Jax moved faster than she could blink, catching the edge of the door and pulling it closed again with quiet but firm finality.

  "Can I help you, Princess?" he asked, voice low and unreadable.

  Meredith turned slowly, offering him a honey-sweet smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Yes. Who's in there?"

  "No one," Jax replied evenly. "But this wing of the castle is off limits. Were you looking for the Alpha?"

  "No." She smiled wider, eyes gleaming. "I took care of his needs already."

  His jaw ticked, but he said nothing. Her hand remained on the door, and so did his.

  She narrowed her eyes. "Move your hand, Gamma."

  "As I said," Jax repeated, tone cool but respectful, "this wing is off limits. I can't allow that, Princess."

  Her voice dropped to a hiss. "I said. Move. Your. Hand."

  Jax stared at her, barely hiding his disbelief. The cracks in her facade were showing sooner than expected. "I'm afraid I can't, princess," he replied. "And a reminder: you are not Luna of this pack yet. We ask that you treat our rules, our property, and our people with the respect you'd show your own."

  Her mouth twisted in fury. "First thing I'll do when I am Queen of the North and Luna of Shadowclaw is replace you."

  Jax offered a razor-thin smile. "Then I suggest you start writing up the paperwork."

  "It's her behind the door. Isn't it?" Meredith said in a low voice, anger boiling under her skin. Her wolf wanted to come out.

  Jax didn't move or respond.

  Meredith yanked her hand away from the door like a child throwing a tantrum.

  "Why is she here?" she hissed.

  "I'll mindlink a guard to escort you back," Jax said, voice still even. "There was an attack today. It's not safe for you to wander alone."

  "No!" she snapped. "I'll go myself."

  She stomped off, the echo of her heels fading into the stone corridors, disappearing across the courtyard.

  Jax waited until her scent drifted out of range before quietly pushing open the door.

  Nova still lay curled in the bed, her expression pained. An oversized shirt clung to her chilled skin, and her hands were like ice.

  He knew Meredith would be back as soon as she thought him gone. Without hesitation, Jax scooped her up and carried her out of the room.

  She didn't stir.

  He carried her down one floor, to his private quarters, just beneath the Alpha's wing.

  He laid her gently onto his bed and felt her forehead.

  The fever had returned and Jax mindlinked immediately.

  Jax: Elias, I moved Nova to my quarters. There were...unauthorized visitors trying to access her room. I wasn't comfortable leaving her there unguarded.

  Elias: No need to explain. I heard she's your mate now, right? She's perfect for you.

  Jax allowed himself a grin, brief and fleeting.

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

  Jax: Do you have a few minutes to check on her? Her fever's spiked again.

  Elias: Yes, I'll be right there.

  A few minutes later, Elias arrived, a weather-worn medical bag slung over his shoulder.

  Nova didn't stir.

  "She's not waking up," Jax muttered, tension coiled in his voice.

  Elias glanced at him briefly, then looked back down at Nova. "I didn't ask earlier—but what the hell happened to her?"

  His tone had shifted, edged with concern. "It's like... her entire life force is gone."

  "What do you mean?" Jax asked sharply, stepping closer, his presence suddenly heavier.

  "Her healing and magic... it's all drained. These are symptoms I'd expect from someone who survived poisoning."

  Jax's expression hardened, jaw tightening. "Will she be alright?"

  "Yes, but she might not be for a day or two," Elias answered after a moment. "I can check on her tomorrow while you're working. You could leave her in the infirmary—"

  "No," Jax cut in, his stomach twisting at the thought. "She stays here. I'll stay with her."

  Elias met his eyes and, for once, gave a genuine smile—a rare, quiet thing. "You love her."

  "Yes," Jax said without hesitation.

  "But she doesn't know yet," Elias said.

  "Not yet," Jax admitted.

  The truth was, he hadn't said it aloud until today—but he'd felt it, that burning pull in his chest, from the moment she arrived. And now, finally, it was starting to make sense. To settle into something real.

  "You've got nothing to worry about," Elias said. "Aeron and I both noticed—she lights up when you're around. I think your instincts are right."

  Those words landed deeper than he probably realized. Jax had been questioning his instincts for weeks. But now? Two people Nova trusted had seen it too.

  "Thanks, Elias," Jax said quietly.

  Elias carefully injected Nova's arm with medicine.

  "For the fever," he answered. "If she feels this hot again, mindlink me. Even if it's the middle of the night."

  Jax nodded. His wolf was pacing inside him, agitated and restless.

  Elias left with a quiet promise to check in again.

  Jax brushed the damp hair from her forehead, fingers gentle.

  His voice dropped to a whisper, rough with emotion.

  "I've got you. I will always protect you."

  ???

  Jax locked the door to his chamber.

  "I'll be right back," he murmured, pressing a gentle kiss to Nova's forehead.

  The motion surprised him. He did it without thought, and it felt natural.

  He slipped into his bathing chamber and returned with a bowl of cold water and a soft cloth.

  He wrung it out carefully and laid it across her forehead, checking her temperature with the back of his hand. Still hot. Too hot.

  He cleaned himself up quickly, then stood in the quiet, suddenly aware of how drained he was. Even with the healing that had come when Nova lit up the hot spring, his body felt like it had been dragged across the continent.

  He still nearly froze to death, fought off armed soldiers, got stabbed, jumped off a cliff into a half-frozen river, and oh—touched a cursed blade four separate times just to see if maybe, maybe the fifth try wouldn't sear the flesh from his hand.

  Jax shook his head, letting out a low breath. If he hadn't lived it, he wouldn't have believed a word of it. And yet, here he was.

  His original plan—to give her space, to show restraint—lasted all of a minute before crumbling.

  He crawled onto the bed, and pulled her against his chest.

  It felt right. Gods, it felt right.

  He had imagined this. But reality shattered every version his mind had conjured.

  He pressed a kiss to her forehead, then another to the crown of her head, lips lingering in her hair.

  She was perfect for him in a way he could never put into words. He just prayed to every god listening that he could be worthy of her.

  "Nova..." he whispered, his voice rough with feeling. "You have no idea what you mean to me..."

  That night, Jax slept better than he had in years.

  His eyes opened slowly. It felt as if something inside him had been reset. Like a weight had been lifted. Like he'd been stripped back to his original form—before war, before grief.

  Nova's back was still pressed to his chest. His arms hadn't moved an inch the entire night, still wrapped tightly around her.

  And gods, she felt like she was made for him. Every place their skin touched sparked with warmth, little threads of electricity whispering across his nerves.

  He felt her forehead. Still warm, but much better.

  ???

  A few minutes later, Elias arrived with his medical bag in tow. He gave her another injection for the fever. Then rested his hand lightly on her wrist.

  "Interesting," he said under his breath.

  "What?" Jax asked, brows pulling tight.

  "She's healing faster than expected," Elias said, eyes still on Nova. "Heart-rate and breathing is more steady. Fever's still lingering, so I want to monitor that."

  "Healing like this usually accelerates when a fated mate is physically close." Elias glanced at Jax. "She's your chosen mate, correct?"

  "Yes," Jax answered right away. "But it feels like more. I'm not just saying that—I've felt the fated bond before, and this... this is deeper. I feel her emotions, the sparks when I touch her, the way her scent pulls at me. My wolf doesn't understand it either."

  Elias paused, then let out a low chuckle.

  "Sounds about right for Nova," he said, shaking his head. "Girl has silver blood and glows in the dark... should've known her matebond wouldn't follow the rules either."