Chapter 87

JAX

When I arrived at Asher's office, Knox was already there, pacing back and forth like a caged wolf. The tension in the room was thick, and as soon as I stepped inside, I could feel the weight of whatever Asher was about to say. My gut twisted with anxiety. I could tell by the look on Asher’s face that this wasn’t just any piece of news—it was something big, something that would change everything.

Asher sat behind his desk, his fingers steepled together in that way he always did when he was deep in thought. He glanced at me, then back at Knox, before finally speaking.

“Spencer Donovan,” he said, his voice heavy with the name.

Knox stopped pacing and stared at him. “Who the hell is Spencer Donovan?” he demanded, his tone sharp.

Asher sighed, leaning back in his chair. “He’s a protective wolf descended from the royal guard.”

The words hung in the air like a dark cloud. My mind raced, trying to connect the dots. A royal guard? That was ancient history, something out of the old legends, tales told to scare pups into behaving. But here was Asher, dead serious, telling us that one of those old wolves was real and had somehow found Isabella.

“What does that even mean?” I asked, needing clarity. “Why would he be interested in Isa?”

Asher’s eyes met mine, and I saw the concern lurking beneath his usual calm exterior. “It means that with all three of us vying for the throne and Isa carrying our child, something in him—some ancient instinct—must have been triggered. His primary purpose is to protect the royal line. And in his eyes, that means Isabella and our unborn child.”

The room fell into silence, the implications of Asher’s words sinking in. A protective wolf from the old guard was bound to be powerful, unyielding, and relentless. If his primal instincts had truly been awakened, there was no telling what he would do to ensure Isa and our child’s safety.

Knox clenched his fists, a muscle in his jaw ticking. “So, what does that mean for us? He’s just going to shadow her every move? What if he decides we’re a threat to her?”

Asher shook his head. “He’ll do anything to protect her. And that includes protecting her from anything—or anyone—he perceives as a danger. We don’t know how far he’ll go. He’s following his instincts, and those instincts might not align with what we want.”

I felt a chill run down my spine. The idea that someone—or something—else could be deciding what was best for Isabella, for our family, didn’t sit well with me. We’d worked too hard to build this life together, and now it felt like it was slipping out of our control.

“So what do we do?” I asked, looking between my brothers.

Asher’s expression was grim. “We need to figure out how to handle this, but there’s no easy solution. We can’t just confront him—he’s not our enemy in the traditional sense. But we also can’t let him dictate what happens next.”

Knox’s eyes narrowed. “And you’re sure he’ll do anything to protect her? Even if it means going against us?”

Asher nodded. “That’s what worries me. He’s not bound by the same rules as we are. His instincts are primal, ancient. And they’ve been triggered by something we don’t fully understand.”

The room grew quiet again, the reality of our situation settling in. We’d faced plenty of challenges before, but this felt different. This felt like a battle we weren’t prepared for, a battle against something we couldn’t fully comprehend.

“We need a plan,” Knox finally said, his voice low and determined. “We can’t just sit around and wait for him to make a move. We need to find a way to protect Isa and our child—on our terms.”

Asher nodded slowly, his eyes fixed on a point far beyond the walls of his office. “Agreed. But for now, we have to keep this under wraps. Isa can’t know, not yet. She’s already dealing with so much, and I don’t want to add to her stress.”

I couldn’t help but agree. The last thing we wanted was to make Isabella worry even more. But as I stood there, watching Asher and Knox strategize, I couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling gnawing at the back of my mind.

This wasn’t just about power anymore. This was about protecting the most important person in our lives, and that meant we couldn’t afford to make a single misstep. Spencer Donovan might think he was the only one who could keep Isabella safe, but he hadn’t seen what we were capable of.

Because if it came down to it, we would protect her at all costs—even if it meant going up against a legend.

I pulled out my phone, intending to check the time, but habit took over, and I opened up the penthouse security app. A part of me always needed to know that Bella was safe, even when I wasn't there. The app loaded, showing a live feed from the cameras inside the penthouse. My heart skipped a beat when I realized something was off—there was no sign of Isabella.

"Where the hell is she?" I muttered under my breath, my thumb swiping frantically across the screen.

I swore under my breath, a string of expletives leaving my mouth as I stared at the screen. Isa had gone out, alone, without telling any of us. The fact that she hadn’t mentioned it to me, especially after everything we’d talked about, made my chest tighten with a mix of worry and frustration. I cursed under my breath as I scrolled back through the footage. My pulse quickened when I found the moment Isabella left the penthouse. She had walked out about ten minutes ago.

I called her, but it went straight to voicemail. Damn it, Isa.

"Knox, Asher," I growled, heading for the door. "We’ve got a problem."

I dialed her number again, holding my breath as it rang. Voicemail. Again. My jaw clenched as I pocketed my phone and turned to Knox and Asher, who were already watching me intently.

“She left about ten minutes ago,” I said, trying to keep the panic out of my voice. “We need to find her. Now.”