Chapter 141: That’s The Story, Mav

THUNDERFANG - MOONVINE PUB

Hologram dishes showed on the table as Maria swiped the menu. Maverick chose a corner booth with tinted glass on three sides and a view of the transport rail on the fourth.

Nova slid into the booth and the holo-menu materialized in front of her. Prices floated beside each item in glowing text. Her stomach clenched for a reason that had nothing to do with hunger.

Slaves ate at slave facilities. Starborne had a credit system tied to her registration number. Credits loaded weekly. Spend them at designated stations. That system was gone. The credits were gone. The registration number was the only thing that remained, and it didn’t buy food in Thunderfang. She didn’t have money. She didn’t have a holo-wallet. She didn’t have anything besides a borrowed cloak and a shoulder wrap.

She looked up to see Maverick was watching her from the opposite side of the booth, brows furrowed. Her face heated. She looked back down at the menu and pretended to look.

"To start with something important. The High Luna’s charge," Maverick said, his eyes still on Nova.

Nova glanced back up at him. "The High Luna’s charge?"

Maria’s menu swiping stopped. "What charge?"

"Assault on a member of the royal bloodline," Maverick stated. "The filing classifies it as attempted murder resulting in severe bodily harm."

Neither woman spoke for a moment. The booth’s privacy seal hummed around them.

"Against who?" Maria asked.

"Didn’t they read the charges to you when you were arrested?"

Maria and Nova looked at each other. Then back at him.

"Breaking and entering," Maria said.

"Of course they didn’t." Maverick exhaled once through his nose. "Nova had a warrant waiting for her. Filed by the High Luna before you two arrived at the hospital. The breaking and entering charge activated a hold that was already in the system. The warrant is why Nova’s bail was two hundred and fifty thousand and yours was fifteen, Maria."

Nova’s eyes widened and her hand flew to her mouth. She had no idea that hers was that large.

"Don’t worry about that," Maverick said immediately. "I just want to understand what we’re working with here. I’m assuming the victim is Derek because Nova was also charged with unauthorized contact with a protected victim under an active criminal investigation. The medical details and the victim’s identity are sealed."

Nova’s eyes had already filled. Her head dropped into both hands and the crying started before she could stop it. Quiet. Fast. The kind that doesn’t ask for permission because the girl producing it had run out of the energy required to hold it back.

Maria turned and pulled Nova into a hug so fast the booth creaked. She held her there, one hand on the back of Nova’s head, chin on top of her white hair, and the look she gave her brother over Nova’s shoulder could have melted the privacy glass.

"How in the hell would Nova have done anything to Derek?" Maria’s voice was low and sharp enough to cut. "That is the dumbest thing I’ve heard all day. She was on an oxygen clip and medicated. Then the keep was under attack and she was saving people. She saved Sebastian’s life, Maverick. On her hands and knees. With a dislocated shoulder."

Maverick went still. "Under attack?"

Nova was still covering her face with her hands, her shoulders shaking against Maria’s arm.

"Yes, Mav." Maria dropped her voice. "You want the timeline? Fine. Here it is." She inhaled once through her nose and her eyes changed, the golden retriever leaving and the Alpha’s sister arriving. "The moment we stepped into Thunderfang’s hover yacht, the Alpha turned into Kai Starborne. Started referring to Nova as ’the slave’ and calling her 7709. He told her to report to Celeste even though she was not medically cleared. Astra, their Master Healer, had her on six different medications through direct injection. The Alpha didn’t care. He wanted her working."

She paused long enough to take a breath that was doing the work of a paragraph.

"Nova tried to go serve Celeste because she’s Nova and that’s what she does. She collapsed. She started throwing up blood. Derek carried her back so they could remove her cuffs, which were literal bombs. Fucked up. Then Nova got sick that night and needed a transfusion. Derek gave his blood for her." She held up one finger. "And the Alpha did too. So I thought, okay, maybe things are getting better. Maybe he’s coming around. Maybe Derek’s brother has a functioning heart somewhere under all that silence."

The finger came down.

"They weren’t getting better. When we docked at the capital, Celeste was absolutely batshit insane. Grabbed Nova’s arm in front of the entire procession and yanked her. Called her a whore. Twice. During the parade. In front of the pack. The Alpha just stood there like a goddamn statue. I assumed he was letting Derek handle it because maybe that’s their dynamic, I don’t know. Derek was furious and told Celeste off and it was funny, actually. That is the silver lining."

Maria’s eyes were getting redder with every sentence.

"We get to the keep. The High Luna greets every single mate. Every one. Kisses on the cheeks. Warm. Lovely. Gets to Nova and skips her entirely. Like she’s furniture. Derek’s suit starts lighting up because he’s upset. Nova handled it with more grace than anyone in that room deserved, told Derek it was fine, and pulled him out of the entrance hall before he went off on the High Luna."

Maria was gesturing now. Both hands. The animation climbing.

"Then Nova gets placed in a room on the opposite side of the keep from Derek. The HIGH LUNA ordered it. Separate wing. Separate floor. I go into that room, Maverick. It smells wrong. My wolf recoiled. There was no heat. No thermal regulation. In Thunderfang. In winter."

Maverick rolled his shoulders once, the way a fighter rolls them before the first round, except Maverick’s rounds didn’t have bells.

"We go to dinner. The High Luna presented Celeste with the Thunderfang crown like she’s already Luna. Celeste reprimanded ’7709’ when Nova tried to step away. Ordered Nova to apologize in front of the table. Celeste and the High Luna tried to have Nova arrested because Derek turned gold when Nova was touching him. Even though Derek said he was fine. Derek stood up and said ’we don’t have slaves in Thunderfang’ and asked Celeste to apologize. Celeste refused. The High Luna backed Celeste. Derek left dinner with Nova. Then that fire started and—"

She stopped mid-word. She took a deep breath. The theatrical kind. But it wasn’t theatrical.

"And I am sworn to secrecy on how and why Nova ended up where she ended up. But she ended up in that room and Derek and the Alpha came to help her."

She looked at Nova. Brief. The kind of glance that already has an opinion and doesn’t need a second look to confirm it.

"I thought the Alpha was doing better but apparently not because the High Luna is pressing charges. Tavian wouldn’t tell me what happened to Derek. I swear to the Goddess if he knew there was an arrest warrant and didn’t tell me I am not going to speak to him for a full day. No one would tell Nova anything. So we went to the hospital to see him. Nova had no idea he was in a coma. So you can imagine that shock. Then a SWAT team swarms us and we both screamed. That is the story, Mav."

The silence that followed was so dense it had its own gravitational pull.