Marra continued, not missing Nova's shocked expression. "My dream was that you were queen of the North, South, East, and West of Varos. Alpha Shadowclaw was King. I was one of your loyal protectors, advisors, and stood behind you next to a red headed girl.
When I woke from that dream, it was so powerful that it moved me. I hadn't known you were in Shadowclaw at all—let alone fated to the Alpha. I knew I had to come. I wanted to come. After feeling hollow for nearly a year, that dream gave me purpose again… and I was excited at the thought of seeing my old friend."
She paused, her hands trembling slightly around her teacup.
"You can imagine my shock when I learned that Alpha Shadowclaw was betrothed to Meredith. I later learned you were the Gamma's mate. Luna to House Thorne. Not Shadowclaw. My dreams at that level of clarity are never wrong, so I knew something was amiss. You were meant for Shadowclaw, and yet you stood by another's side. I needed to tell you that something was happening that shouldn't be."
She took a breath and looked at Nova with serious eyes. "But then I learned how much the Gamma loved you… to the point that it moved my father. It was so powerful that rumors were circulating from others not in your pack. I heard about it from multiple sources at different points in the journey. It reminded me of Michael, so deep and pure. I thought that perhaps fate had shifted. I wasn't going to say anything because you of all people deserve someone who loves you as deeply, unconditionally as he."
She drew another breath in, her voice softening. "When I entered the ballroom that night, I was searching for you. And I saw you first before Jax. Before realizing that my fated, was the man you were holding onto so lovingly. You were looking at him with such adoration, and when you saw he was looking at me, I saw your heart crack. My heart cracked with you. I couldn't believe that it was the same Gamma I had heard about. The one that loved you so deeply that I thought maybe fate was changing and my dreams were wrong. The Gamma who's love moved my father. The love that everyone felt when they saw you with him. I thought your destiny was his."
She continued. "You were brave to sever a bond that was so deeply embedded in your soul. You didn't know the Alpha was your fated. You did it selflessly because you loved him so much and you couldn't let him reject his fated mate. I've never seen someone do that or heard of that. I saw you fainted and hated myself for being the reason."
Marra took a sip of tea, to calm herself. Nova did as well, not wanting to show Marra the wave of grief that came over her.
"And at the ceremony, you were brave to protect me even though I was the reason for your suffering."
"You're not the –" Nova was about to say she wasn't, but Marra cut her off.
"I want you to know that what you did for me, at the Gamma ceremony, was the kindest and most selfless thing imaginable and I will forever be grateful for you. I can't thank you enough for the grace and compassion you gave when I wasn't even giving myself that." Marra said, dabbing a silent tear that was falling down her cheek.
"Marra, that wasn't your fault. You weren't–" Nova started to speak, but Marra cut her off again, putting a finger up to tell Nova she needed one more minute. Nova stopped talking and listened.
"I heard it all when you were holding my hand. All of the whispers. What they said. It was something I already knew deep down." She said more silent tears coming down her face.
"I heard you defend me. You plead for Jax and me saying that he and I deserved to be happy. I know you took pain for me, I felt a mirror of it in my own body as it entered. You didn't hesitate. You held firm, stood strong, and protected me."
She took a steadying breath before continuing, her voice quieter but no less resolute.
"Jax worries for you, Nova. Loves you so deeply that I feel it. Our bond doesn't compare. This quiet war in his soul, a constant pull between what he wants and what is right. He cares for Fin, as you know they're more than friends… they're brothers. He understands that your bond with Fin is something greater, something sacred. But even so, something feels off. Wrong. Unsettled. I feel it too."
Marra's gaze dropped to her hands.
"Jax calls out for you in his sleep," she said, voice trembling. "Every night since I've been here. I've seen him at the window, staring into nothing, heart aching so loud I can feel it in my bones. I've watched him hold your clothing—pieces he didn't let the Omegas take hidden in the closet—clutching them like they were sacred, breathing you in with tears in his eyes and a glass of whiskey in his hand. Through our mate bond, I feel the weight of his grief. His longing. He tries to hide it.
She began to cry, tears falling freely now.
"I can tell he is a good man. I don't want him to worry about me and I don't want him to know that I feel it too."
Nova felt the words like a blade. Grief rose up in her chest so fast, she had no time to stop it. She pressed her hands to her face, trying not to cry but it was too late. She hadn't realized the depth of pain Jax was going through. She thought he was feeling some of it, but still at peace with the fact that he found his second chance mate. She didn't realize it was as bad as hers.
Then Marra spoke again, softly, like a confession.
"I felt his body through our matebond when you were in the ceremony. He is affected by your scent, Nova. He felt your pain, even with your severed bond. I know he felt it, because I was feeling it mirrored through the spirits leaving you and entering me. It was identical to what I felt through the matebond. I hadn't realized it fully until then. He still is connected to you. I don't understand it. But it's there and powerful. And when your hand was cut with the alpha dagger, your blood affected him stronger than anything I thought possible. Even with fated mates, I'd never heard of such a thing. It was so strong, I felt him fighting for control from his wolf."
Nova swallowed and drew herself upright, forcing steadiness into her spine. This was her first day as Luna, and she would be damned if she failed her own. She would be the voice of reason, the anchor that kept Marra calm and tethered to the present. Whatever turmoil churned inside her was irrelevant.
"Marra," she began gently, "what Jax felt during the ceremony was most likely the pull of his ancestors… the awakening of the Gamma essence. That kind of shift can be overwhelming. It wasn't because of me."
"It's all right," Nova said softly. "You've been here less than a week. He will love you. It will take time."
Marra gave a small, silent nod. Tears continued to fall. Nova chest tightened at the sight, but her voice remained warm and steady.
"When Jax and I met, he did not love me. That is not how Jax works. We were not fated. There was no matebond."
She paused, ensuring Marra was listening.
"I promise you, yours is."
She continued, unflinching.
"He was my friend first. I think he was conflicted for a while, and when he told me he wanted to be mates, it felt as though he were weighing a decision. A choice." Her mouth curved faintly, without humour. "He marked me by accident. That is why what you have is different."
Nova met Marra's eyes, unwavering. "It is sacred. And it should never be taken lightly."
"Nova," Marra said quietly, "your scent and your blood were not part of the gamma essence."
Nova drew in a slow breath, steadying herself before she spoke.
"When he saw you that night, I felt his hand crush mine until his knuckles went white. He stopped breathing. His body moved toward you without his consent, and there was nothing I could do." Her voice softened, but it did not waver. "Your bond with him had already overpowered what he felt for me. I felt it through our matebond."
She swallowed.
"He felt a pull toward you stronger than anything he had ever felt for me. The moment I saw that, I knew what I had to do. He deserves to be with someone he burns for like that. I was not that for him." Her voice cracked at the last words.
"He is sad, just as I am," Nova continued, quieter now. "But he was never drawn to me in that way. Not once. I promise you. That belongs to you, not me. He is a slow burn, but when he finally sees you…" Her eyes softened. "He will love you fiercely."
Marra nodded, letting the words settle, then took a steadying breath.
Nova continued, "Right now, everything is raw. We spent every day together for months, and he became my family, my best friend, my mate. What we had was built. Earned. Chosen every day until it became love. Not the other way around."
She held Marra's gaze, steady and sincere.
"He is a good man. I have seen him be a remarkable mate. It is in him, Marra. Just give him time. Give him a chance. You will see."
Marra's tears had not slowed. After a few seconds, Nova spoke again, more gently.
"Imagine what he will be like with you after a few months," she said softly, "when trust and love are layered on top of the matebond you already share."
Marra nodded slowly, wiping her eyes with the edge of her sleeve. "When I saw how devastated he was after the bond was severed, I was terrified. For both of you. And I was the reason." She swallowed hard, her voice trembling. "I never wanted that. I never wanted to be the cause of your pain."
She hesitated, then continued more quietly. "What I had with Michael, that kind of love… it only comes once in a lifetime. I accepted that. I truly did. I just hoped that maybe I could find some kind of happiness again. Something quieter. Something steady." Her gaze dropped. "But, Nova, Jax does not love me. I feel it. And my wolf feels it too."
"Maybe you could let your wolves run together," Nova said gently. "His wolf is loyal. Caring. I know he will love your wolf once he meets her."
She paused, then added softly, "You do not have to feel it yet."
Nova drew a slow breath. "Love does not always arrive like lightning. Sometimes it grows like a slow, steady flame. The kind that does not burn out when things get hard." Her voice softened. "You loved once. You know how deep it can go. Jax can love like that too. I have seen it."
Her words faltered at the end. "But grief does not disappear just because fate gives us someone new. Sometimes the heart needs time to catch up."
Nova stood then, crossing the space between them, and wrapped her arms around Marra without hesitation.
"It will be okay," she said gently. "And I mean this when I say it. I am glad it was you." She pulled back just enough to meet her eyes. "I know the kind of woman you are. And I would not have let him go to anyone else."
Marra held onto her for a long moment, drawing in a shuddering breath before pulling back. She dabbed at her tears with a handkerchief.
"I know he does not love me," she said again, quieter now. "But I see him. And I understand what losing you did to him." Her voice steadied. "I want to protect him. And you."
Her expression changed then, still gentle, but weighted with something more deliberate. More serious.
"There are a few things you need to know."