Jax’s POV
I descended the wooden stairs with heavy steps. With every single step, I felt the tightness in my chest that refused to ease. My hand was still trembling slightly—the hand with which I had just caused her pain. I could still feel the thin bones of her wrist in my grip, and I could hear that stifled groan born of pure panic.
When I entered the bar, the noise died down instantly. The pack members were there—Silas at the counter, Kane leaning against the pool table, and the rest scattered in the dim light. Thirty pairs of eyes fixed on me, and the tension in the air was palpable. They expected answers. They wanted to see that their Alpha was still the rock-hard leader who knew no mercy.
But what they saw was something else.
I stopped in the middle of the room. I didn't pour mys
