Even if it led me to pain later. Even if I had to settle for less, I knew it would be worth it in the very end. That dream was worth the try.
Before all of that, I needed to fix this issue with this doctor now.
Fishing my phone from my pocket, I typed out a message for three.We need to talk.
My job was to keep my territory safe. That was my line in the sand to hold. I needed to be the arm of the Syndicate that stood forever strong, and I would be. I was Nova fucking Rossey, and our enemies would feel the wrath of my fists. That was my guarantee.
29
CONRAD
“Oh! Here you go, mate-broth—I mean, Conrad.”
Deslen caught himself midword, flashing a sheepish grin that didn’t fit a man of his size. He slid a thick contact folder across my desk, the paper whispering against the wood. Since he didn't know how long it was going to take Nova to officially recognize him as a mate, he wanted to solidify his presence in her life and make himself into an asset for her.
He rubbed the back of his neck, eyes darting anywhere but mine. “My manager’s been on my ass about getting Nova to sign. Just… y’know, make it all legit.”
I flipped open the folder, pretending to study the legalese instead of wondering why I hadn’t thought of something like this first. Zeth, who was her second, had her loyalty. Deslen was quickly working up the fighter ranks, making it so he was a part of her world. And me? I was still trying to figure out where I fit.
“All right,” I said, forcing my voice to steady. “I’ll comb through this and flag anything shady.”
“Thanks, man.” His shoulders dropped like he’d been holding them tight for hours. “Just don’t want to pile on more stress for her, ya know?” His arms got tight—probably twisting his fingers underneath the desk. A nervous habit, maybe?
I almost smiled. The big cat looked ready to shred someone one second yet could do nothing but wring his hands the next. I hadn’t wanted to like him, not after I saw him and her covered in blood, leaning toward her, all easy smiles and familiar touches. When he’d reached out to shake my hand, calling usmate-brothers, I’d wanted to break that hand. We didn’t need another rival for her attention, not when every part of me wanted to hoard her like treasure.
But things had shifted. All of us being her mates, Nick’s betrayal, the chaos that followed… it gave even Zeth and me some common ground to bounce our anger off. That night, when he took us to Nova’s place, we both spat out curses, agreeing that he needed to pay for his betrayal.
Deslen, on the other hand, barely looked at us that night. He’d been too focused on tearing through her kitchen then vanishing out the back door.
When Deslen finally came back from the forest, his arms were full of flowers and herbs, and dirt was smudged up his forearms.
“When she comes back from her run, I’ll draw her a bath,” Deslen said quietly, setting the handful of herbs and flowers on the counter. “The scents should help ground her.”
That was the first time I saw him not as competition but as someone trying to keep her safe in his own quiet way.
Before either of us could answer, he was moving up the stairs, footsteps soft for a man his size.
Zeth and I just stood there, still fuming. Rage burned under my skin, raw and directionless. Nick’s name sat on my tongue like acid, every thought circling back to what I wanted to do to him for breaking her heart.
Then I heard water running upstairs, along with the soft thud of movement, and it hit me. He wasn’t thinking about revenge or how angry he was. He was thinking abouther.
Why the hell wasn’t I?
In my head, I’d built Nova up like some indestructible legend, our Syndicate boss, the woman who faced down enemies twice her size and walked away without a scratch. I forgot that power didn’t make you immune to suffering. Under all that fire and command, she stillfelt.
A couple of hours later, the sound of the back door opening snapped me out of my head. She stepped through, barefoot, dirt streaking her skin. Blood was splattered on her arms and her hands. Her moonlit hair clung to her face, wild, tangled, like she’d fought the whole damn world and barely made it back.
Her rose gold eyes found us, their usual spark gone. What was left looked hollow, like something precious had been scooped out and replaced with silence.
Her lips twitched into a ghost of a smile, the kind people made when they were trying to keep you from worrying. It gutted me.
I’d wanted to be her protector, her partner, the one who could match her fire, but, in that moment, I saw how little that mattered. She didn’t need another fighter. She needed someone who could hold her when the fight was over.
Upstairs, I heard the faint slosh of water, and the scent of wild flowers drifted down the hall. Deslen again, making space for her to breathe.
For the first time, I understood why fate had given her more than one mate. She carried worlds on her back, and she needed more than one set of hands to catch her when the weight got too heavy.
And I wanted—no,needed—to be one of them. Not just for me, not for the Syndicate. Forher.
