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CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

NOVA

B y the time we slip back into the dorm, exhaustion weighs on me like a damp cloak. The hall is quiet, the overhead lights dimmed, and there’s no sign of any other students. They’re probably all asleep, like we should be.

Tai holds the door open, peeking inside. “Looks like he’s out for the night. Sheets are stripped from the bed.”

A small knot of relief loosens in my chest. I don’t think I could handle Sylas on top of everything else. I don’t think I want to see him for a long time after I mauled him earlier.

His scent still permeates the room, and it stirs my wolf, but I shove her back. I’m not even close to ready to let her anywhere near the surface right now.

I kick off my boots, my shoulders sagging. “Don’t blame him one bit.”

We step inside, shutting the door behind us. The room feels oddly spacious without Sylas’s looming presence. As I peel off my hoodie, a different worry drags at my thoughts—Callum.

“Is Callum okay?” There’s a thready kind of quality to my voice right now, so it comes out as a broken whisper.

Tai rests a hand on the chair by the desk. “Far as I know, yeah. He went back to his dorm the second you took off. Didn’t say much.”

I chew my bottom lip, pulling out my phone. After navigating to his contact info, I hit dial, and hold it to my ear as it connects, but it goes straight to voicemail. A thread of unease stirs in my gut. He never has his phone off. It’s how Tai was able to get a hold of him to go to Earth so quickly.

Tai watches me scroll to my messages, a shadow of concern slipping across his features. “Might be asleep. It’s late.”

I glance to the window, watching as the sun crests above the mountains. “Early,” I grumble.

Can we talk when you get a chance?

A pang of guilt twists in my stomach. Callum’s always been straightforward, but after tonight? My mind conjures a thousand reasons he might be avoiding me. The memory of my wolf, the panic in his eyes when he realized what I truly am. Or in all likelihood, after he caught Tai and I half naked in the hotel room, I’ll be surprised if he ever talked to me again. But even if I’ve scared him off, I still want to thank him for his support while we on Earth.

Then I pull up Mom’s contact info and type a quick text to her that I know she’ll respond to once she’s up. My parents were already briefed on what happened with the rogue wolf fae, so I don’t get into those details since I have few answers.

Like why the fuck did I feel that way?

We’re back. Ritual went fine. Luka has a feather now, and we left before he woke.

I don’t give her anything else because I don’t want to dredge up more pain for her.

We stand there in silence for a beat too long, the quiet making me uneasy. My wolf still rumbles deep inside me, unsure of its place, unsure of our place. But right now, my only real craving is a bit of warmth that’s not laced with confusion.

I glance at Tai before shucking my shirt. “We smell like a campfire, can you shower with me and just ... hold me?” The request sounds more vulnerable than I mean it to.

“Always,” he murmurs, keeping his distance until I turn toward the tiny bathroom.

The shower space is cramped, dark tile lining the walls, a cheap curtain hanging from a flimsy rod. I tug off the rest of my clothes with shaky fingers, too tired to care about modesty. The day’s events weigh on me—Callum’s silence, my wolf’s first shift, the dread and uncertainty churning in my mind.

Tai strips beside me, not speaking. When I peek at him, he’s all hard lines and dark tattoos, and while my wolf stirs, I shove her back. Normally, I’d be hyperaware of him, of the closeness, the scent of his skin, but right now? Exhaustion drags me under, dulling everything but the need for comfort.

What I feel right now? I’ve been trying to pinpoint it, but can say with certainty that it’s grief I’m feeling. Grief at who I am, who I wanted to be, and what’ll come next.

We shuffle into the small stall, and the hot water cascades over our heads, steam rising in gentle plumes. The warmth soaks into my tense muscles, and I lean back against him with a tired sigh. He makes a small noise of reassurance, pressing his chest to my back. No flirtation, no teasing—just the slow rise and fall of his breath against my shoulder.

After the last twenty-four hours we’ve had, I think all the adrenaline is finally wearing off.

My wolf, restless moments ago, settles as his arms come around my waist. The water hisses against the tile, pooling at our feet, washing away the scent of smoke and magic and everything else I’m too drained to face. With trembling hands, I help him scrub the soot from his arms, and he returns the favor, fingers gentle in my hair.

We don’t talk about Callum, about the wolf, about the fae deal hanging over our heads. For once, it’s enough just to stand here, letting the water purge the chaos of the day.

When our limbs grow heavy and the water runs lukewarm, Tai cuts the tap. With a soft glow of his magic, he dries us both in a heartbeat, the remnants of steam curling around us. I want to thank him, but the words stick in my throat, muddled with guilt and longing.

He guides me to the bed, and we collapse onto the mattress without dressing, the sheets cool against my skin. I curl into him, head tucked beneath his chin, exhaustion closing in like a heavy blanket. My heart thumps unsteadily, but his presence is a quiet anchor.

“I’ve got you, you can let go now,” he murmurs, stroking a hand over my hair. And for the first time all day, I let myself believe it’s safe to let go and just sleep.