Chapter 124 - JR POV

Chapter 124 - JR POV
Man… how the hell did everything get this fucked?
I had to get away from the pack before Mira showed up with that witch.
“Fuck… there is no way my mate is a fucking witch.”
The words taste like poison in my mouth.
But I smelled her.
When we were leaving the cabin, the wind shifted just enough to betray her. She was out there, just beyond the tree line, hiding… watching. And her scent—
Damn it.
Sweet strawberries, rich and warm, wrapped in something soft and floral. Roses… but not the kind that sit in a vase and die. No. This was alive. Addictive. Like if you could melt a rose down into sugar and let it dissolve on your tongue.
My wolf noticed.
Of course he fucking did.
I grind my teeth, shoving the thought down hard.
I can’t have this.
Not now. Not ever.
“I can’t be tied to a mate right now,” I mutter under my breath, pacing through the trees like something caged. “Too much is riding on this.”
War is coming.
Stephen is coming.
And I refuse to be another weak link in this chain just because fate decided to throw me a distraction wrapped in temptation.
Worse… I could become a distraction for her.
My chest tightens, something sharp twisting behind my ribs.
“Goddess…” I drag a hand down my face. “I should end this now.”
The thought hits hard. Brutal. Final.
Cut the bond before it forms. Before she gets pulled into this mess. Before Stephen or one of his twisted creations gets their hands on her because of me.
Because that’s what would happen.
Everything around me gets dragged into the fire eventually.
It always does.
I exhale sharply, forcing the emotion down, locking it away where it can’t interfere.
Irune’s already slipping.
I’ve seen it in the way his attention drifts, the way his instincts pull toward Trinity even when strategy should come first. I get it… I do.
But I can’t afford that.
Not me.
Not now.
“I won’t lose focus too,” I growl.
No matter what it costs.
My path is clear.
Find my father.
He’s the key.
He knows Stephen better than anyone alive. Knows his strategies, his patterns, the dirty, underhanded shit he pulls when he thinks no one is watching.
And Stephen is always doing something dirty.
We’ve got numbers. More than we’ve ever had. Wolves, bears, vampires… all gathering under one cause.
But it’s still not enough.
Not against witches.
Not against hybrids.
Not against him.
If I know my father—and I do—he hasn’t gone far.
He’ll be close to Stephen’s camp. Just outside the perimeter. Far enough to avoid detection… close enough to strike if an opportunity presents itself.
Reckless.
Calculated.
Exactly what I’d do.
A humorless smirk pulls at my lips.
Yeah… he’s close.
I slow slightly, letting my senses stretch outward.
There.
The air shifts.
The forest feels… wrong.
Heavy.
Watched.
“They’re close,” I murmur.
Two hours from the pack at a steady human pace.
One hour with wolf speed.
Less if they’re desperate.
This could go to hell at any second.
“I need to move.”
Fast.
I stop, rolling my shoulders as I pull the pouch tighter and secure my phone against my arm. The band stretches with me, built for this exact moment.
No loose ends.
No mistakes.
Before I shift, I fire off a quick message to Irune:
They’re an hour out if they move at wolf speed. Stay alert. I’m going dark. Will contact when I can.
I don’t wait for a response.
Don’t give him the chance to argue.
Don’t give him the chance to send anyone after me.
Because if they come looking… they’ll get spotted.
And if that happens?
We lose the advantage.
We lose lives.
I power the phone down.
Silence.
Good.
Now it’s just me.
And the hunt.
The moment I step deeper into their territory, I feel it.
Witches.
Their magic crawls across my skin like invisible webs, thick and suffocating. Barriers layered over barriers. Traps hidden in the air itself.
Eyes everywhere.
“Yeah… they’re not playing around,” I mutter.
Good.
Neither am I.
I close my eyes for half a second and let go.
Bones crack.
Muscle tears and rebuilds.
Heat floods my body as the shift takes over, violent and familiar all at once.
Alright, Nyxen… you ready?
A low, dark chuckle rolls through my mind, deep and eager.
When am I not?
I huff.
No need to be cocky.
Cocky and confident are two very different things, human, he replies smoothly, something sharp laced beneath his tone. Now… let’s find our father.
A pause.
Then darker—
And maybe have a little fun along the way.
I bare my teeth as the transformation completes.
Stay focused. Stealth first.
Yeah, yeah… Nyxen’s amusement brushes against my thoughts like claws dragging over stone. Let me do what I do best.
He lifts our snout, inhaling deeply.
The world explodes into scent.
Earth.
Rot.
Magic.
Blood—
My body stills.
Every muscle locks.
The air shifts again, thicker now, metallic.
Nyxen’s voice drops to a low, dangerous whisper.
…I smell blood.
And not a little.
Not a warning.
A promise.
Something—or someone—
is already dying.