Nova:Can you come over? Found out some information and want to share.
When I looked up, Zeth was already on his feet, jacket halfway on. “Let’s go.”
Who the hell made him alpha of this little pack? I shoved back my chair with a muttered “damn demon thinks he’s Mister Perfect.”
Zeth stopped mid-step, his profile half-lit by the desk lamp. “Perfect?” he echoed. His voice came low, even. “If it wasn't for Nick, I'd be the one who had hurt her the worst.” His eyes pinched in pain, words coming out under his breath. “Didn’t even realize it until too late.”
He turned, eyes meeting mine. Dark, steady, stripped bare of the usual arrogance. “But I’m done being afraid. Done letting guiltrun me. I’m stuck with you two, like it or not, because it’s whatsheneeds. I see that now.”
A slow breath escaped him, and his shoulders dropped. “Right now, she needs to see that we’re choosing her, all of us, no matter what. If putting up with you idiots helps her believe it, then fine. I’ll take it. I’ll do whatever needs to be done to make her happy, and you two, for some reason, make her happy.”
And just like that, he was gone, the door swinging shut behind him.
I stared after him for a long moment, the room too quiet. Deslen shifted beside me, that big, gentle grin creeping along his face.
“Guess he’s not wrong,” I muttered, reaching for my coat. “You ready, Des?”
He nodded and followed me. I locked the office behind us, the two of us heading out after Zeth.
I hated that he was right. I could see the pieces they filled for Nova. I saw it when we were on the couch just lazing about. Deslen's soothing calmness and complete devotion, right from the jump. Zeth’s steadfast loyalty and ability to anticipate her needs.
They were all-in on her, just like I was, but, for once, the thought of sharing her didn’t burn quite as much.
Nova was waitingat the door before we even pulled up, her silhouette framed by the porch light. This time, her eyes weren’t hollow. Those molten-pink irises burned again, fierce and alive,with the same fire I’d seen the night we met. Hope flickered in my chest. Maybe, just maybe, the three of us could be enough to stitch her heart back together.
She led us inside, straight to the dining table. The air was heavy with tension that rippled off her. Nova didn’t waste time. She dove into everything—her meeting with the family, the news rippling across continents, why turned supes were being targeted by this madman, this “doctor.”
“And this filth got intomyterritory.” Her words lashed out, sharp enough to strike. The veins in her neck stood out as she slammed her fists against the table so hard it shook. “Mine!”
Zeth reached for her hand. “Nov, it’s not?—”
“No, Zeth. This ismyjob.” She grabbed the edge of the table, exhaling before rolling her shoulders up, looking at each of us. “My family. My people. I protect them, or I don’t deserve the title of Boss Rossey.”
Her eyes went back to the table, narrowing as she searched the surface like it had answers. “I gotta find him.” Her voice was half a promise, half a demand. “I have to do it quickly.” Her hands turned into fists. “I need to make an example out of him.”
Her whole body buzzed, her wolf waiting just beneath her skin, ready to shift, to unleash her power on the world. One wrong word, and she’d be gone, storming the streets, ready to draw blood.
We couldn’t let her burn herself out like that.
Before I could think twice, I moved. The world blurred around me, and then I was in front of her. One hand slid behind her back, the other to the nape of her neck, steady but firm.
“Nova,” I breathed.
She barely had time to blink before my mouth found hers.
She stiffened, shock flashing through her body, then melted. The tremor in her breath turned into a soft gasp against my lips as my fingers trailed lower, grounding her, reminding her to feel instead of fight.
Her lips parted, an invitation. Acceptance. Heat surged between us, wild and unrelenting, the world narrowing to just the two of us and the sound of our uneven breathing.
When we finally broke apart, her forehead rested on my shoulder, chest heaving.
Behind her, Zeth stood motionless, turquoise eyes sharp with jealousy that he didn’t bother to hide. Deslen leaned back in his chair, eyes gleaming, watching like a man studying a storm.
I smiled at them, then let my lips brush the edge of Nova’s throat. My voice dropped to a whisper meant for her alone.
“You know, the other day, I read that a stressful mind and body produce forty percent less than what they’re capable of,” I murmured, letting my hands roam her tight frame. “Let us help you, Boss.”
A shiver rippled through her. Her fingers caught the bottom of my shirt and tugged it free before tracing those warm fingers along my stomach, slowly and deliberately.
