He 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 called after her, 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 face pale, her lips parted in restless sleep. An oversized shirt clung to her chilled skin, and her hands were like ice.
Without hesitation, Jax scooped her up and carried her out of the room. She didn't stir, not even when her head came to rest against his shoulder.
He knew Meredith would be back to that room as soon as she thought him gone.
He carried Nova down one floor, to his private quarters, just beneath the Alpha's wing. He laid her gently on his bed and felt forehead. He frowned, the fever had returned. Her breathing was shallow, and her limbs twitching faintly.
Jax mindlinked Elias.
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 replied almost immediately.
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.
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. He dropped to his knees beside her, fingers moving with practiced precision as he checked her vitals—pressing two against the pulse point at her neck, the other hand resting lightly on her sternum to monitor her breath.
Nova didn't stir.
"She's not waking up," Jax muttered, tension coiled in his voice, brows drawn tight.
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.
The doctor's voice dropped, low and grave. "Her wolf, her magic... it's all suppressed. Drained. These are symptoms I'd expect from someone who survived poisoning. Or contact with silver—heavy, prolonged contact." He hesitated, eyes flicking up to Jax's.
Jax's expression hardened, jaw tightening. "Will she be alright?"
"Yes, but she might not be for a day or two," Elias said 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 really do love her, don't you?"
"Yes," Jax said without hesitation.
"But she doesn't know yet," Elias added gently.
"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 Elias 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 pulled a small vial from his bag, drew the medicine into a syringe, and carefully injected it into Nova's arm. "For the fever," he said quietly. "If she feels this hot again, mindlink me—even if it's the middle of the night. And if she doesn't wake in the next day or so, I might need to start her on an IV."
Jax nodded, jaw tight. His wolf was pacing inside him, agitated and restless.
He looked down at Nova—pale, burning, unmoving. Fragile in a way she never looked awake.
Elias left with a quiet promise to check in again.
Jax sank down beside her, the tension slowly bleeding from his shoulders as he reached out and brushed the damp hair from her forehead, fingers gentle. His voice dropped to a whisper, rough with emotion.
"You're not going anywhere, Nova. You hear me? I've got you. I will always protect you."
She didn't stir.
But a soft breath escaped her lips—just a whisper of a sigh, like her soul had heard him.
________________________________________________________________________
Jax locked the door to his chamber, shutting out the corridor—and the rest of the world with it.
"I'll be right back," he murmured, pressing a gentle kiss to Nova's forehead. The motion surprised him—not because he didn't mean it, but because of how natural it felt. As if his body had simply done what his heart already knew.
He slipped into the adjoining bathing chambers, returning moments later 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 draped a thick fur blanket over her small frame and stirred the fire until the flames leapt higher, filling the room with steady warmth.
Only then did he pause.
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—an act that had nearly killed them both—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. All while Fin was mindlinking people. He didn't stop until Fin ordered him to.
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.
He crawled onto the bed, eyes never leaving Nova. His original plan—to give her space, to show restraint—lasted all of a minute before crumbling. He couldn't do it. Not tonight. Not after everything.
He pulled her gently into his arms, cradling her against his chest, and breathed her in. It felt right. Gods, it felt right. He had imagined this—holding her, just the two of them in silence—for so long. But reality shattered every version his mind had conjured. It was better. It was real.
He pressed a kiss to her forehead, then another to the crown of her head, lips lingering in her hair. She smelled like vanilla and moonlight—soft, familiar, undeniably hers.
Perfect.
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. The kind of sleep that sank deep into his bones—the kind that left no dreams, only silence. And when he woke, 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, before the ache of longing.
His eyes opened slowly.
Nova was still in his arms, her back pressed to his chest, his arms hadn't moved an inch, still wrapped tightly around her. Neither had he. It was as if his body knew she belonged there.
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. So much so, it was hard to focus on anything else.
He reached for her forehead. Still warm—but not like last night.
Relieved, Jax slipped out of bed, grabbed the bowl of cold water, and refreshed the cloth before gently placing it back on Nova's forehead. He changed quickly, pulling on a clean shirt, then sent a mindlink to Elias.
Jax: Elias, can you come check on Nova. She's stable, but still warm.
Elias: On my way.
A few minutes later, Elias arrived with his usual tired stride and medical bag in tow. He gave her another injection for the fever, then rested his hand lightly on her wrist, watching her closely.
"Interesting…" Elias murmured, frowning.
"What?" Jax asked, brows pulling tight.
"She's healing faster than expected," Elias said, eyes still on Nova. "Yesterday her breathing was ragged—today it's steady. So is her heart rate. Fever's still lingering, so I want to monitor that…"
"That's good though, right?" Jax pressed.
"Yes…" Elias said slowly. "It's just—healing like this usually accelerates when a fated mate is physically close. Touching. Bonded in some way."
He glanced at Jax. "She's your chosen mate, correct?"
"Yes," Jax said without hesitation. "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 draws silver blood, glows in the dark in a classroom… should've known her mating bond wouldn't follow the rules either."