The moon was high and full, spilling silver across the clearing behind the packhouse. I could feel its energy tugging at me the moment I stepped outside. Every instinct in my body screamed that this was the time, the place, to push myself.
Jax was behind me, his presence steady and protective, his golden eyes scanning the trees as always. He didn’t say anything. He didn’t need to. I knew he would watch me, make sure I didn’t overdo it, make sure I didn’t burn myself out.
I knelt on the grass, my notebook open beside me. The pages were full of scribbles, diagrams, and calculations. Notes about Crescent Vale, Elias, the contract, and everything I could remember about my mother. Every clue mattered. Every detail could be the key to freeing me or making my grandfather pay for what he did.
“
