Nova shifts beside me, her body language subtly changing. Not defensive, but attentive in a new way.
“About?” I ask.
Nyxiana’s gaze sweeps the compound, taking in the half-healed wolves still moving with careful steps. The space where Marcus’s cabin stands empty.
“About what happens next,” she says simply.
I move forward, closing half the distance between us. Not as a challenge, but as an invitation. “You could have waited to be invited.”
“There wasn’t time,” she replies. Her eyes track past me to where Rafe and Ansel stand. Something passes across her features—too quick to read.
I glance back at Nova, searching for her reaction. Her magic is still humming, responsive but not alarmed. She gives me the slightest nod.
“Then let’s talk,” I say, gesturing toward the Lodge.
Chapter 48
Nova
Islip into the Lodge behind Lyanna, scanning the room quickly. The air feels thick with unspoken questions. Dane stands near the map table, arms crossed, stance wide. Not posturing. Just solid. Present. His eyes meet mine briefly before returning to the group.
Ben leans against the wall near the door. Harper stands across the room by the window, putting as much distance between them as the great room in the Lodge allows. Neither speaks, and the deliberate space between them says everything.
Callum sits at the table, fingers drumming an impatient rhythm. Kari paces near the back window, her movements controlled but restless.
Rafe stands slightly apart, hands in his pockets, watching everyone with careful detachment.
And then there’s Nyxiana—sitting near the hearth, back straight, hands folded in her lap. She doesn’t fidget. Doesn’t shift. Just observes with those violet-gold eyes that catch the light in unnatural ways.
“Let’s get to it,” Dane says, his voice cutting through the silence. “Nyxiana, you have the floor.”
Kari’s head snaps up. “Wait. Why is he here?” She nods toward Rafe, not bothering to soften her tone. “If we’re discussing pack security, shouldn’t it be pack only?”
The room goes still. Dane doesn’t raise his voice when he responds.
“He’s here because I said so.” The words drop like stones, the Alpha edge underneath them unmistakable.
Kari’s jaw tightens, but she doesn’t push back.
The seemingly unshakeable Rafe is unmoved by her outburst.
I move closer to the table, staying on the edge of the circle but making it clear I’m not just observing. My magic feels stable today—the first time since the Fade—but I keep it close, controlled.
“I’m not here to disrupt,” Nyxiana says, addressing the room. “I’m a mediator, sent by the Inter-Realm Accord to investigate the magical fractures Faelan caused.”
“The Accord?” Lyanna asks, curiosity flickering across her features. “That’s ... unexpected.”
“Damien and Auriella sent me directly,” Nyxiana continues. “I arrived in Silverwood first, but relocated here when I confirmed Ash Hollow is the convergence point.”
“Convergence point for what, exactly?” I ask.
She turns those unsettling eyes to me. “For multiple realm energies to intersect. What happened in the Fade wasn’t just a battle. It was a pressure valve. Faelan used both of you”—shelooks between Dane and me—“as conduits to crack it open. That damage didn’t disappear when you drove him out.”
“He’s still out there,” I say quietly. “Injured, maybe. Regrouping, definitely. But Faelan doesn’t retreat—he repositions.”
“So we’re still at war,” Ben states.
“We’ve been at war this whole time,” I reply. “We just didn’t know it.”
