6 – SHADOWS OF THE MANSION

The ballroom was still thick with smoke and the stench of blood when Lucian summoned the Council to a private chamber. The injured had been dragged aside. The dead lay covered in cloaks. Broken crystal glittered underfoot like mockery.

Lucian’s cold gaze swept the room and landed on Jax.

“Get her home safely,” he commanded, tone absolute. “I will accept nothing less.”

“Yes, sir,” Jax said, inclining his head.

Sophie stayed silent. Her mask held, but the weight of her grandfather’s words pressed against her soul like prison bars locking into place.

As Jax stepped away to talk with someone, she saw Pandora.

Tom’s body lay on a marble slab, covered to the chest. He was unmistakably still.

Pandora knelt beside him, golden dress untouched, face streaked with careful tears. Penelope hovered close, hands fluttering uselessly, eyes wide and shining. Several others stood nearby, murmuring condolences.

Pandora sobbed loudly.

But when her gaze flicked to Sophie, everything changed.

The tears stopped.

Pandora leaned closer to Penelope, murmuring something quick and sharp. Then she rose, stepped toward Sophie just far enough to be seen, but not heard by Jax or Johnny, who were engaged with a Council officer several paces away.

“This is on you,” Pandora whispered, voice low and vicious. “If you hadn’t been so busy showing off for Jax, maybe Tom would still be alive.”

Sophie didn’t react. Didn’t blink.

Pandora smiled thinly. “Everyone will see it that way. Don’t worry. I’ll make sure of it.”

Penelope’s eyes flicked between them. She heard every word. And she understood exactly which story would spread.

Pandora turned back to the gathered crowd, collapsing into sobs once more, cradled by sympathetic hands.

Performance complete.

“Welcome to the crew!” Johnny boomed once they were clear of the Council grounds, clapping his hands together like the night hadn’t ended in blood. “Ice Queen or not, surviving your first massacre earns a drink.”

“I don’t drink,” Sophie said automatically.

Johnny stared at her, aghast. “That’s the most tragic thing I’ve heard all night.”

Jax snorted.

Minutes later, Sophie found herself in a dim tavern crowded with off-duty Hunters. Laughter rolled through the room, mugs thumped against scarred tables, music hummed low and off-key. The warmth wrapped around her, easing tension she hadn’t realized she was carrying.

“Four beers,” Johnny told the barkeep, sliding one toward Sophie.

She hesitated, then lifted it. The first swallow burned. The second went down easier. By the time the mug was empty, her cheeks were warm, and her thoughts felt slightly unmoored.

“Enough,” Jax said calmly, sliding the mug away when she reached again.

“I’ve had two,” she protested.

“Exactly,” he replied, one corner of his mouth lifting. “And you’re done.”

Johnny leaned across the table. “He’s like this with everyone. Bossy. Heroic. Deeply irritating.”

“Still alive,” Jax countered.

“Debatable.”

Shiloh stood nearby, arms folded, observing. “Enjoy it while it lasts,” she said coolly. “War’s here. Taverns won’t mean much soon.”

She wasn’t unkind. Just distant. Guarded.

Sophie noticed the silence between her and Jax. Not hostility. History.

When Sophie stood to leave, Shiloh rose as well. “Get her home intact,” she said flatly. “Lucian won’t blame wolves if she isn’t.”

Johnny winked, already surrounded by admiring women. “Don’t wait up. I’m about to be very busy.”

Outside, the cool night air sobered her a little. She walked beside Jax, their footsteps echoing along the cobbled path. Feeling tipsy, emboldened, she blurted, “You and Shiloh. Are you… together?” Jax’s laugh was low, rough. “We were. Once. But Shiloh? She’s a bitch to everyone. Don’t take it personally. Still, like I told you earlier, she’s someone you want at your side when the blades come out.” Sophie nodded, absorbing his words. He studied her a moment longer, then said, “The team meets tomorrow. But you… I’ll give you a day. You’ve been thrust into this too fast.”

“I don’t need a day,” she said suddenly. “I’m ready.”

Jax studied her. Really looked.

“I know,” he said quietly. “That’s what worries me.”

They stopped beneath an archway. Stone cool at her back as he stepped closer. Not touching. Just there. Blocking the world away.

“I saw how Lucian treats you,” Jax said quietly. “The way you brace before he speaks.”

Her breath hitched.

“You’re in my squad now,” he continued. “That means something.”

“You don’t get to claim me,” she said, though her voice wavered. “He’s the Grand Dragon, he’s dangerous.”

“I get to protect what’s mine,” he replied calmly. “And I’ve never wanted anything like this.”

Her pulse thundered.

“I watched you tonight,” he went on. “When you stopped holding back. When the Ice Queen cracked and something wild came out. They all talk about you. Perfect. Untouchable.”

His gaze dropped to her mouth.

“They’re wrong.”

Her breath came shallow and fast.

“I set Rufus up,” he admitted. “Knew he’d push. Knew Lucian couldn’t refuse in public. They said you’re too young.” A half-smile. “I said I don’t care.”

He leaned in, close enough that she could feel the heat of him.

“You’re the one for me, Soph.”

The kiss was immediate. Consuming. Not gentle, not rough, just urgent. Her hands fisted in his jacket before she realized she’d moved. Heat surged through her, sharp and overwhelming, her ice dissolving into something reckless and alive.

She gasped and pulled back, breath ragged.

“I need to go home,” she said, shaking. “This is too much.”

He stepped back at once, nodding. “You’re right. I meant every word. I want you, if you’ll have me. I’ll wait. I’ll do it right.”

She nodded, heart racing, following him to his car.

They drove in shattered silence but Sophie relented and let him walk her to the gates.

At the door, his hand brushed her cheek. Pulling her close, his lips found hers, gentle and lingering, a promise rather than a claim.

“I’ll send a car tomorrow,” he murmured. “We’ll do this right.”

She nodded, dizzy, and slipped inside.

The shadows swallowed her.

“Sophie.”

Her stomach dropped.

Lucian stepped from the darkness, blue eyes burning with rage.

“You disgusting little whore,” he hissed, seizing her hair and dragging her down the steps. Stone bit into her knees as he hauled her into the basement. “Parading around half-naked, letting men touch you. Just like your mother.”

He flung her into the wall.

“You think you matter to a man like Jax?” he ranted. “You think you’re performance tonight means you get to do what you want?” White spittle flecked his lips, the madness in those blue eyes burned. “I made you. I can unmake you. I can make you disappear, and no one would question it.”

He dragged her to the stocks, still ranting, and placed her hands in there.

She closed her eyes, she knew what was coming.

The whip cracked.

Once.

Twice.

“If you want to give it away,” he snarled, “I can always make use of you and the original blood you carry. Chain you to a bed. Turn you into a breeder. At least then you’d serve a purpose.”

Another strike.

Pain ripped through her, but disgust burned hotter. She hated him. Hated the sound of his voice. Hated the power he wielded unchecked.

“And don’t think anyone will stop me,” Lucian continued, breathing hard. “I am the Grand Dragon. No one defies me.”

The whip fell again.

Sophie’s body trembled.

But her face stayed stone.

The Ice Queen endured.

And in the dark, through the pain and the fury, one question remained.

Would someone like Jax be able to save her from a monster like her grandfather?