Nova

As Nova prowled just at the edge of the forest, she saw a figure walking towards her, staying in human form. She knew right away exactly who it was. Of course Cole would send Dax out to see her—he couldn’t send Olivia or Bianca. People that she could actually have a real conversation with.

No.

He would send Dax, who would be a complete douchebag to her, and she would have to explain that her father was dying and that she was on the search for a phantom. It would be a great talk. Why did Cole have to be such an ass? Probably because Alan wasn’t home; she couldn’t smell him anyway. He would have left Cole in charge, she should have known better.

She considered staying in wolf form so that way she wouldn’t have to really talk to him, but as the figure became closer, she realized that she needed information and Dax would probably have it. Quickly, she transformed into her human self and threw on the winter coat that she had lying on a log nearby. She was just slipping on her boots when Dax came into her view.

He stopped abruptly, clearly not realizing she was the wolf in the woods. “Nova?” he asked in a shocked voice.

“In the flesh,” she said, holding her arms out.

He raised an eyebrow at her. “I can see that. You look the same.” He moved closer towards her and she felt her back collide with a tree. She was trapped.

“As do you. It’s been a long time, Dax. What have you been up to? I can see that Cole is up to his old ways, considering he sent you out here instead of one of your sisters.”

“Cole didn’t send me. And there’s only one sister now.”

“What the hell does that mean, Dax? You know better than to play games with me.” She and Dax had certainly gotten in their fair share of arguments in the past. One time he even took a chunk out of her shoulder during a fight.

“Bianca is dead. Cole is the alpha now, but like I said, he didn’t send me. I could sense you.”

Bianca was dead? That was news to her. Nova had always liked Bianca; she was the calmest of the bunch. Olivia could be a little bit of a hothead, but she was still a good time, though Bianca was steady and calm. She was just so poised. Nova had always respected her.

“I’m sorry about Bianca. I didn’t know.”

“Well, it’s not really something we would send out to the Windego wolves. Considering your family is our enemy.”

She hated that word. Their families may have been feuding, but she respected most of the Bradwick family. She even liked Bianca. “I know that. I also know I’m on your land and you have every right to tear me limb from limb right now, but instead, you’re standing here talking to me. I appreciate that. I kinda need a pass on the treaty.” It took every fiber of her being to give Dax a compliment, but she knew she needed to stroke his ego if she was going to get the information out of him that she required.

“Yes, Nova, why are you on our land after all this time?” He took another step towards her. Suddenly, they were only inches apart. She could feel the heat radiating off of his chest. Why the hell didn’t he have a shirt on? And why was she not surprised? Dax always looked good with his clothes off. She remembered the last time that they were this close, but that time, neither of them had clothes on. For a second, she considered opening her coat to reveal what was beneath. Sex with Dax was mind blowing. And it was just the thing she needed to get her mind off of her family drama. But she had her mission to complete. And she needed all of her focus to go toward saving her father.

“I need information, Dax.” He took his finger and dragged along the side of her cheek, going just below her chin and down her exposed neck.

“What if I want something in return?”

Shit. Of course he did. And whatever Dax wanted, Dax usually got. It was something the two of them had in common.

“Then I guess you’ll have to take it.” She paused, raising an eyebrow at him. “But information first. I need to know if there’s any phantoms in Crescent Valley. And if there’s not, where the hell they went.”

Dax’s eyebrows came together, and he dropped his hand away from her face. “Phantoms? There’s no phantoms in Crescent Valley. Haven’t been in nearly fifty years.”

“That’s what I thought, until…” Julius had made her promise that she wouldn’t tell the Bradwicks that her father was ill. Not unless it was completely necessary. “Until one of our seers told us that there’s a curse on our family. And that it was just activated recently, so some phantom is clearly doing magic somewhere.”

“You still have a seer? I thought those old bats went out of style long time ago.”

The truth was her pack didn’t have seer. Most didn’t, but while bears had their unique healing properties, wolves didn’t have any special gifts. Seers used to give them an upper hand during battles.

“Sure, she’s old, but she does the job. Now back to the phantoms, you’re sure that there’s no covens in Crescent Valley?”

Dax shook his head, but he still looked a little too bewildered for Nova’s comfort. “Not that we’re aware of. And what kind of curse are we talking about?”

“It’s not a big deal. Just something I need to take care of. Besides, I’m mostly here checking on the business. I’m sure you know how successful it’s become. That’s why I need a pass on the treaty, so I can stay for a bit and check it out.”

Dax rolled his eyes. “Yes, it’s become quite the place recently. We might even book a few weddings there.”

Nova cocked her head. “Weddings? You mean the Bradwick siblings are finally settling down?”

“You could say that. I like to say filling in our ranks.”

So, it was a power play. She’d heard bits and pieces of their conversation, there were some issues in the clan. She couldn’t deny that they were smart to get married and start families of their own—building the clan was the easiest way to make sure that no one could take it from you. The more soldiers you had, the harder it was for someone else to win.

“And you, Dax? Have you found a mate yet?”

Dax took another step towards her, this time pressing his body against hers. “I’ll never settle down, you know that. Neither will you. We’re the same, Nova. It’s why we used to get along so well.”

“Used to,” she said, pushing him back from her. She chewed on her lower lip slightly in a sultry way. She knew it made him crazy. “Thanks for the info, Dax. Lovely to see you again, by the way. Tell the family I say hello. Oh and about that pass, I have your permission, right?”

She began to walk away when he grabbed her hands. “Yes, but don’t stay in town too long, Nova. Cole is on a warpath, and I don’t want you to get caught in the crosshairs.”

“Like you care.”

“Nova, don’t mess with him. Get whatever you need and get out—you know that’s the rule of the treaty. Don’t force Cole’s hand.”

She set her lips into a thin line and nodded. “Bye, Dax.”

He let go and she began running through the trees. She could tell he honestly didn’t have any information for her, so were there phantoms in Crescent Valley? And how the hell was she going to find out?