Warmth.
Pressure.
Then a stabbing ache in her chest, and the familiar taste of blood in her mouth.
Then nothing for a long time.
Finally, Nova's eyes flew open.
Everything was hazy — soft lighting, muted voices, the lingering scent of herbs and blood.
Jax was sitting in a chair at her bedside, head in his hands, shoulders slumped like the weight of the world had collapsed onto him. His head jerked up when he felt her stir.
"Thank the gods," he breathed, voice cracking.
Before she could say a word, he leaned forward and kissed her — not on the lips, but everywhere else. Her forehead. Her cheeks. Her nose. Her chin. As if to confirm she was real, alive.
He looked like hell. Like he hadn't slept or eaten in days. His eyes were bloodshot.
"I swear," he muttered with a tired grin, brushing hair from her face, "if I have to carry you unconscious one more time, I'm just getting you your own damn stretcher. Embroidered and everything. Maybe with wheels and a cup holder."
Nova laughed softly, the sound weak but real.
"What… happened?" she asked, her throat raw like she'd swallowed fire.
"You don't remember?" Fin asked, hesitating. He was also sitting in the room and looked like he hadn't slept.
Nova shook her head, surprised to see the Alpha there.
He paused, lips pressing into a line. He didn't want to scare her. Not right now. Not when she was still recovering.
"You were poisoned," he said carefully. "It was in the wine. Elle too."
At her friend's name, Nova sat up too fast.
"Whoa, whoa—Nova," Jax tried to stop her, but she was already out of the bed.
She looked across the room.
Elle lay still on the cot, pale as death. A thin sheen of sweat glistened across her forehead. Her chest barely moved.
Cael sat beside her, red-eyed and silent, stroking her hand like it was the only thing tethering him to the world. He didn't notice Nova, didn't flinch — just stared down at Elle's face like she was slipping through his fingers and there was nothing he could do to stop it.
Nova's heart dropped.
No.
No, no, no.
Without thinking, Nova grabbed a small knife from the healer's tray.
"Nova—" Jax's voice came from behind, alarmed. He surged forward as she dragged the blade across her palm, but didn't stop her in time.
"Nova, what are you doing—?"
She held her bleeding hand over Elle's lips, letting the blood seep in.
Cael finally snapped out of his trance. His hand shot out, grabbing Nova's wrist roughly. "What the hell are you—?!"
Nova's entire body pulsed with a brilliant light — silver and white. Her hair lifted gently as if caught in an unseen current.
Cael was thrown back two feet — not violently, but with a gentle force that made him stumble against the wall.
Everyone froze.
Nova's glowing hand hovered over Elle's mouth.
And then—
Elle gasped.
Her eyes shot open, wide and confused. "What the actual—?"
She blinked, sitting up in the bed like she had just come out of a deep dive.
Cael scrambled forward, cupping her face, eyes wild.
"Elle—?"
"I'm fine—what happened?" she croaked.
Cael let out a sound that might have been a sob. Or a laugh. Maybe both. He pulled her into his arms.
Nova's light faded. Her knees buckled.
Jax caught her before she could fall, his arms already around her.
"You never stop scaring the shit out of me," he muttered into her hair, kissing the top of her head and holding her close. "Please stop doing that."
Nova managed a tired, shaky smile.
Fin was stunned watching this. Nova was something else. Something special. Her instant response towards Elle stirred something deep inside him. Again.
The door creaked open.
Elias stepped in, cheerful and oblivious. "Oh good, you both are finally awake!"
Cael leaned back in his chair and stretched. "Yep. Just your average morning — tiny girl manages to chuck a Beta twice her size 5 feet. I swear, I'm gonna have to start padding my ego around you. Can't have sparky the death witch bruising it every other week."
Nova busted out laughing.
Fin grinned. "Sparky the death witch?"
Cael said, placing a hand over his heart. "It's a term of endearment. She's terrifying and adorable. The deadliest combination."
Jax chuckled.
Elias blinked. "Wait—what actually happened?"
"What the hell happened," Elle rasped, eyes squinting open. "And why does my chest feel like I got hit by a drunk troll riding a warhorse?"
Nova put her hand on her sternum. She felt it too.
"Elle." Cael's voice cracked. He was trying to compose himself but couldn't and just hugged her.
She blinked again, then frowned. "Why are you all staring at me like I just came back from the dead?"
Jax deadpanned, "Because you did."
Elle blinked. "Oh. Cool. Do I get a badge or something?"
Cael barked a laugh, rubbing his hand over his face. "You both are wearing a helmet moving forward. At all times."
Jax chuckled, finally letting himself relax just a little as the air shifted from panic to something softer, safer — filled with laughter and the warmth of having the ones you love still breathing.
For the first time in months, Fin felt like he could breathe. He didn't love the way Jax was touching Nova… no that tension was still there. But the other tensions he was carrying… settled.
His best friends were here — laughing, teasing, alive. Cael was grinning like he hadn't been to hell and back for the last 24 hours. Jax was laughing like he did when they were kids.
And Fin finally understood it.
Why Jax couldn't stay away. Why Cael was always conveniently "just passing by." These two girls were chaos wrapped in warmth. Trouble with sharp tongues and soft hearts.
They were fun.
And this — this wild, ridiculous, genuine mess of laughter and loyalty — this was what it was supposed to feel like. Mates. Family. Pack.
Not whatever cold, political theater he was being forced to perform with Meredith.
He looked around the room, and something in him clicked.
This was what home was supposed to feel like.
All he needed now was Nova as his mate… and they'd figure out everything else.