Nova stirred, a wave of déjà vu crashing through her before she even opened her eyes. Her skull throbbed — a dull, punishing ache — and she became aware of warmth beneath her cheek. A chest. A heartbeat.
She was lying on someone.
And his scent…
Gods.
The forest after rain. Pine. Stone cooled by mist. And something crisp beneath it — eucalyptus. It pulled at her memory.
Fin.
Had he always smelled this good?
A tingling buzz spread beneath her skin wherever her body touched his — sparks running along nerves still aching with magic. Had his touch always felt this electric?
She inhaled again—
—and memory slammed into her.
Jax.
The matebond tearing. The grief. The hollow ache punched through her chest as if her ribcage itself cracked apart. Anxiety flared behind it, sharp and panicked. Followed by fear… what if Fin changed his mind or if she was not what he wanted?
Fin felt the shift instantly. One moment, she was calm against him — the next, a tidal wave of pain hit him so hard his breath caught.
Anxiety. Uncertainty. Fear. Heartbreak.
His chest ached for her.
"Hey…" Fin murmured softly, tightening his arms around her. "You're okay. I'm here."
He wanted to kiss her — desperately. But would it overwhelm her?
Xeon's voice rumbled through his mind.
Xeon:Follow your instincts.
So he did.
He pressed a kiss to the top of her head, thumb stroking slow circles along her side. Her breath hitched — a jolt of shock that he did that, followed by warmth and fragile relief pulsing through her.
Had she really been unsure he wanted her?
No. That ends now.
"I'm so damn proud of you, Nova," he said, voice low and reverent. "To call you my Luna. Every day you amaze me — and just when I think I've seen everything, you go and save fifty kids, wipe out thirty soldiers, twenty corpses, and a dark mage who nearly killed us both last time."
He let out a quiet laugh and another kiss to her forehead.
"I'm not leaving you today. I should've never let you go yesterday." He said, kissing the top of her head.
He gave a soft huff of amusement. "You and Elle are trouble when left unsupervised."
A small laugh came from her and her body eased slowly against him — but he felt the single tear that fell down her cheeks on his chest.
Fin held her tighter. "I'm right here, Nova. You're safe."
"Thank you," she whispered. "I was worried you wouldn't be able to get J-Jax to help." More pain. More guilt. And shame crept behind it.
Fin froze, shocked by how sharply her emotions bled through the bond. He was feeling them more intensely because no doubt. His mate — his fierce, brilliant mate — had been drowning in this alone.
Xeon answered his train of thought.
Xeon: You're feeling them more intensely because the mate bond is active for both of you.
"S-sorry," she tried to laugh, breath broken. "I'm all o-over the place. If you feel it — through the bond — I promise I'm not usually like this."
He kissed her head and stroked her back.
"Nova," Fin said, voice thick with certainty, "I know you. I've felt you through the matebond since the moment we met. I know who you are. You are beautiful inside and out. You take my breath away every time I look at you. And I love you so much it scares me. I'm going to help you get through this. I'm not going anywhere."
Warmth spread through her at his words — like light reaching places that had been cold too long. That tight knot of doubt loosened, just a little.
He opened a mindlink.
Fin: Elias — Nova's awake. Can you bring that tonic?
Elias: Yes Alpha, I'll be there right away.
He brushed a tear from her cheek. "Elias will be here in a minute to check on you."
Another kiss to her brow. Xeon whimpered in his mind and commented again.
Xeon: This is heartbreaking. It's hitting her wolf just as hard — deeper, even. Seraphine is unraveling from the inside out.
Fin answered silently, jaw tight.
Fin: Once the tonic settles, I'm going to talk to her. Reassure her about us—about what she means to me.
Xeon's voice came back, firmer this time.
Xeon: Mark her. That's the most powerful way to help. Let her pain flow into us instead and through the bond, she'll feel your emotions at a higher degree and your strength. All the chaos tearing at their soul won't just be on her alone.
Then softer, Xeon added:
Xeon: This isn't just about losing Jax. The pain she's in… it's the side effect of her soul ripping. And I mean that literally. Their spirits were tied the way only fated mates can be. What she has with you is stronger or she would have been fated to him. Severing something that deep doesn't just hurt—it tears. And Nova is not built to survive that kind of break as a spirit. Neither is Seraphine.
Another beat.
Xeon: Her bond to you runs deeper than what she had with Jax. Marking her will root her spirit with yours—where it belongs.
Fin swallowed hard.
"Hang on, let me grab you a shirt." He whispered, gently placing her on the bed under him and getting up.
He tugged on cotton pants and retrieved a soft shirt. When he turned back, she was hiccuping—tears still slipping silently down her cheeks.
He crossed to her in seconds, thumbs brushing the tears away as he pressed another soft kiss to her forehead.
"Let me help you into this," he murmured. "Just so Elias can look you over."
Nova nodded and sat up slowly. He slid the shirt over her head, guiding her arms through the sleeves with careful hands, as if she were something breakable.
Something precious.
She hiccuped again and noticed it smelled just like Fin and she couldn't help but give a weak smile.
"What's that smile for?" Fin asked, already grinning.
"Your shirt s-smells like you," she murmured. "I'm going to k-keep it."
"You can have as many as you want." He laughed softly, grin widening. "What do I smell like?"
Nova blushed. "A few things. M-mixed."
"You smell like vanilla and moonlight," he said, brushing a stray strand of hair from her face. She looked even more beautiful when she blushed. The warmth that bloomed in his chest nearly overwhelmed him. Gods, he'd dreamed of moments like this—sleeping beside her, waking with her in his arms.
It still didn't feel real.
A knock broke the moment.
Elias stepped inside with a nod. "Alpha." Then he looked at Nova. "Fainted again, huh? Every time I turn around."
"He didn't believe me," Fin said with a laugh. "Told him you saved fifty cubs, took down thirty soldiers, twenty possessed corpses, and the same dark mage who nearly killed us both last time."
Nova blushed again. "J-Jax killed the corpses and the mage. He'll probably be m-mad to hear you s-say that."
"All he did was make an orb that dissolved the dark magic. Your shot, your kill."
"B-but without his magic, the dark magic would have gone into something else." she said, shaking her head but smiling.
"Still counts as yours, as far as I'm concerned," Fin said.
Elias blinked. "You weren't joking."
"Not about that," Fin said, glancing down at Nova. "And definitely not about my mate. Nova is my fated mate."
Elias stared. Then broke into a grin.
"Well, that explains a hell of a lot. Especially why her body responded to your blood like it was a perfect match. Considering she bleeds silver, that was a mystery to me."
He crossed the room, placed a hand on her forehead, and frowned thoughtfully.
"Fever's still there, but better than usual. I've got a tonic. It'll help with the post matebond severing backlash."
Nova sat up straighter, life coming back into her eyes with that. "I'll drink anything you give me if it helps."
Fin's stomach twisted. It really was that bad.
Elias handed her the glass and she didn't hesitate. He looked shocked, "That bad, huh? Usually you try to say you're fine and we have an argument."
Nova had already drained the glass.
"That tonic's bitter as hell. You didn't even flinch." Elias said, shaking his head with a chuckle. "I'll have another one ready by tonight. I'll check on you again then."
He paused at the door, glancing at Fin. Then left into the corridor. He mindlinked.
Elias: Keep an eye on her fever. If it doesn't drop in a few hours, let me know. Or if she needs more of that tonic.
Fin: On it.
Fin turned back to Nova with a soft smile.
"Now, where were we…? You were about to tell me what I smell like." He said with a boyish grin.
He crawled back onto the bed and gently pulled her on top of him again. Through the bond, he felt it—how much she liked it. It made him want to stay like this forever.
He held her, brushing her hair back, pressing another kiss to her head.