309- JAX

309- JAX
POV Jax:

I stared at her. “She stole their magic?”

“If you had any idea how our magic worked, you’d be terrified. We thought holding that much power at once might kill her. She did something impossible.”

“She and Anna too,” I murmured as I looked at my mate. “There were witches mixed in with the clan who were working against Maeve. There’s one in the prison.”

“I’ll find her,” Janelle said softly. “There were holes in that circle that let us slip through. Their betrayal helped.”

Saul finished examining Lunessa and Anna and returned to us. “They’re in a deep sleep, but otherwise, they seem fine, and so does the baby. I’ll check again when they wake up, but it may take a while. For now, I’ll start tending to the mutated wolves.”

“You’ll need Finn’s permission,” Elonso interrupted. “These next days will be incredibly important for Finn’s success. We do nothing with this pack without his permission, even something you know he would approve of.”

With a grim expression, Saul nodded and began to leave. “May I go with him?” Amelia asked softly. “Please.”

I gave a brief nod and watched her run after Saul. She had been badly hurt, but I knew she was still in shock over the fact that Finn was an alpha. Losing her would be painful, but her place was at his side.

I had no idea where Finn was, and now that he was no longer my wolf, I had no right to seek him. I was a guest on his lands, and if he needed us, he would come find us.

It was a strange situation. The only power transition I had ever witnessed was Elonso’s, and we were not on his lands. We hadn’t been invited either, but if anyone knew what Finn was going through, it was Elonso.

Of course, Elonso had also planned to kill Emerson and seize control of the pack. Finn only wanted his personal nightmare to end. I didn’t know if taking control of Indigo Peak was the solution or if it would only make things worse for him.

“You should talk to him. I know you want to return to your pack, but you should find him and let him know you have advice. You took over a traumatized pack. Finn may need your help.” I took a deep breath. “And thank you for coming to help.”

“Hey, I still think we could have just killed her and avoided all this, but I’m glad it worked out. At least, I think it worked out.” Elonso frowned at her. “Do you know what she did?”

“Not yet. I think I’ll only know when she wakes up.”

As if she had heard me speak, she shifted and groaned. Elonso quickly stepped back, and I crossed the distance to Anna in two strides, waiting by her bed as her eyes slowly opened. We stared at each other, and she said nothing.

Something inside me broke when I saw the hesitation in that sorrowful look. We were free, but not healed.

“Easy,” I murmured when she tried to rise. “You should rest more, but I have water here if you need it. Or food. I don’t know when the last time you ate was.”

“You came for me,” she whispered.

“Always, Anna. No matter what we’re facing, I would always come for you. You know that.”

“The baby...”

“Our baby is fine, Anna. Saul already examined you. The baby has a healthy heartbeat.” I lifted the cup to her lips, and she drank eagerly. Finally, her head fell back, and she looked at me with sadness.

“You did it,” I whispered, leaning in to kiss her forehead. “It’s over. Think of all the things we said we would do when this was done, and rest, Anna.”

“Is it over for us?”

“What?”

Her eyes drifted shut, and panic gripped me, but I didn’t wake her again. She needed to rest, and I needed to process what the hell I had just heard.

I had failed her so much. And what if she had finally decided that now it was over, it would be better if we were apart? So much history. Too broken to fix.

Elonso cleared his throat. “Someone is approaching,” he said quietly. A second later, there was a timid knock at the door. Elonso opened it, and a nervous woman, a shifter, stood on the other side.

“The alpha requests your presence.”

Finn’s eyes were red, and wolf power still radiated from him as he sat motionless in the chair at a large conference table. Food was spread across the table, but it didn’t look like he had eaten any of it. The blood was still dry on his skin, and his clothes barely fit him.

Two submissive wolves lingered uncertainly around the table, and as soon as we entered, he dismissed them. They bolted from the room as if they’d been shot, and the doors slammed shut behind us.

“I can’t be the alpha,” Finn growled. “Not of this pack.”

I stared directly at him and raised a brow. “It’s a little late for that. You killed the previous alpha and anyone who challenged you, which, from what I can tell, included the second, the third, and at least ten of her best guards.”

“I didn’t realize they were challenging me,” he said tensely. “Do I have to die to give up this position?”

London, Elonso, and I exchanged looks and pulled out chairs at the table. I sniffed the food. “Doesn’t smell poisoned.”

“Everyone who seemed to want me dead is already dead or gravely injured,” Finn growled. “Just eat.”

“Not until you eat. You’re sitting as alpha of this land. That’s our way of showing respect.”

Rolling his eyes and muttering under his breath, Finn grabbed a piece of chicken, tore it with his teeth, and chewed as he glared at us. After a few bites, he relaxed, and so did I. He would keep eating until he felt full, which would help steady his wolf.

Elonso spoke first. “Have you toured the pack yet?”

“I had to. Looks like Maeve left most of the pack to die over the last year. They’re starving, and she forced her guards to take the mutation poison. Most of them are going to die. Saul is doing the best he can to get the vaccine to those with the best chance of survival. There’s a damn mass grave of wolves who’ve already died.”