The sun dipped low behind the mountains, bleeding gold and crimson into the torn sky. The camp still smoldered from the second wave—fires flickering low.
Onyx descended, wings wide, his massive form casting a shadow over the camp. He neared Alpha Shadowclaw's tent, where Nova had been staying. Rex followed closely behind.
Onyx landed with an almost reverent gentleness, crouching low to the earth and leaning toward the tent entrance.
As if sensing what she needed, Onyx shifted her onto his wing, placing her upright onto the ground with delicate precision, just beside the tent entrance.
For one brief second, her body tried to obey, to move. She stood shakily and took a step towards the tent, but then she saw spots.
Her eyes fluttered unfocused and her knees buckled.
Before she could hit the ground, Rex was there.
He dropped from his own dragon, boots hitting the earth hard, and sprinted the last few strides. He caught her against his chest with practiced ease—his arms sliding beneath her as if he'd done it a hundred times in another life.
"Nova," he murmured, checking her pulse against his throat. Still alive. Still breathing. But too far gone to respond.
She was burning up and he noticed dried blood on her lip.
He turned and carried her swiftly into the tent, pushing the flap aside with his shoulder, eyes scanning to make sure it was clear.
He saw a large bed and laid her down carefully. Her skin was flushed, her breaths shallow. He brushed her silver-blonde hair back from her face.
She was burning and if it were just them, he'd have already unzipped her training suit.
Outside, heavy footfalls echoed—Jax and Fin bursting through the treeline, both running fast, eyes already locking on Rex standing inside the tent.
Tension snapped taut.
Fin's wolf surged just beneath the surface, rage and instinct flaring, barely held back. Rex didn't flinch. He stepped aside from the bed, hands open at his sides—not aggressive, just ready.
Jax stepped in first.
"Thank you," he said simply, holding out his hand. "For fighting Starfang and killing the traitors. Our pack can't thank you enough."
Rex looked at the hand for a beat, then took it—gripping it firm, a nod of respect exchanged between warriors.
"I wasn't going to let that bastard touch her," Rex said.
"I believe you," Jax replied, before glancing back at Nova. "We owe you for that."
Fin stepped forward and didn't speak. Didn't offer his hand. His eyes locked on Nova, then flicked to Rex.
Rex held his gaze.
Something more unspoken passed between them—a clash of wolves, mates, and men. Fin moved to her side, brushing his fingers down her arm, his hand trembling.
"She needs Aeron," he said, teeth clenched around the words.
He did not know what ruled him in that moment. Jealousy, sharp and ugly. Anger, coiled tight. Possessiveness that burned his chest raw. Protectiveness so fierce it bordered on violence. Love so overwhelming it threatened to drag tears from a man who had bled on battlefields without a sound. Guilt for not being there when he should have been. Annoyance, bitter and biting, that the other Alphas had questioned his judgement, had wondered aloud why he had left her alone here.
Their respect for him had shifted. Not shattered, but changed.
All of it tangled inside him, knotted too tightly to name, too vast to explain.
The tent was silent for a moment—the three men, all tethered to the same woman. Rex nodded at both respectfully and left the tent without a word.
A few minutes later, Elias, Aeron, and Cael entered the tent. They moved into the bedroom portion as Nova laid across the bed. Outside, Onyx curled beside the tent, guarding its entrance like a sentinel, golden eyes unblinking.
Fin removed her cloak and reached for the golden breastplate he had made for her hurriedly. He unhooked it piece by careful piece, his hands steady despite the tightness in his jaw. When the armor came free, what lay beneath drew notice at once.
It was then noticed she was wearing a hard-shell training suit underneath. Not standard. In truth, it was actually more protection than the standard his warriors wore. But the combination likely limited her mobility.
Fin's expression darkened.
Jax caught it immediately.
"She was not going to wear the armor at all because it was 'too heavy,'" he said, rolling his eyes.
Fin looked up slowly.
"Marra and Elle tried it on and agreed," Jax continued. "They were not going to say anything, but Cael and I noticed she wasn't wearing it when she exited the tent. We were short on time, so we made her put it over her training suit."
Cael snorted softly.
"You forgot the part where none of the three knew how to hook it correctly."
Fin stilled.
"You are joking," he said flatly.
"I wish we were," Jax replied. "They took corset string and tried to lace it. Completely unaware the holes were for hooks."
Fin's jaw ticked again and he shook his head. It was below freezing. In truth, she was probably warmer this way.
But not knowing how to fasten armor and not fully understanding its purpose was another sign that Nova should never have been here at all.
Elias pressed the back of his hand against her forehead and hissed softly.
"She's burning up," he muttered, eyes darting to Aeron. "Hotter than the other day in Redmoon's tent."
"The other day?" Fin's eyes darted up to Elias.
"Yes – after she met Onyx. She passed out and we had her rest in Redmoon's tent until she could walk." Jax answered.
"Who is Onyx?" Fin asked flatly. Though he already had a good idea.
"Her dragon." Cael answered.
Fin's stomach churned. He'd only been out for a few days but it felt like so much happened.
Both he and Jax could feel through the matebond that she was in pain. She was burning up and then some.
Aeron's brows knit together as he set his satchel down, pulling out a few vials and runic instruments. "Move her hair back," he said, already rolling up his sleeves.
Fin gently brushed her silver-blonde strands from her face. Everywhere his fingers made contact, felt like an electric current between them. He jolted for a moment, not expecting it to that degree. Had her mark intensified everything more than it already was?
Xeon's voice answered him with one word.
Xeon: Yes.
Her lips were parted, her breaths shallow but sharp — every inhale sounded like she was swallowing embers.
Elias grabbed a needle and stuck her arm with it. "Her fever is too high. Effects from the magic she was channeling."
Aeron's fingers moved fast, etching a glowing blue rune of cooling over her collarbone. The mark sizzled the moment it touched her skin, the air hissing as if he'd dropped water on hot iron.
Aeron's eyes narrowed. "It's not dispersing."
Fin's head snapped toward him. "What does that mean?"
Aeron didn't answer immediately. He pulled another vial — pale green liquid that shimmered faintly — and poured a few drops onto her wrist. It evaporated instantly.
"She's in pain," Fin said quietly, brushing his thumb along Nova's temple. "I can feel it through the bond. It's—" He winced.
"It's like fire."
Jax's usual calm was also shadowed with tension. He felt it too, eyes scanning her glowing form.
"She's burning from the inside out," Aeron said bluntly. "We could try to let it run its course…" he hesitated, glancing at the veins of light pulsing beneath her skin.
"Not an option. It's growing hotter." Fin snapped, his wolf pressing beneath his skin, barely contained.
"She's absorbing energy she wasn't meant to hold alone," Aeron said. "Channeling the gods."
Aeron looked between them, then sighed. "There's one thing we can try."
"Tell me what to do." Jax said moving forward, next to Nova.
"Try to pull some energy from her. The power in her feels like the same signature to you." Aeron asked.
Jax crouched beside her, gripping her hand gently.
Aeron spoke calmly, but his eyes were sharp. "Similar to what we've done in training. Close your eyes. But focus on her energy instead of yours — it'll feel like an electric hum. When you find it, draw your own power to your core. Hers should follow. Once it starts moving, you'll be able to pull it into you faster."
Jax nodded. His brows furrowed in concentration.
"I feel it. She's holding so much."
His eyes snapped open, glowing sapphire. Gold light began to gather at his chest and arms as the pull intensified.
"Walk outside, preferably towards the forest," Aeron said, "Let go. Focus it towards your palms to discharge."
Jax rose quickly, hand releasing Nova's, and strode out into the open field. A moment later, a pulse of gold cracked through the air, sending a shockwave that rattled the trees.
Inside, Fin's breath hitched. The fire inside the bond had cooled. Not gone, but quieter.
"I don't know if I can do it as well, but I'll try," he said.
Aeron nodded. "Same process. Trust your instincts."
Fin knelt beside her, taking her hand. Her skin was almost too warm to touch, but he didn't let go. He closed his eyes — and there it was. A thread of light, pulsing, wild. Not just hers… dozens of signatures interwoven with her own. Magic she'd pulled in to protect them. Hold the line. Be their shield.
He called his power inward, gold blooming under his skin — and her energy followed like a river breaking its dam.
He gasped at the force of it. His fingers tightened reflexively around hers, anchoring her as much as himself.
When the current steadied, he rose, walked outside, and lifted his hand. Gold flared from his palm in a beam of light that scorched a perfect circle into the ground, then vanished.
He stood still for a second, breathing hard.
Inside the tent, Nova had gone still.
Her trembling stopped. Her skin still glowed faintly, but the searing heat had faded.
Aeron hovered beside her, watching the change. "It's working."
Fin reentered, sweat on his brow.
Aeron, "Keep pulling from her a little at a time."
They alternated. Back and forth, slowly siphoning off the excess magic until Nova's breathing was no longer shallow — just steady.
When they were done, she looked asleep. Peaceful, for the first time in hours.
Fin sat beside her again, hand holding hers. "Rest now, baby," he murmured. "We've got you."