Chapter 9

Jaxon

“You’re right,” he muttered, standing. “You didn’t.”

She’s right.

Maybe I shouldn’t have brought her here. But I couldn’t leave her out there, half-dead, bruised, and bleeding, for rogues to devour. Whatever she is, she didn’t deserve to die like that.

I sat on the chair across from her. Her gaze met mine for a split second, then darted away like a frightened animal. That same caution was in her every move.

“Elvira,” I called softly.

Her head rose, lips parted slightly. Her eyes, deep, cautious, told me she expected nothing good from this conversation.

“Now tell me,” I said, steadying my voice. “What happened to you? Who did this to you?”

She didn’t answer. Her silence was like a wall. I studied her, every twitch of her brow, every shift of her hands. She wasn’t just scared. She was protecting something. Or someone.

“Whoever did this to you doesn’t have power in my pack,” I said firmly. “If that’s what you’re worried about.”

Still nothing. Her eyes moved down to her lap, where her fingers twisted together.

“If you tell me the truth and be a good girl…” I paused, unsure why the words left my mouth like that. “I won’t send you back.”

Her head shot up at that.

Something flashed across her face. Hurt? Anger? Hope? I couldn’t tell. She wanted to speak—her lips parted—but again, nothing came out.

I sighed and rose from the chair, pacing the room. Anger rose  under my skin. In another situation, I might’ve raised my voice, demanded answers. But with her... something told me to wait, to be patient. To let her breathe.

“Speak,” I said after a long pause. “I don’t have all day.”

She hesitated, then finally whispered, “I—I…”

Then she stopped.

“I know you didn’t run away because you were injured,” I said, trying again. “Someone hurt you. Who was it?”

She met my gaze then, and it was like a damn spear through the chest.

“Why do you care?” she asked.

The question caught me off guard. It shouldn’t have. But it did. I wasn’t expecting that tone, half defiant, half broken.

“Because I do care,” I said before I could stop myself.

“Liar,” she muttered.

We stared at each other for too long. A thousand unspoken things passed between us. Her suspicion. My frustration. The tension that refused to melt.

I was the one who looked away first.

“I don’t need your pity, Alpha,” she said quietly. “But thank you for the hospitality. I’ll leave now, so I don’t bring trouble to your pack.”

I turned sharply. “You’re not going anywhere until you tell me what happened to you.”

She stood slowly, wobbling slightly.

“Do you think you’ll survive five minutes out there? Rogues are hunting, and you know it.” Then I paused. “I’m not going to let that happen to you,” I said.

That caught her off guard.

She narrowed her eyes. “How did you know I’m from Blood Moon?”

“Your scent,” I said. “Each pack carries a different one. I recognized yours.”

She nodded slightly, then surprised me by patting the spot beside her on the bed.

I blinked. “You’re talking to me?”

She nodded, eyes serious. “Yes.”

I scoffed. Brave girl. I crossed the room and sat beside her. Not too close, not too far. I could feel the tension radiating off her.

And then, finally, she began.

“On the night of my bonding ceremony… I was switched with my younger sister,” she said. Her voice cracked, but she didn’t stop. “My mate bonded with her. Not me.”

My jaw tightened.

“My stepbrothers found out before that. They said I was a mistake, a disgrace. They locked me away. Beat me. Shot me. Threw me into a river.” Her voice was so soft, so calm, it made it worse.

“I thought I was going to die,” she continued. “I wanted to. I thought maybe it was my punishment. For being born. For being the reason my mom died. I let go.”

A pause.

“But then… I woke up. Somewhere I didn’t know. Alive. So I walked. I didn’t know where I was going until… I met you.”

I couldn’t breathe.

My hands had clenched into fists at my sides. The way she spoke, so resigned, so matter-of-fact—like she’d already accepted her pain as permanent. Like she didn’t expect anyone to ever care. Deric had told me otherwise about her, why would he lie about Elvira being a spy?

“Elvira,” I said. My voice felt raw. “Do you know Alpha Deric of the Shadowfang pack?”

The name lit something in her eyes.

“Yes,” she said, her voice cracked. “That’s my mate. The one I was supposed to marry.”

I swallowed hard. What she said… it didn’t match Deric’s version. At all. Deric had called her a fraud. A liar. A threat to his pack. But why? Why would he lie about her?

Why would she lie about him? Someone was lying.

“Elvira,” I said again. She turned to me. “Call me Jaxon. When we’re alone.”

She blinked, unsure. “What?”

“I said, call me Jaxon.”

She nodded slowly. “Understood.”

I stood, already needing to pace again, to think. “I have a pack meeting. I’ll have someone bring you food.”

She nodded again.

“You’re not to leave this room,” I added. “And don’t open the door for anyone except me or the maids. They’ll call out to you before entering.”

“Okay,” she murmured.

I pinched the bridge of my nose. “Cat got your tongue?”

“Yes, Alph—” she paused, corrected herself. “Yes… Jaxon.”

I gave her one last look, something twisting in my chest at the sight of her curled up, trying so hard to pretend she wasn’t broken. I shut the door behind me, lingered by the door, before walking away.