Chapter 63

Jaxon’s POV

"Dusk. Ayla. Rubeus. You're early."

"Well, we wanted to pay our respects to Luna Sienna as well," Ayla says, stepping out of the forest’s shadows with the two men at her side.

Dusk keeps trying to peek past my shoulder to look at Melanie, but I meet his gaze with an icy glare. He smirks, his cold, blue eyes flashing with mischief as he holds my stare. "I didn't know your Beta needed a bodyguard," he teases.

Melanie huffs and moves to push past me, but I grab her wrist. "Don't," I growl, keeping my eyes locked on Dusk. Shadow’s instincts surge through my veins, urging me to protect our mate.

It's hard to control Shadow when we're both riled up, but I manage to restrain him enough to avoid shifting and risk injuring Melanie. Rage bubbles beneath the surface, making my body vibrate. If either of the Council members make a wrong move, I’ll kill them instantly, no questions asked.

Melanie stares at me wide-eyed as she pulls her wrist out from my grip and squeezes my hand. "Hey,