The scent of blood hit him first. But not just any blood. Faint. But distinct.
He caught it just as he rounded the top stairwell, heading toward the west wing training yard. It was familiar in a way he couldn't place. Vanilla and moonlight. Soft and sharp.
He slowed, pausing near the balcony that overlooked the Omega dining hall below.
Voices drifted up from the far corner.
Jax wouldn't normally eavesdrop. But his wolf stirred, ears twitching at the sound of a girl's voice — low, worn out, quiet.
He tilted his head slightly, and the words came into focus like glass sharpening.
"Did you ruin her life like she said?"
"Yes."
Jax's brow furrowed.
"Cool. Sounds like she deserved it."
He knew that voice. Elle, the redhead. The quiet one from the southern border pack they took in after the rogue attacks.
The other voice was new.
Soft. Tired. Guarded.
But it cracked something open in him.
"She wasn't wrong," she murmured. "My mother… was the Alpha King's fated mate. But he already had Queen Velora with two children. She was already carrying me before they met, but he claimed me as his bastard for my mother. It t-turned into a civil war, and when it was over, my mother was d-dead."
He stepped forward to see them.
There she was — Nova.
The girl he'd carried in his arms. The girl he'd pulled out of that cursed tower. The girl whose scent had shattered every instinct he'd ever trusted.
Vanilla and moonlight hit him again — stronger, clearer, unbearably sweet. His breath caught.
Tighter this time.
Like he'd been punched with something he wanted more of.
Was it this powerful before?
He didn't need to ask.
Of course it was.
He had just been too afraid to name it.
And gods, she was not Ashbane's bastard.
Not even close.
Jax still could not fathom how anyone could take one look at Meredith and one look at Nova and assume shared blood. Meredith was venom wearing lip gloss.
Nova was—
His wolf snarled in his skull.
Mine.
She looked worse than the last time he'd seen her.
A dark bruise stained the side of her neck like a thumbprint. Her lip was split, dried blood marking the corner. Her posture was tight, shoulders defensive. But her face…
She didn't look scared. She looked like someone who'd run out of things to lose.
Jax exhaled slowly, that unsettled feeling rising again in his chest. His wolf was pacing.
He pulled away from the railing. Time to find out what the hell happened.
Ten minutes later, he found Elder Norrin, the steward assigned to the princess's wing, reviewing parchment orders at a desk near the east hall.
"Elder," Jax said. "A word."
Norrin looked up, immediately straightening. "Gamma Thorne. Of course."
Elder," Jax said. "Tell me what happened to Nova Moonveil."
There was no need to explain who that was. Everyone knew who that was and Norrin didn't bother pretending. He looked up sharply, then sighed as if he'd been waiting for this. "Gamma Thorne… it would be easier to list what didn't happen."
"Try me."
"The Princess dismissed her guards and attendants first. She didn't want witnesses. When the girls brought in her morning things, she—" he hesitated, lowering his voice, "—recognized Nova. From Ashbane. It turned ugly fast. She accused her of destroying her family, called her names I will not repeat in this hall, and then she—"
"Spit it out, Elder."
"She put her hands around the girl's neck," Norrin said quietly. "Dragged her against the wall. Said things that would have shamed the entire court if anyone else had heard them. Said she hoped Nova was raped by every soilder here and died a painful death. Promised she'd finish what her own mother started. "
Jax's jaw locked. He felt his wolf wanting to surface, but he pushed him back down. "She threatened to kill her?"
"Yes. And worse. The Princess's words were… depraved. Called her mother a whore and her one as well. It was foul language for a princess if I do say so. I don't know how Ashbane raises their ladies of noble blood, but that certainly is not how we do it here."
"Was she provoked?" Jax asked, not caring what the answer was.
"No. She was going in to tend to Meredith. And she didn't fight back or speak from what I could hear. She struck a nerve clearly with the princess and after choking her, Meredith also struck her across the face. Hard enough to draw blood. Then she ordered everyone out."
Norrin swallowed hard. "The girl didn't cry or speak. She just… left."
Jax stood there a long moment, the muscles in his jaw twitching.
"Thank you, Elder."
As he turned to go, Norrin added, "Gamma—if the girl had screamed, half the keep would have come running. She didn't make a sound."
Jax walked away, the image of that silent defiance burned into his mind. His wolf paced restlessly inside him, low and angry.