Jax POV:
By the time we reach the council buildings, the atmosphere has shifted enough that even the stone beneath our boots feels alert, aware, as though the land itself has recognized Nova’s presence and hasn’t yet decided whether to welcome it or brace against it.
The gathering alphas do their best to pretend otherwise, conversations thinning rather than stopping outright, gazes snapping away just a fraction too slow, and I can feel the weight of it pressing at Nova from every direction, curiosity layered with calculation, respect tangled uncomfortably with hunger.
Alex walks a half-step ahead of us, shoulders set, expression unreadable, and it’s him who breaks the silence first.
“I filled Axton in on the drive over,” he says quietly, not turning. “Enough to know this isn’t somethin
