The portal cracked open like a tear in the world.
They stepped through directly into the Alpha's private wing — the north tower, where no one would see them. Where no rumors could spread like wildfire about the white wolf, or how the Alpha and Gamma had carried her like she was something precious.
Finric shoved open the heavy door to the room across from his own — the one never used.
He crossed the threshold and gently lowered Nova onto the wide bed. Her lips were still tinged blue. Her olive skin was now pale. She looked impossibly small against the dark velvet of the bed.
Aeron moved beside them, already rummaging through vials and instruments with the sharp impatience of someone who did not have time for mortal stupidity.
"We may need to transfuse," he muttered, uncorking a vial with a snap. "Her blood is… not following the rules. Which, shockingly, is on brand for her."
The door to the private recovery room clicked open. Elias strode in, coat half-buttoned, bag slung over his shoulder, eyes already dissecting the scene.
"Her blood is not what you think—" Elias began.
"They've already seen," Aeron cut in.
"Good. Saves us the part where I insult your intelligence for not figuring it out sooner."
He crouched beside Nova, checking her pulse with a scowl so sharp it could peel paint. Then he glanced up at Finric and Jax.
"Old medical protocols say siblings are often viable donors."
He paused.
"Meredith is out of the question, obviously. I'm asking if she'd even pretend to care enough to help save Nova."
Jax didn't hesitate. "They're not related by blood."
Finric's head turned — slow, precise — like a predator tracking movement.
"You seem certain," Fin said quietly. "How."
Jax's pause was barely half a second — but Fin noticed.
Everyone noticed.
"She told me," Jax lied flatly. He found that out by following her, but no one needed to know that part.
Finric's jaw tightened. She had told Jax what he'd only suspected. And she hadn't told him. Aeron glanced between the two of them.
Aeron's brows lifted. Elias muttered, "She didn't tell me," but kept working.
"Well then," Aeron said, clapping his hands once, "that's one useless princess off the list."
Fin ricocheted straight to the next question, voice steady but taut.
"Will Alpha blood work?"
Silence snapped through the room.
The room went still. Elias didn't speak aloud. Elias mindlinked Aeron. But Finric and Jax heard him, because he forgot to make the mindlink private.
Elias: Alpha blood — maybe. Blood of a mate, yes. Fated or chosen with a mark.
Aeron: I thought for sure she was fated to one of them. But I guess not.
Elias cleared his throat and answered aloud.
"Yes," he said. "Alpha blood has a higher regeneration compound. With how much she's lost and how her cells are reacting, it might be our best shot."
A beat of silence passed.
"I'll do it," Finric said.
Jax looked up sharply — but said nothing. Out of the two of them, Alpha blood was better.
Aeron nodded. "Then let's begin. Please sit and we'll get a vial."
Elias mindlinked Aeron, again not private and everyone could hear. Aeron was too distracted to notice.
Elias: She is arguably the most beautiful woman in Varos. Why would they not want to claim her?
Aeron: Oh… I know she's beautiful. The whole damn pack does. It's causing issues. And there's no doubt Princess Meredith resents her.
Elias: True. Finric must really like Meredith to overlook some of the crazy. I guess physically there's nothing wrong with her per se. But … she's a fine girl.
Aeron: You sound like you're trying to sell me a horse with a limp.
Elias's lips twitched, barely suppressing a laugh. Elias's lips twitched.
Jax's shoulders shook.
Fin shot Jax a murderous glare—one that promised pain—but even he was struggling not to crack a smile.
Aeron: If either of them wanted her as their mate, they would have claimed her by now.
Neither of them flinched. They didn't move and pretended not to notice. But something in Fin's chest clenched. He said nothing. Did nothing. Just stared at the girl unconscious.
Elias: There's no way she's not fated to an Alpha.
Aeron shot him a glare, not missed by Jax or Fin.
Elias: Or at least a mate of a Gamma or Beta. She's not meant to be an omega. You know it and so does everyone else. It's just a matter of time. If her mate isn't here, he's in another pack with fewer sticks up their collective ass.
Aeron: The only ones who aren't 'accepting' are Meredith the Horse and the fossil brigade she gossips. Elders who've been alive so long they think fire is still a new invention.
Elias: I think her mate is in Redmoon. They have abilities there.
Aeron: Gods… the heir of Redmoon is a cocky bastard. That man struts like he patented war, seduction, and oxygen. Their mage Hyran is the only reason I haven't prayed for a convenient meteor.
He paused, eyes cutting toward the unconscious Nova.
Aeron: If I ever had to hand her off anywhere, it'd be to Hyran and Redmoon. And I hate that. Every syllable of it.
Elias: Still better than what she's dealing with here. Should we mention Redmoon to Finric? She might actually be safe there. The elders are going to riot the second they realize what she has abilities and can shift.
Aeron: It's a shame because anyone who interacts with her even for five seconds realizes she is quieter and doesn't have a mean bone in her body.
Elias: Which is why I'm bringing it up. In one week she's been stabbed, attacked from the back, cuffed in silver, and tossed in a dungeon. If that's 'safe,' I'm a mermaid.
Aeron: If the council forces her out, I'll back you. Redmoon is better than this mess.
Elias: Look, if she had a mate in this pack, he'd have shown up by now. Wolves don't miss something like her. Clearly her fated mate isn't here.
Aeron snorted.
Aeron: Yes, well, neither of these two geniuses has claimed her, so that does narrow it down.
Finric pretended not to hear. Jax almost choked on air.
Elias pressed on.
Elias: There are only a handful of packs with heirs. Redmoon's Alpha line, Bloodmoon's as well… the Beta and Gamma heirs in Darkhowler and Wolfric come to mind. Maybe even Starfang's Gamma, if the gods want to punish someone. If she's fated to any of them, she'd be better off there than here, where Meredith's ego circles her like a starved vulture that just spotted a prettier corpse.
Aeron: Please don't say "fated to Starfang's Gamma" again. I don't need that kind of nightmare fuel.
Elias shrugged mentally.
Elais: If her mate isn't in Shadowclaw, any one of those packs would claim her in a heartbeat — fated or not.
Aeron made a low, irritated hum.
Aeron: Bloodmoon would execute her the first time she glowed in the dark. But the other ones would.
Elias: Which is exactly my point. If she's not fated or wanted as a mate here, then keeping her in a place that keeps hurting her is—medically speaking—idiotic.
He flicked a glance toward the doorway, voice dry as winter air.
Elias: Send her somewhere she won't get doused in silver every time Meredith wakes up feeling threatened by someone prettier than her reflection.
Aeron's tone shifted — quieter, grudging.
Aeron: Much as it pains me to admit it… you're not wrong.
Across the room, Jax's hands curled into fists. Fin's jaw ticked.
Neither could tolerate the suggestion for even a breath. There would be no way in hell she was going anywhere.
But neither spoke.
Fin's wolf Xeon answered his thoughts.
Xeon: Her wolf is mine. She is meant for you. Claim her now and mark her.
Jax's body was tense. He wanted to claim her the day he carried her in here. Why didn't he?
He wasn't going to wait for anymore things to happen to her.
His wolf Talon spoke into his mind, only confirming what he was thinking.
Talon: Mate. Claim her. We aren't going to let anything happen to her.