MasukKnox's POVThe Lunar Reavers pack house was too warm.I sat in the council chamber with my coat draped over the back of my chair, watching Ronan's advisors file in one by one. They moved like nervous prey, eyes darting toward me before quickly looking away. Good. Let them be scared. Fear made people predictable.Ronan sat at the head of the table, his face carefully blank. He had read my letter three times now. He kept folding and unfolding the edges like he was waiting for the words to change."The response from Wilder," Ronan said finally. "You've seen it."I had. The messenger had brought it straight to me before delivering it to Ronan's council. Smart boy. I had made sure he knew where his loyalty should lie."I read it," I said. "Your betrothed is still in his territory. Wilder refused to release him."Ronan's jaw tightened. "He cited the betrothal as invalid. Said I lost all rights when I traded Kai away.""He's wrong." I leaned forward, resting my elbows on the table. "The betr
Kai's POVThe kiss never happened.Jax pulled back at the last second. His hand stayed on my neck, but his face went hard again. The heat in his eyes flickered and died like someone had blown out a candle."No," he said. His voice was rough, but final.I blinked. My body was still pressed against his, still burning, still aching for the contact he had just denied me."Jax...""I said no." He stepped back, putting space between us. His hands dropped to his sides. "This isn't right. Not like this."I stared at him. The rejection stung more than I wanted to admit. My skin felt cold where his hands had been. I crossed my arms over my chest, suddenly aware of how exposed I was."Not like what?" My voice came out sharper than I intended. "I told you I want this. I told you it's not about protection anymore."He ran a hand through his dark hair, messing it up even more. He looked exhausted. Like he hadn't slept at all. His eyes stayed on the floor."You're in heat, Kai. I'm in rut. It's not
KAI'S POV Last night was pure torture. I touched myself thinking of him, desperate for some kind of release, but the sounds of my own pleasure ended up drawing him straight to my bedroom door. For a brief second, I thought he was finally going to cross that line. Then he pulled away. Again.A soft knock sounded on my door, firm and unmistakable. My pulse spiked."Come in," I called, my voice still husky from sleep and lingering desire.The door opened, and there he was. Jax Wilder, all six-foot-five of raw power and restrained hunger. His dark hair was a mess, like he'd been running his hands through it all night, and those piercing eyes locked right onto me. He was wearing a simple black shirt that stretched tight across his chest and shoulders, doing absolutely nothing to hide the muscles underneath. My mouth went completely dry."Kai," he said, stepping inside and closing the door behind him with a quiet click. His voice was low, rough around the edges. "We need to talk.”I sh
JAX'S POV For a second, Kai’s invitation completely threw me off balance. The urge to just step inside and lose myself in him was overwhelming. But then, my instinct- that guarded, cautious part of me- pulled the brakes.I took a step back, shaking my head before I could change my mind. "No," I breathed. Turning away, I walked as fast as I could without outright running, slipping into my room and locking the door behind me with a heavy click. I leaned my head against the door, staring blindly into the dark of my room while the ringing in my ears finally began to fade. Too close, I told myself, the words a harsh reminder in the quiet. Way too damn close.I pressed the heels of my hands into my eyes, cursing my own stupidity. I had promised myself I’d never be that vulnerable again. Not after Eli.Even now, the memory tasted like ash. I could still see him looking up at me with those wide, terrified eyes, playing the perfect, defenseless omega. And like a fool, I swallowed the ba
Jax's POV "Oh shit. I should have waited for a response before going in.” I thought to myself as I half ran outside. My hands were shaking and I was breathing too fast. I leaned my back against the wall of the corridor and tried erasing the image I just saw off my mind but that half naked picture had burned into my eyelids.I could still picture his hands throbbing his length, the way he arched into his own touch and that moan? God.By now his fruity scent pheromones had engulfed the entire hallway. It was thick, intoxicating, and dripping with pure, unadulterated heat.I let out an involuntary moan. The enigma had awoken, my temperature had spiked a little and I could feel a sharp ache clawing at my gut and spreading towards my lower abdomen.My own scent - usually something I kept tightly under control -hit the air like a punch. It turned dark, heavy, and completely aggressive, pouring out of me so fast it actually made my head spin.My rut.It wasn't just coming anymore; it was
Jax's POV The wolf who delivered the letter had not left my territory yet. I could still pick up his scent on the wind and hear the steady thud of his heartbeat as he waited somewhere among the trees.He had probably been ordered to stay until Kai was handed over.I folded the letter I had written, stepped outside, and followed the sound of his pulse straight to him. He was sitting on a large stone with his back against a tree trunk. The moment he spotted me, he scrambled to his feet and glanced nervously behind me, clearly expecting Kai to appear.“Take this letter and deliver it to your Alpha,” I said, handing it over to him.“Tell him he lost all rights to his betrothed the moment he traded him away for political favors. I will not discuss this matter any further with anyone.”The wolf nodded rapidly, clutching the letter like it might burn him, then disappeared into the forest. I watched him go for a moment before turning back toward the house.I stepped back inside the house a
Knox's POVThe ride back to Lunar Reavers territory took three hours. Three long, humiliating hours with my men silent behind me and the cold air doing nothing to cool the rage sitting hot in my chest.Jax Wilder had thrown my men out of his home like they were nothing. Like I was nothing.I replay
Kai's POV Later that night, I lay there in Jax's bed with his shirt still wrapped around me like a blanket. The room felt quiet now. Safe in a way I never thought I'd get again. But my mind wouldn't stay still. It kept drifting back even when I tried to push it away. The fire from the hearth crack
Jax's POV I stayed very still. I had watched Kai's face while he read the letter. I had seen the exact moment his expression went from careful blankness to something that looked like the ground dropping out from under him. I had seen him put the letter down with both hands like he needed to be de
Kai's POVI read it twice before the words fully landed.The first time my eyes just moved across the page without really taking anything in. Legal language. Formal language. Pack council statutes and prior agreements and respectful requests. My brain processed the shape of the sentences without







