did you do?"

  Aeron lifted his chin slightly, unfazed. "I needed to confirm something. The parchment is from the ruins beneath the Temple of the First Moon. It only activates in the presence of divine blood."

  Finric stared at him. "Did you warn her before?"

  Jax shifted, his grip tightening instinctively around Nova. "He didn't. And I nearly put him through the goddamned wall for it."

  Aeron raised both hands. "Easy. She'll be fine."

  "What did the parchment say?" Fin asked, not bother to hide his irritation.

  "There's a war, she's hunted, doom and gloom. She's getting used to it. What I was most interested in is how it reacted to her."

  Jax's jaw tightened. He exchanged a sharp glance with Fin.

  "How many other things has she come across like this, that everyone's just letting pass?" Jax's voice was hard. "Because that is the second time I've heard this in two weeks. I swear I'll burn the records myself."

  Aeron's head snapped up, eyes narrowing.

  "What do you mean second time?" he demanded, voice low and dangerous. The same tone he used when he sensed someone was holding out on him.

  Jax opened his mouth. Fin cut him a warning glance.

  Aeron inhaled slowly.

  "Oh no. No. No, no, no—" he muttered. "You two are not doing this silent-eye-contact-brooding-wolf-bullshit with me. Tell me."

  Aeron stared at them both like he was deciding which to strangle first. "Explain. Now."

  Fin exhaled, keeping his voice calm. "We overheard something."

  Aeron's eyes narrowed. "Both of you."

  Fin didn't flinch. "Yes."

  Aeron folded his arms like he absolutely didn't believe a goddamned syllable of that.

  "Fine. What did you 'overhear'?"

  Jax's jaw tightened, his expression uncharacteristically serious.

  "Nova met with a fortune-teller who predicted a captain would fight her. Which we all know happened."

  Aeron muttered, "Gods. Hunter Ryker is an idiot."

  Fin's jaw flexed. "She also predicted that by the seventh sunset, the Dark Alpha would..."

  His voice trailed off.

  "Yes, mystery solved. Dark Alpha identified," Jax said, giving Fin a nod. "And you're marrying his sister. That'll be one hell of a family reunion."

  Fin's glare could've leveled a building.

  "What?" Jax smirked.

  Aeron dragged a hand down his face. "You two have the emotional discipline of unsupervised toddlers."

  Aeron continued as if the prophecy was as a weather report. "Anyways, as I was saying, the parchment..."

  He looked up, eyes gleaming like he had made a scientific discovery. "Is thousands of years old and only responded to her. It was made for her."

  Nova stirred in Jax's arms and his expression softened. For a half-second, he looked wrecked with protectiveness.

  Fin stepped forward like he hadn't just watched that happen.

  "I can take her," he said evenly, like this was a simple logistical choice and not a declaration of war.

  Jax turned his head slowly. "Can you?"

  Fin's eyes narrowed. "Gamma."

  "Alpha." Jax mirrored the tone perfectly, then tightened his hold. "Feel free to order me. But you're going to have to pry her away from me to make it happen."

  A muscle in Finric's jaw twitched.

  "She needs a healer," Fin said, voice low and tight. "She needs rest."

  "That's where I'm taking her," Jax answered. His eyes flicked up, gleaming with something sharp. "I forgot to tell you about my encounter with your chosen Luna. You know... the Dark Alpha's sister."

  "Oh yes, do tell us how the mare is doing?" Aeron muttered so dry and deadly that Jax snorted.

  Fin's voice came out like a blade. "What happened."

  He had a feeling when. The day he let Meredith pleasure him.

  Jax didn't soften the blow.

  "I caught her trying to enter the room Nova was passed out in," Jax said. "She wouldn't take her hand off the door. Refused to leave. Then asked if it was her inside."

  Fin went still.

  Jax's jaw ticked. "She knew it was Nova. I didn't answer. And she told me, with the confidence of a delusional queen, that she'd replace me the second she became your Luna."

  That hit its mark. Fin's mouth curled, but not into a smile. "She said that?"

  Jax chuckled, rolling his eyes. "With a smug little smirk, too. Thought it'd take her at least another month or so before she let herself slip in front of one of us."

  Silence hung between them, heavy and bitter.

  "She is never going to be my Luna." Finric's voice was steel and final. "Never."

  Aeron looked up, "You mean you don't want the Queen and Luna of our pack to be kicking omegas, sending unauthorized sparrows, or meeting with warriors to talk about Nova?"

  Jax's head snapped toward him, gaze darkening. "What?"

  Aeron lifted a brow in disgust. "Oh yes. She is so far off the rails she needs a map, a compass, and possibly divine intervention."

  Finric's nostrils flared, "What the hell does she even want with warriors?"

  Aeron snorted. "Validation. Attention. An audience. Pick one. Pick all three."

  Jax tilted his head. "At least she's consistent."

  Fin exhaled sharply through his nose. His voice dropped lower. "I don't care what political alliance they're trying to protect."

  "We need a plan. A clean one," Fin added, "She's a liability now."

  "We could kill her." Aeron said flatly without emotion.

  Jax stared at him.

  "We might need to if we can't get rid of her another way," Fin answered, now surprising Aeron and Jax.

  Jax's mind was racing. "We trade her. Bloodmoon Pack's northern border is exposed. A diplomatic mate for Grant, Balen's son."

  Fin considered that. "I'll encourage Balen to bring Grant for our summit in a few months."

  Fin's gaze drifted back to Nova.

  "I'm taking her to to meet Elias." Jax shifted Nova slightly in his arms, before leaving the room.

  He held her tight as he walked down the corridor, his stride purposeful.

  Possessive. Silent.