Chapter 18 Dangerous Invitation
Nova’s Perspective
The grass beneath our feet is damp and uneven. The air bites gently at my cheeks as we walk, the massive outline of the manor looming quietly behind us.
“I’ve wanted to meet you for a while,” Jax says suddenly, breaking the quiet. He runs a hand through his hair, the motion easy, like he’s practiced being calm even when he’s curious.
I glance at him, surprised. “You have?” I slide my hands deeper into my coat pockets, my fingers cold despite the thick fabric. “How would you even know about me?”
He smiles faintly. “Because everyone knows who you are. There were stories about the Luna’s orphan long before Cassain ever became Alpha.”
I sigh, breath fogging the air. Being known without being understood has always sat wrong with me. “I don’t really know why people care,” I mutter. “I’ve tried to avoid the papers because of it.”
“I get that,” Jax says gently. “But it’s not hard to see why people talk. Most noble families wouldn’t even consider taking in a commoner, let alone raising one as their own. An Alpha and Luna doing that? It’s unheard of.”
People say it like it’s a miracle. Like it’s something to envy. But if I’m honest, I would’ve traded every bit of that strange privilege for something ordinary. For a childhood that didn’t feel borrowed.
He studies me as we walk, his expression thoughtful. “So Lucia raised you?”
“Not exactly,” I reply. “She cared, in her way. I know she did. But my mother raised me until I was about fifteen. After that, the staff here stepped in more than anyone else.”
Jax lifts a brow, clearly piecing things together. “And Cassain?”
I hesitate. “What about him?”
He slows just a little. “You don’t see him like a brother?”
Heat rushes to my cheeks so fast it surprises me. “No. Absolutely not.” I let out a breathy laugh, trying to cover the reaction. A small, nervous laugh escapes me. “If anything, Onyx is what I’d call a lifelong only child.”
Jax chuckles softly. “That’s one way to put it.”
I don’t say what I’m thinking. That it’s impossible to see someone as a brother when I've had too many impure thoughts about Cassain. I know he's my best friend, but I can only do so much when I see him shirtless.
Thoughts that surface every time I catch him training, muscles tense, tattoos dark against his skin. I shake my head, forcing them away.
“What do you mean by that?” Jax presses.
“It’s complicated,” I admit, rubbing the back of my neck. “We’ve never felt like siblings. We grew up close—best friends, really, but it never crossed into that territory.”
He gives me a sidelong look. “That makes more sense, then. Especially if you’re his mistress.”
There it is. The careful test. The unspoken question wrapped in causal words.
I keep walking, heart thudding a little faster than it should. “I probably shouldn’t say this,” I begin, choosing honesty over evasion, “but things aren’t what people think.”
He waits, patient.
“Cassain and I aren’t in love,” I continue quietly. “And we don’t… have sex.”
I know I’m probably going to regret being this honest, but if Jax believes I’m completely tied to Cassain, then I don’t stand a chance of being seen as anything other than an extension of him.
And while I know Jax isn’t my mate, whatever fate has planned for me, it doesn’t feel wrong to let myself enjoy this moment. There’s no crime in curiosity. No harm in a little harmless excitement.
“Oh?” Jax says, his tone shifting just slightly. Interested now. “Really?”
“Please don’t repeat it,” I add quickly. “That title keeps me safe here. That’s all it is.”
He nods slowly, absorbing that. “Then why stay?”
I nod. “This is home. For now, at least.”
We walk in silence for a few steps, the sound of our boots brushing wet grass filling the space between us. Finally, he speaks again. “What do you want, Nova? Outside of all this.”
The question catches me off guard. “I’m studying botany,” I say after a moment. “There’s a tutor here I adore. Plants, healing roots, everything about how the land works.” A small smile tugs at my lips. “It’s what I love most.”
Jax smiles, looking down at the ground as we walk. “That suits you.”
“And after that?” he asks.
I breathe out slowly. “Maybe I’ll leave one day. Or travel. I haven’t decided yet. For now, this place is home. Lucia and Cassain… they’ve always protected me.”
Jax looks ahead, thoughtful. “I don’t live far from here,” he says eventually, gesturing toward the dark hills beyond the estate. “It’s quiet. Surrounded by nature. You’d like it.”
I smile, eyes on my boots. “Maybe I could visit one day.”
His mouth curves into something slower, more deliberate. “You could,” he agrees. “I have plenty of space. A spare room. If you ever decide you want to see what living somewhere else feels like.”
There’s something in the way he says it, unrushed, unforced, that makes the offer feel more sinful than it should.
My eyes widen slightly, but I don’t comment on it. I don’t trust my voice to stay steady if I do.
No one has ever been so bold with me before. So casually inviting. He barely knows me, yet he’s offering space, physical space, yes, but also possibility. And that’s what unsettles me the most.
It could be innocent.
But the warmth curling in my chest tells me it isn’t entirely.