Nova's eyes flickered green again. She blinked and looked at the door, then down at the ground, her expression shifting into pure confusion as she tried to understand where she was. She turned her head and saw Rex on her left, staring at her with an unreadable intensity. She looked to her right and saw Fin. Then she turned fully behind her and jumped in surprise when she realized the others were standing across the water watching her.
Aeron's voice broke the silence. "You were in a trance again. Probably."
He said it as if it were nothing more than a routine inconvenience, the sort of thing that happened every Tuesday.
Rex felt the sword pulse in his hand. Without thinking, he unsheathed it.
Aeron and Hyran both looked far too excited for what was about to unfold. Cael shook his head and snickered under his breath. Nova, only now realizing what Rex held in his hand, stepped back from him in alarm and bumped straight into Fin, who immediately wrapped his arms around her. She was not looking forward to this in the slightest.
The first scene ignited without a sound. It rose larger than any of the visions they had seen before, unfolding across the surface of the water with clarity.
Rex, Hyran, and Redmoon stood within the throne room of Ashbane Castle. Queen Velora sat upon her high seat, her son, Alpha Riven Ashbane beside her. Meredith took a few steps forward and curtseyed.
Rex held his shoulders square, posture rigid with respect. His expression remained tight and carefully controlled. His presence there was an obligation, not a desire, and anyone watching could see it.
The vision shifted to Rex tossing and turning in a large bed, sheets tangled around his torso. Sleep refused to come. At last he rose, unable to endure it any longer. Moonlight spilled across the courtyard stones, pale and cold.
Shirtless, Rex walked the halls of Ashbane Castle as if something unseen tugged him forward. He paused at several passages, eyes closing as if testing the air, then continued with absolute certainty. A scent, a pull, a feeling.
The path led him to a tower. Nova's tower. The room she remembered with too much clarity. Rex reached the door and tried the handle. Locked. His jaw tightened as he mindlinked someone.
A minute passed. Rex stood waiting in silence beside the door, the moonlit corridor stretching out behind him.
Fin watched the scene unravel across the water and wrapped his arms tighter around Nova, holding her as if he already knew exactly what was coming. He sent calm and warmth through their matebond, steady and sure, and pressed a gentle kiss to the top of her head.
"Do not look for a minute, baby," he whispered in her ear, a voice meant only for her.
Nova turned her face away and breathed in Fin's familiar, grounding scent, letting it settle her trembling pulse.
The rest of the room continued to watch as the vision unfolded across the surface of the water.
Hyran raced up the stairs with Redmoon close behind him, both men wearing robes and slippers, clearly having been dragged from sleep. His eyes flared red and the tower door unlocked with a sharp click.
Rex stepped inside, then froze. His eyes widened as he saw Nova chained to the wall, her skin burned where silver met her wrists, her hands, her neck her body. She hung unconscious, her body resting against the chains.
In the present, Rex's breath caught in his throat. Hyran's hand rose to cover his mouth in horror in the exact moment the Hyran in the vision did the same thing. The mirror of their reactions was unsettling in its perfection.
Jax winced, jaw tightening. He remembered all too well seeing her like that.
Rex rushed to her and lifted her face gently, panic tightening every line of his posture. He grabbed the chains and tried to tear them free. The metal seared his palms and he recoiled, eyes blazing with fury. He turned toward Hyran, lips moving sharp and urgent.
Redmoon stepped inside at that moment, closing the door and locking it. Hyran joined Rex at Nova's side, red magic gathering in his hands. The chains exploded in a burst of red. Nova fell forward. Rex caught her instantly and held her against his chest, refusing to loosen his grip while Hyran checked her condition.
Fin, in the present, leaned close and whispered in Nova's ear, "You can look now." He placed a soft kiss on the top of her head and rested his chin there, keeping his arms tightly wrapped around her.
Redmoon's expression remained calm as he spoke to Rex. Rex said something back to him, pulling Nova even closer against his chest. Redmoon nodded and gave Hyran a single instruction. Hyran lifted his hand and created a portal on the tower floor. Rex stepped forward with Nova in his arms. Hyran and Redmoon followed close behind him. They crossed through the shimmering gold light, the magic folding around them.
Just before the portal sealed shut, Rex lifted one hand and raised his middle finger toward Ashbane Castle.
Fin kept his composure. Jax and Aeron did not. Both men stood pale, the color drained from their faces, because they understood exactly what they were seeing. Rex had left Ashbane without a bargain. No negotiations. No permission. No deference to royalty. Zero concern for consequences. Zero restraint. Zero mercy. He had done what Fin wanted to do and should have done. What Jax should have advised, but did not. What Aeron knew they needed to do, but never spoke aloud.
To be fair, Jax and Aeron didn't know she was Fin's fated mate. They had not known why she was chained to a wall. But even without that knowledge, they should have taken her the moment they saw her. It was clear even then that she was no threat. He had felt it. They all had.
The regret hit all three of them at once. They should have turned their backs on the castle and made a portal with her. No deal. No arrangements. No Meredith. No negotiations.
Just the middle finger.