Nova stirred awake, her head was pounding. Light from the moon flooded through the window.
She felt Fin's arms around her. Their skin touching, and she realized she was laying on top of him. Completely naked. Again.
She blushed immediately. But when she tried to get up, her arms felt bruised the second she put any weight on her palms.
Her entire body hurt.
"It's alright, baby. I've got you." Fin said, kissing her head. His arms tightened around her instinctively. She was not going anywhere.
He surged calm and love into her through their matebond and rubbed her back gently.
Nova relaxed onto him. Breathing in his scent. Her eyes grew heavy again, and she fell back asleep. She wasn't sure for how long until Fin woke her up rubbing her back.
"Elias is on his way up." He said, kissing her head. He gently rolled her onto her back, and got up. He threw on pants and grabbed her silk robe and one of his shirts. She was so tired she forgot she was naked and went back to blushing again.
He helped her into his shirt and put her silk robe over. He swooped her in his arms and sat on the couch across from their fireplace, pulling a blanket over them.
Her head was pounding.
"Gods… I feel your headache through our matebond." Fin said
Elias slipped into the room with a small glass vial in hand, steam curling faintly from the surface. He mixed Alejandro's medicine into the tonic with steady, practiced movements, the liquid swirling into a soft gold before settling.
"Here, Nova," he murmured, offering it to her.
She took the cup and drank. The bitterness hit first, then the warmth—spreading through her chest, easing upward like heated silk. The pounding behind her eyes loosened, then faded. Her breath steadied. The world stopped tilting.
Relief washed through her like a brief, blessed pause in a storm.
As soon as Elias left, Fin scooped her into his arms without a word and carried her toward the bath. One had already been drawn—hot water steeped with herbs, steam curling into the air.
He set her on the edge, fingers gentle as he slid her robe from her shoulders, then her shirt. When she flushed, he kissed her forehead, soft and reverent.
"I love you, baby." He whispered, pulling her into him.
"I love you too." She whispered, feeling sparks everywhere their skin made contact.
He wanted to kiss her on the lips, but he knew the second he did that, they wouldn't get in the bath and he felt her soreness through the bond.
He picked her up, lowering her gently into the steaming water. Nova groaned the moment her body sank beneath the heat.
Every muscle had felt flayed raw, and the herbal warmth wrapped around her like a lifeline. The relief was immediate—sharp at first, then melting into something deeper.
Fin stepped in behind her, settling into the water and pulling her carefully back against his chest. He kissed the top of her head, arms wrapped around her.
"You said you felt my headache," Nova said, keeping her voice level. "Do you feel other physical pain through the matebond?"
"Yes," Fin murmured, kissing her cheek.
Nova frowned. For some reason, she had never connected it fully until this moment. Fin could feel her pain.
It made sense — Jax had felt her in heat, Fin felt her panic attacks, the late Ashbane had felt her mother's murder. And at the Luna Ceremony… Fin had known she was hurting. She had told herself he'd only sensed her emotions.
Maybe he hadn't just sensed it.
Maybe he had felt it.
"Did you feel the poison too?" she whispered, guilt already rising. She already knew the answer.
"Yes," Fin said. "But that's not your fault, Nova."
"I'm sorry you felt all of that," she whispered, looking up at him, her eyes already red. She hated the idea of him being in pain — even borrowed pain.
"Hey, Nova… don't cry," Fin said softly, almost startled by the depth of her sincerity. It broke something open in him every time she worried about him. "It's okay, baby."
He wiped her tear with his thumb.
"If the Goddess wanted me pain-free, she wouldn't have paired me with you. She knew exactly what she was doing."
Nova laughed softly. She wondered if there was a way she could shield him from pain moving forward.
"There's the laugh I love," Fin said, smiling at her like she'd just given him air. "If you want to make it up to me, you can kiss me until I forget every awful thing that happened. Strict medical protocol."
After a moment, his voice softened. "What do you remember from yesterday?"
"I remember waking up in Redmoon after being in Bloodmoon," she said quietly.
Fin's breath shifted behind her. "Do you remember before we went to Bloodmoon?"
Nova's stomach tightened hard—but her face stayed calm, composed, as though she could hold the truth down by sheer force of will.
"Yes," she whispered.
"Why were you upset?" Fin asked, kissing her shoulder gently.
Nova hesitated. "Were you in Redmoon too?" She blinked, the memory surfacing.
"Yes," Fin murmured.
Nova looked down at her hand—and froze. A gold ring glinted on her finger. She turned it slowly, trying to remember how it had gotten there.
"If you put it in fire," Fin said with a faint smile, "it forms a molten dragon. Aeron insists he will need to supervise."
Nova's brows furrowed as more fragments surfaced. "We were in the Redmoon library… right?"
"I guess you could call it that," Fin said, amused.
He wanted to understand what had upset her yesterday. He needed to. But he had a sinking feeling it involved Jax—another conversation he'd been postponing. One that could not be avoided much longer.
"I love you, baby," Fin murmured, squeezing her gently as he kissed her temple, then her cheek.
Nova turned toward him and kissed him softly on the lips.
"I love you too," she whispered, pressing her forehead to his.
He lifted her out of the bath with that effortless strength of his, wrapped her in a towel, and dried her hair with slow, careful strokes. When her curls fell soft and warm around her shoulders, he stepped back—and to her surprise, held out a training suit.
"Elle and you need lessons on throwing daggers," he said.
Nova blinked, cheeks flushing. How did he know that? Neither she nor Elle were bad… but they both knew they needed work.
Fin smirked like he could hear the thought leaving her head.
"The day the war summit was invaded, your dagger was impossible for you to get to."
And with absolutely no warning, he tackled her onto the bed—playful, warm, laughing under his breath as he pinned her gently.
She laughed which warmed his heart, making him laugh too.
He captured her mouth in a fierce kiss. He yanked off his towel, and peeled hers away slowly, revealing her naked form. His eyes raked over her body as she blushed. Her silver-blonde hair spilling across the pillows, her green eyes wide with anticipation, her curves glowing in the morning light.
"Gods... you're so beautiful," he whispered, his voice thick with love. He leaned down, lips brushing hers again before trailing to the mark on her neck. He sucked hard on it, teeth grazing the sensitive spot, and his hand moved down towards her clit. He rubbed it, continuing to suck on her mark.
Nova moaned involuntarily and shattered instantly. Her body arched as the first orgasm ripped through her.
Fin's eyes flashed gold in that moment, his wolf surfaced taking control. He sat up, pulling her across his lap, like she weighed nothing, her ass upturned and exposed. His hand came down hard on her cheek, the smack echoing, leaving a red imprint.
She yelped, twisting, but he held her down with one arm across her back. His fingers delved between her thighs, finding her clit.
He rubbed it in firm circles, spanking her again, making her pussy clench.
Nova was surprised at Fin's boldness, not realizing his wolf took over.
"You're mine," he growled, dominance in his voice.
Her body involuntarily responded to his touch and her hips moved, as an orgasm ripped through her.
"Just like that," he groaned.
He pulled her back up against his chest, trapping her arms. Eyes still gold, one hand snaking down to rub her clit again, with one finger in her pussy, curling to hit that sensitive spot.
The mate bond pulsed, feeding him her pleasure, urging him on.
"Cum for me," he whispered in her ear.
She broke again groaning, cumming on his hand.
Her eyes changed to gold as her wolf took control. He flipped her on all fours on the bed at alpha speed.
Holding her hips steady, he buried his face between her legs, tongue spearing into her pussy.
As soon as his tongue tasted her already wet pussy, he groaned.
She started to cum and his tongue continued to fuck her as she writhed.
She loved it and he felt it.
Nova's eyes flashed back green, just as an orgasm ripped through her again and he licked her cum greedily. She gasped at how powerful it was.
She tried moving but he held her there, sucking her clit.
"Fuck, you taste so good." He said, still holding her in place.
Her eyes turned gold again, her wolf completely taking over, as his tongue worked deeper.
Her body arched, as the heat rose within.
"That's it, my moon ... just like that," he murmured against her skin, vibrations humming through her.
"Tell me what you want."
His tongue returned, delving deep while his thumb rubbed her clit in tight circles.
"Say it." He said, voice dark and possessive.
"I want to cum for you," she whispered.
"Good girl."
He started rubbing her pussy faster, and she started to cum.
With a growl, he pulled her on top of him and latched onto one nipple, sucking hard, nibbling the peak as if drawing milk from her.
His cock entered her and they started to fuck hard. His hands kneaded her breasts as he sucked, squeezing until she gasped.
He switched to the other nipple, biting, rolling it between his teeth.
Another orgasm ripped through her, this one lasting a minute. He pumped his hot cum into her at the same time.
He then pinned her back on the bed ready to fuck her more. But in that moment, Fin fought for control. Nova's eyes flashed back green too.
Neither was aware of what had just occurred.
Fin's cock throbbed, hard and insistent. He thrusted into her. Nova winced, the initial stretch always a sharp burn.
"You're so tight," Fin whispered, his control snapping. He thrusted slowly once, twice, three times. But on the fourth began rapidly pumping into her, flooding her with his cum.
He groaned involuntarily and hot spurts filled her pussy, pulsing through their connection like lightning. Nova gasped, her orgasm exploding in response, walls milking him as ecstasy surged from every point where his skin touched hers—his chest against her breasts, thighs pressing into hers, sending shocks of electric bliss straight to her core.
"Gods, baby….why is going slow so hard with you," he said, trying and failing to slow down again. His hips moved forward with dominant rhythm, cock sliding through their mixed release.
The electricity built again, skin tingling where they connected, and a minute later, he came a second time, groaning as he emptied into her.
Nova's body responded, a groan escaping her lips as another climax tore through her, her hands on his back as she rode the waves.
Fin's eyes flashed gold and his wolf took over again.
He flipped her on her stomach, pulling her ass up and entered her from behind. His fingers found her clit and massaged it while he pumped into her.
"Your pussy is so wet for me." He groaned.
Her eyes flashed silver then gold again, her wolf taking over too. But this time, both Fin and Nova were still aware of what was happening.
He slapped her ass, sending sparks racing up her spine. Immediately, she tightened around his cock and orgasmed immediately.
Fin groaned, still aware of what was occurring. He felt her orgasm happen so quickly after he spanked her and her reaction to his dominance turned him on more. He didn't know that would cause her to cum like that. But his wolf did.
Fin's eyes flashed back hazel as he came again, flooding her depths
He groaned feeling her body react to his.
He continued moving into her with hard, possessive strokes that claimed her soul.
Nova's orgasm was overwhelming, body seizing as the mate bond sang, electricity fading to a warm glow. She squirted in his hand that was rubbing her clit.
His eyes flashed molten gold, and he pulled out of her, licking the cum she squirted off her thighs.
He flipped her over to her back and thrusted into her again. Her eyes were still molten gold.
He continued to pump into her, feeling her orgasm rise.
"All mine," he growled, his teeth latched onto her mark. Her teeth latched onto his at the same time.
Intense pleasure surfaced for both of them, neither letting go for two minutes as climax ripped through them.
Their bodies glowed gold, but both were unconscious before they noticed.