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CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE

NOVA

T he crunch of Tai’s boots against the snow-covered path keeps time with my own. I run my fingers through my hair, tugging at the roots.

“Nova,” he warns.

I force myself to stop and turn to face him, my hands braced on his arms. My heart’s pounding too hard to think straight, and I can tell he’s not letting this go until I spill it. Pulling in a shaky breath, I turn to him.

“You know that secret I’ve been keeping?” I finally meet his eyes.

He crosses his arms, his jaw set. “About what?”

I pull my phone from my pocket and scroll through the encrypted app that’s been haunting me for weeks. “You remember that day a group of fae bumped into me in the courtyard? The ones with glamours on their faces?”

He nods, his expression darkening. “Yeah. I figured they were up to something.”

“They were,” I confirm, showing him the string of messages. “They planted a note in my pocket when they bumped into me and told me to meet them at the hot springs at midnight. I went behind your back. I—” My stomach knots. “I snuck out. They call themselves the Made Fae Society. They said I was ‘like them’ because I was made fae, not fully born into it. They wanted me to join their cause, but I’ve been ignoring them … sort of.”

He presses his lips together in a tight line, then quietly asks, “You’ve been talking to them?”

“Sometimes.” I swallow hard. “They gave me a burner phone, but I never answered much. The app showed up on my real phone, too, so I still get their messages. I’ve been hoping they’d leave me alone, but now—” I rake a hand through my hair, the guilt burning hot in my chest. “Callum’s missing, and Sylus is behind it. I think the Made Fae Society can help me find him. I was going to tell you. I just … had to figure out when.”

Tai’s scrutiny flicks to the screen, then back to me. “You should’ve come to me sooner,” he whispers. “You know I’d protect you. I’m always in your corner. Why hide it?”

I tug my lip between my teeth, guilt eating me alive. “Because I didn’t want you to think I was involved in something shady. You’ve been warning me for months about staying safe. And after all the times I messed up—almost killing that fae using magic in the fight ring, setting half the forest on fire—I was scared you’d lose faith in me. I didn’t want to let you down.”

He steps closer, sliding a hand to my shoulder. “I love you, Nova. I will always have your back.”

“I’m sorry,” I whisper, letting my head dip for just a second. “But this is everything, okay? No more secrets. They’ve been texting me, asking me to join them. And now, with Callum gone, I want to see if they can help track him. Sylus must be holding him somewhere off-campus, and the Society might have resources or information we don’t.”

Tai exhales, tension radiating off him, though he tries to keep his frustration contained. “So we involve them.”

I nod.

It takes everything in me to not break down, to give in to the pressure in my chest. My wolf paces inside me, her desperation to get to Callum leaving me in agony as she whines, her sorrow too much to take. Every second wasted is another second he spends in the hands of people who’d see him suffer just to get to me.

And it's my fault.

If I hadn’t done what I did to Sylus, he wouldn’t have retaliated and hit me where it hurt most.

There's a shift in the air—a subtle ripple of energy—it tackles my senses a fraction of a second before the rhythmic thud of approaching footsteps.

Tai angles himself in front of me, his shoulders rolling back, weight shifting into a ready stance as his shadows pour off him, seeking to get a better read on what's approaching.

We're both in black from head-to-toe, but kept our coats at home because they were too bulky. Instead, we're relying on Tai's magic to heat us. Now that we're sleeping together every night, he has plenty of it, especially after we deactivated that stupid little doll.

Out of the darkness emerges a figure, who I assume is Echo. I had a hunch it was a guy, and his build confirms my suspicions. The shadows peel away from his tall, leather jacket-clad frame to reveal a mask over his face. It's a glossy, obsidian wolf's head concealing every inch of his features, with thin tracks of neon red fae lights running through its mouth, ears, and eyes. It gives nothing away. No tells, no way to clue me in to who he is behind it.

My stomach dips.

“Seriously?” I fold my arms, eyeing the mask with open skepticism. “You’re wearing that?”

How the fuck am I supposed to take them seriously?

Echo doesn’t stop until he’s close enough that I can hear the controlled rhythm of his breath through whatever spell is modulating his voice.

Without answering, he unzips the bag slung across his chest and pulls out two more masks—both with the same wolfish contours as his own. Without preamble, he tosses them. I snatch mine from the air. Tai catches his, but his fingers flex around the edges like he’s ready to crush it.

“You expect me to wear this?” Tai’s tone is pure ice.

Echo cocks his head slightly, considering him. “If you want in, you follow the rules.” His voice is a low rasp beneath the modulation, warped into something that gives away nothing.

Tai looks at me, his brown eyes flashing in irritation before he pulls me aside, whispering in my ear. "This is ridiculous. I should be calling in the Royal Guard, not playing dress-up like this is some kind of?—"

“No.” Echo cuts him off. “You call in the Guard, and your friend is dead before they even mobilize.”

The words slam into my chest like a fist. I knew it, but hearing it aloud makes it real.

Tai bristles, his jaw tight. He doesn’t argue, though. Because he knows Echo is right.

“What’s his name?” Echo glances down at his cell phone.

“Callum.” I shuffle my feet.

Echo’s head snaps up. “Callum Mackenzie?”

“You know him?”

He huffs a breath. “He led the resistance network in Espero. Of course we know him.”

I suck in a breath. “The Made Fae Society was helping the resistance, wasn’t it?”

“We were. We do good some things, you know. Even me.” He huffs out a laugh. "If you’re not careful, you might end up liking me.”

I freeze. His words lodge under my skin, memories from the heat clinic slamming into me.

If you’re not careful, you might end up liking me.

These were Alpha’s words—verbatim.

My stomach flutters. The same casual, cocky tone, and while it’s obviously a different modulated voice…

I clamp down on the surge of panic, forcing my expression to remain impassive. I don’t let him catch the slightest flicker of recognition, though my pulse is hammering in my ears. If Echo and that alpha are one and the same … holy shit.

I flip the mask in my hands, my fingers skimming the cool, smooth surface before drawing my eyes up the full length of him.“Why the secrecy?” I glance up to meet where his eyes would be. “What are you hiding under there?”

Did he know who I was the whole time? Or is this just an insane coincidence?

Echo’s stance remains relaxed, but there’s a current beneath it, something charged. “No one in the MFS knows who I am. That’s the point.”

“Bullshit,” I snort, shifting my grip on the mask. “Someone has to know. Or is it like Fight Club?”

It’s about one of the few movies from Earth that I actually like, though I only watched the fight scenes. My sister’s mate, Mekhi, let me borrow it over the summer.

A beat of silence stretches between us before he responds, “Only one.”

That revelation should settle something in my gut. It doesn’t. Is the whoever knows his ‘dream girl’? The one he can’t have?

“And no one else knows that they know,” I say flatly. “Right?” Secret society bullshit.

Echo doesn’t confirm or deny it. Which means I already have my answer.

Tai huffs, exasperation curling through his expression as he rubs a hand down his face. “And this is the crew we’re trusting to get Callum back?”

Echo lets out a dry, humorless laugh. “We’re the only crew willing to do what it takes.”

Tai’s grip tightens on the mask, but he still doesn’t put it on. He wants to argue. I can feel it in the tension radiating from him, but he’s out of options. We both are.

I sigh, adjusting my stance. "Look, Sylus already knows I’m coming. If I walk in wearing this, it’s not going to change anything. I’ll go in as I am. He’s expecting me."

Echo considers me through the neon slits of his mask. "Fine. But the rest of us aren’t walking in exposed."

Tai shifts closer to me like he’s ready to shut this whole operation down himself. “You really think this is a good idea?”

No.

But I don’t have a choice.

I grip the mask tighter, my nails pressing into the smooth surface.

“We have to get him back,” I rasp, turning to cup the back of Tai’s neck and draw his forehead to mine. “This is all my fau?—”

“No,” he interrupts.

“You know it is,” I whisper, pulling back to meet his stare. “I carved up his chest, and because he can’t touch me, he’s gone after Callum.”

The words barely leave my mouth before Echo steps closer. His wolf mask tilts, those glowing eyes unmoving. "You did what?"

Tai exhales sharply, but I don’t look away from Echo.

There’s something in the leader’s stance, the way his head cocks slightly, like he’s trying to figure out if I’m out of my godsdamned mind, or if he should be impressed.

I square my shoulders, meeting the scrutiny behind the mask. “I carved the word Unworthy into Sylus’s chest.”

Silence.

Tai mutters something under his breath, probably a prayer for patience.

Echo, on the other hand, lets out a low, quiet chuckle. “Well, damn.” His head tips back, and he exhales like he’s trying to smother amusement, but I hear the satisfaction in the drag of his words. “No wonder he’s losing his shit over you.”

Tai makes a frustrated noise. “This isn’t funny.”

“Isn’t it?” Echo muses, crossing his arms, his posture nothing but lazy arrogance. “You humiliated the High and Mighty Sylus.” His attention swings back to me. “That’s not just a grudge, Omega. That’s war.”

My wolf preens at hearing him call me that like it’s my actual name, but I shove her back because I am so not dealing with her shit right now.

“I know, ” I snap. “That’s why we need to move. Now.”

Echo’s shoulders lift, his weight redistributing like he’s recalibrating something about the way he sees me. I don’t know what I expected from him—maybe condescension, maybe skepticism. But the approval threading his tone sends a different kind of heat through me.

“I’ll be honest, Recruit. I wasn’t sure about you,” he murmurs. “But I get it now.”

The words slip under my skin, settling somewhere deep. I shove the feeling down.

Tai tugs me back toward him, his hands bracketing my shoulders, his grip firm. “We’re not getting distracted with past mistakes.” His eyes flash between me and Echo. “We’re here to get Callum. Period.”

Echo raises his hands in mock surrender, but I can feel his smirk behind that mask. “Then let’s get moving.”