Jaxon POV
The forest path blurred beneath my boots, the scent of pine and damp earth sharp in my lungs as I ran toward the Silverthorn Pack’s mansion, my heart pounding with a desperation I couldn’t quell. Ben’s words echoed in my skull, each one a lash against my pride: “You shouldn’t have left today, Jaxon… Darius is probably with Lyra now, trying to charm her.”
The thought of Darius near her, his Ironclaw Pack arrogance seeping into my home, my wife, my Luna, lit a fire in my chest, my wolf snarling, his claws scraping at my soul, urging me to act, to fight, to protect what was mine. I’d been a fool, throwing myself into pack duties—supplies, new dens, protective wards—thinking work could drown out the fear that had haunted me since Darius’s arrival.
My foul mood had driven a wedge
