Fin entered the war room to find the men already gathered. A fire roared in the hearth, its light casting long shadows across the walls. The scent of smoke and whiskey filled the air. No one spoke as he stepped in—all eyes turned toward him, silent acknowledgment passing between them.
"Thank you for waiting," Fin said, his voice low but steady.
Jax stood first, wordlessly pouring a glass of whiskey and handing it to him. Fin took it with a faint nod, the glass cool against his still-shaking hand. None of them sat at the war table; instead, they'd gathered in the circle of chairs before the fire—closer, less formal, the way men met when things had gone too far for politics.
Hyran was the first to break the silence. "Alpha Shadowclaw—"
"Please," Fin interrupted, his voice quiet. "Call me Fin."
"Fin, then. There are a few things we need to bring to your attention." He leaned forward slightly, his tone calm but deliberate. "Poison is a woman's blade. Men fight in the open."
Fin didn't respond. His jaw tightened, his gaze fixed on the fire.
Hyran continued, "I was able to sense the origins of that black magic and it's from our continent of Varos. That is virtually unheard of. Poisons like Lycura's Kiss—especially ones that potent—almost always come from other continents and find their way here through the black markets. This one didn't."
Fin's eyes lifted, weary but sharp. "Where?" he asked.
Hyran met his gaze, the firelight flickering across his face. "I was able to trace the resonance of the magic. It came from within Varos—south of the Silvermark border."
Hyran rose from his chair and crossed to the far wall, where a large map of Varos stretched from floor to ceiling. He lifted a hand and pointed toward the southern region they all knew well.
Rex looked up, "Bloodmoon? … He stood by Nova when Starfang attacked and protected her."
Redmoon's deep voice cut in before anyone could answer. "From that region, yes. But that doesn't mean it's from Balen Bloodmoon." He folded his arms. "Mages aren't welcome there. If it happened in his territory, it was likely without his knowledge."
Hyran turned back to the group. "Do you know who poisoned her the first time?"
Jax's jaw tightened. He answered before Fin could speak. "We knew. We just couldn't prove it."
Fin shook his head. "Princess Meredith Ashbane. She is now Luna to the heir of Bloodmoon." The room was silent.
"Selene Moonveil was killed this way. Correct?" Redmoon asked.
Fin and Jax both looked up, surprised for a heartbeat at how easily he spoke Nova's mother's name. But of course he would know her. Back then there had been fifteen packs in Varos, each with their own ruling line—and Selene had been queen of one. Naturally, Redmoon would know exactly who she was.
"Yes," Jax said, heat flaring behind his eyes. "A few days after Nova arrived, she was assigned to attend Meredith as her Omega. When she entered Meredith's chambers, Meredith assaulted her. Choked her. Told her she'd finish what her mother started."
Rex's expression darkened.
"She didn't realize her Steward was outside the door," Jax continued. "He heard the whole thing. She also said it in front of another Omega who was watching. That omega turned out to be our Beta's fated mate, and now Beta Luna. That makes two witnesses. I've also caught her doing things like trying to enter a room Nova slept in."
"Don't forget having her followed by that omega Meredith-the-horse didn't kick." Aeron said darkly.
Rex shook his head. "She sounds like a royal pain in the ass."
"Oh, it gets worse," Fin said quietly, bitterness threading his voice as he swirled the untouched whiskey. "We intercepted letters she tried to send to Ashbane." His jaw flexed. "After the first incident, she claimed Nova assaulted her."
Jax snorted. "Then the one where she said Nova choked her in the middle of the night. Gods."
"And the seduction lie," Fin said flatly. "Apparently Nova crept into my chambers to seduce me—and I was so terrified I nearly fainted." He scoffed, sharp and humorless. "Gods. I wish Nova had snuck into my chambers."
He shook his head. "Meredith was the one sneaking into my chambers while I slept. We had to enchant the door to keep her out."
Rex blinked, then let out a sharp exhale. "Saints. I truly escaped disaster with that one."
"Yes, you did," Aeron said. "She was a mare with a vendetta."
Jax laughed at that, "Yes, Rex, she was unhinged."
Fin scoffed again. "She wrote all of that long before I'd ever spoken a single word to Nova. No, I had actually been spending time with Meredith then."
"When Ashbane invaded without cause, those letters were proof she was a liability. But we couldn't send her back. She was our only leverage left against him. So we kept the engagement, against my better judgment, to keep the peace and prevent another war."
Redmoon nodded slowly, the pieces falling into place. "And the Elders wanted to send Nova back, but that's when you, Jax, took her as your mate."
"Yes," Jax said quietly, rubbing a hand across his face. "That's when everything changed."
Aeron's tone shifted—calm, measured, but edged. "There was more going on around Nova before that day. She handled it by ignoring it." His eyes flicked between Fin and Jax. "I have reason to believe her and Elle were both receiving threatening letters at least in the beginning."
Fin's head snapped up. "What?! When? She never told me that."
Aeron's expression softened. "You didn't say one word to her, so why would she tell you something? She didn't want to cause trouble and especially didn't want to be sent back."
Jax's jaw clenched, something dark and furious igniting behind his eyes. Nova never told him anything of that sort either. It didn't sit right in his chest.
Across the firelight, Rex sat back in his chair, a deep frown carved into his face. His hand tightened around his glass until his knuckles went white. If he had known—if he had known Nova existed before any of this—he would have marched into Ashbane's territory the moment he heard her name. She would never have been given omega duties in Redmoon. He would have told her immediately she was his fated mate and claimed her. Even if he was promised. He wouldn't have hesitated with Nova.
He loved her the moment she walked into the Redmoon tent and he saw her. She was meant for him.
In truth, he had been invited to take Meredith as his chosen bond, and he'd declined. At the time, he'd been seeing another woman he cared for. Something about it had always felt off, though, and he hadn't marked her. He'd been planning to end it before anything became permanent.
But then he met Nova.
And the moment he did, he understood—that was what it was supposed to feel like. There was no world in which he wanted anyone but her. She was the most brilliant and beautiful woman he'd ever seen. And gods… her scent. Vanilla and moonlight. It drove him mad. The kind of madness a man didn't recover from.
He hadn't been certain Fin was her fated mate—not truly—not until he saw Fin give her his blood and break over her. Rex understood the agony in that sound. He felt it too. And none of it explained how fate had tangled her with both of them.
He hadn't told a soul.
A dragon-bonded pair was rarer than a fated matebond—rarer by far—and one didn't guarantee the other. The fact that Nova somehow had both… she was meant for him and he knew it.
But that wasn't his place now. She wasn't his.
So he said nothing—only looked into the fire, the light flickering in his eyes, and took another slow drink.
"Did you ever confront her?" Redmoon asked.
Fin shook his head. "No. Gods we wanted to."
"I wasn't made aware of the threats Nova and Elle were receiving." His jaw tightened. "If I had, I would have acted. But we had no concrete proof of poison, and nothing we could move on without exposing our hand."
"Better to watch her without tipping your hand. And if you had confronted her, she'd have felt threatened—she would have escalated. That would have backfired on Nova and your pack from the sounds of it." Redmoon said.
"I'm assuming Balen Bloodmoon has no idea?" Redmoon asked, his voice steady but heavy with implication.
"Your assumption would be correct," Fin replied. "She was fated to his son—Grant."
Jax leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "She's always held a certain respect for Balen—saw him like an uncle growing up. We figured if anyone could keep her under control, it'd be him."
Aeron exhaled sharply, rubbing the back of his neck. "We also thought that, with Nova's mate taken by Marra, Meredith might assume Nova was heartbroken. And since Grant was her fated, we hoped she'd be satisfied."
Fin's composure cracked. He let out a quiet, humorless laugh and buried his face in his hands.
"I told Balen and Grant that Nova was my fated mate," he muttered, voice low. "They were already pressing to take her back with them—said she shouldn't have to watch Marra and Jax together."
"It wouldn't have gotten back to her either way," Redmoon said, his tone softening, his hand coming down briefly on Fin's shoulder—a rare show of comfort, like a father easing his son's guilt.
Then, with a wry edge to his voice, he added, "Besides, I can't blame you for wanting to get rid of Meredith. Plus a swap like that—Marra for Meredith? That's not a fair trade in any realm."
The room went still for a moment—then a few low chuckles broke through the tension. Even Fin huffed a faint laugh, though his eyes stayed shadowed.
"Balen needs to know about her," Fin said quietly, his eyes fixed on the fire. The flames reflected in his tired gaze, his voice heavy with thought. "I hope she doesn't try to pull any of that with Grant. Or any females she finds threatening."
Rex leaned back in his chair, his tone blunt as ever. "I think she wanted to be a Shadowclaw, not a Bloodmoon. There's a difference."
Redmoon shot his son a warning look, but Rex didn't back down.
"There is," Rex said, glancing between them. "Shadowclaw has ten times the numbers and influence. Finric's name carries weight. Grant's doesn't. If Meredith realized Nova was Fin's fated, she finally saw every insecurity she had staring her in the face."
Aeron frowned suddenly. "You three do realize you shouldn't be drinking whiskey if you're about to give blood, yes?"
None of them moved. None of them looked at him.
Aeron exhaled sharply. "Right. Of course not."
Rex set his glass down. Jax pushed to his feet a heartbeat later, already heading for the door.
"I'm going to check on her," Jax said, voice low but decisive. He didn't bother to explain—everyone knew why. Rex fell in beside him without a word, and Aeron followed, muttering something about idiotic Alphas under his breath.
The door shut behind them, leaving Fin alone with Redmoon and the firelight.
Redmoon didn't speak.
He didn't move.
He watched Fin over the rim of his glass, expression carved from stone.
Fin understood. When the door shut behind them, Hyran stayed as well.