Jax squinted his eyes, trying to find any sign of Nova. It was dark and he saw figures screaming swirling through the air, their voices shrill, inhuman.
Then, dozens of them spoke in unison—unnatural, jagged, and all wrong. "Nova… come out, come out wherever you are." They repeated it, again and again, each time the pitch shifting, distorting until the name sounded more like a curse than a call.
"You know we'll find you again… come play with us."
Laughter followed. The sound crept into Jax's mind like a parasite. The shadows shifted, watching him. Waiting.
He started running in the general direction most were headed, eyes scanning for her. He realized they were in a dark forest. But it was foggy like a dream and he couldn't fully make out the trees.
"We'll catch you again… and you won't be able to save what you protect." More voices hissed in unison.
Jax heard from his right dark voices chanting. "You can't run forever. Play. Play. Play."
From his left he heard a chorus, "He burns, he breaks, she bleeds, she takes—" a child's giggle warping into a guttural snarl. The ground pulsed under him like a living thing.
His heart pounded as he turned right, changing directions into an even denser mess of the dark spirits. Then, ahead in the very far distance, he saw a silver flash. He broke out into an Alpha sprint. But she was far away and he couldn't shift to run faster.
Behind him he heard more of them chanting like insects, "You were never chosen, only cursed. You were born for us to take."
He tried to yell to let her know he was coming, but no sound came out of his mouth. He knew her magic was enough to shield, but not enough to kill. She couldn't escape this alone and would eventually weaken.
As he sprinted, he could make out something else with Nova. She was holding something in her arms, shielding it. He squinted to get a better look and saw in her arms, a glowing spirit of a white wolf pup. It looked like it could barely open its eyes and nuzzled into her.
He tried to yell again, but no sound came.
The shadowed creatures lunged, she put up another shield and turned her back away from the attacker to protect the wolf pup. Jax could make out the voices surrounding her.
"She can't save you forever, little one. We'll eat her soul first… and make you watch."
More joined now crashing onto her in the forms of demons and disturbing beings that Jax had never seen.
He tried to call out to her again, but no words came. He was 50 feet away from her, almost there but still too far to help. He watched in horror as her magic started to crack under the weight of the attackers. He saw her fall to her knees, giving her one last push trying to blast them back. But, that was all she had left. Her shield started to crack.
Jax was now 15 feet away, almost there. Dark beings were trying to pull him back and he felt how powerful they were. He pushed forward letting them attack him, not caring. All he cared about was getting through to her.
And just as one was inches from grabbing her face, Jax threw himself in front of her knocking it back and blasted sapphire light.
More came—crawling, shrieking, clawing their way from the shadows—but Jax didn't think, didn't breathe. He lunged for her, wrapping his arms around Nova and hauling her off her knees. She fell into him, clinging like the world itself was trying to tear her away. Her hand gripped the back of his shirt, trembling, the other clutching the small, glowing wolf pup between them. Jax's embrace was fierce, desperate, the kind born from love and longing and something deeper—something timeless. He twisted, shielding her with his body as claws scraped across his back, as shadows lunged. He didn't move. Didn't yield.
And then the world erupted.
Gold light surged from him in waves, consuming everything it touched. It poured over Nova and the pup, wrapping around them like molten sunlight. A sapphire shield flared to life, spinning outward, and when the first of the dark spirits hit it, they screamed—ragged, inhuman screams—as their bodies disintegrated into ash. One after another, hundreds fell, burning away in the brilliance of his magic. The ground shook. The darkness recoiled.
Their souls seemed to hum, speaking a language their mouths could not. The world around them quieted, as if watching. Nova's lips quivered as tears streamed down her cheeks. The voice of her soul came out as a whisper, fragile and cracked, and Jax's soul heard it.
"Jax… I miss you so much."
He pressed his forehead to hers, eyes glistening, voice low and raw.
"I love you, Nova. I will always love you. I should've rejected the bond the moment it happened. You were always my choice. I'm sorry I failed you."
His words shattered something in her, but they couldn't settle—not in this place, not with the echoes of what had been. She shook her head, eyes squeezed shut.
"Jax… it's okay. I'm sorry I severed our bond the way I did. I knew if I waited even a second longer, I wouldn't be able to go through with it. I want you to be with your fated and have that bond. You deserve that and more. I'm just sorry it wasn't me."
He cupped her face with both hands in the dream, the gold magic pouring from him warm and alive, cracking through the void like divine light.
"It was always you. I want you and only you. I love you, Nova. I love you with everything."
She didn't hesitate.
"I love you too."
A tear ran down her face. In the silence that followed, they held each other—two souls entangled in the in-between, where words didn't need to make sense.
Meanwhile, on the other side, everyone watched Nova and Jax helplessly. Both frozen. Fin held her hands, kneeling next to her across from Jax.
A deep gold glow began to build along Jax's arms spreading across Nova like a sunrise breaking through clouds. Her body glowed beneath it, as if the light was seeping under her skin, washing through her blood, her veins, her very soul.
She gasped her back arching slightly as the warmth poured into her.
She coughed and breathed in a deep breath of air like she had just been drowning. Her eyes fluttered open. Full silver, no pupils. She stared at Jax frozen. He held her still working on getting them out.
The golden glow slowly faded around them. Jax's eyes turned from black to sapphire, no pupil. He looked down at Nova slowly.
"I will always protect you." He said like they were the only people in the room. His eyes returned back to their usual hazle.
She blinked and her eyes flickered silver then back to green. She looked around confused and disoriented.
Fin immediately pulled her into his arms. A sob escaped his lips but he didn't care. He was so relieved. He could feel her again through their matebond.
Jax blinked, his brows furrowed as his eyes struggled to focus. Confusion flickered across his face, followed closely by a deep, unsettled concern. His heart was racing, but his thoughts were foggy—slippery and fractured, like waking from a dream that wasn't his.
How did he end up on the floor?
He glanced around, disoriented, his palms flat against the floor as he pushed himself upright. A strange ache tugged behind his ribs, like something important had happened—but it hovered just out of reach, veiled by shadows.
Without saying a word, Jax turned and quietly walked out of the room.
Cael blinked. "What the hell was that?"
Aeron stared at the door where Jax had disappeared, and whispered, "He is powerful."
"Fin… are y-you alright?" Nova's voice trembled as she blinked up at him, only now realizing he was holding her—his arms wrapped around her so tightly it almost hurt. His skin was slick with sweat, his chest heaving like he'd just fought his way out of a nightmare. He had been crying.
She lifted her hands, cupping his face, her thumbs brushing over his burning cheeks as she tried to steady her breath. "You're burning up," she murmured, eyes wide with worry.
Fin was so relieved he kissed her lips right there. "Don't ever do that again." He said.
"What happened?" She asked, blinking. No memory of what just occurred.
Cael shook his head laughing. "Oh Nova. Not even twelve hours into this."
He pulled Elle into an aggressive kiss, scooped her up in his arms and headed back to their room.
Too much for one night.