Chapter 3

Ty’s POV

“Promise me you’ll come to the party tomorrow,” Jax said, eyes narrowing on me after dinner, his tone light but his gaze too intense to ignore.

I arched a brow. “Trying to guilt-trip me on your birthday now? Low, even for you.”

Before he could answer, Daddy Caius cut in with a smirk. “Don’t worry about that, son. I’ll personally drag Ty to your doorstep with a gift in hand and glitter on his face if I have to.”

“Dy!” I groaned, half-laughing, half-horrified. Dy—short for Daddy—was our affectionate nickname for him, but he was anything but angelic when he was in the mood to tease.

Laughter erupted around the room, but Dad Tyson’s voice sliced through the levity like a blade.

“I know you kids are planning an after-party at the club,” he said, eyes fixed on Jax with that signature dragon-guardian stare—cool, calm, and lethal.

Jax’s face drained of color like someone had opened a plug and sucked the blood right out of him.

“I-I mean... W-We were gonna mention it... eventually...” he stammered, looking like a deer caught in dragon fire.

Fucking liar.

I barely held back a laugh. Dad was just toying with him now.

“Oh really?” Dad asked, folding his arms and lifting a brow. “When exactly? After the event? Or from your hospital bed?”

Jax blinked. Twice.

“Uhhh… N-No Sir,” he mumbled.

“Relax,” Dad said with a chuckle, finally letting the poor mutt breathe. “Zoe already upgraded you to premium. Zarek and Valen boosted the security too. You’re free to party all night without the adult patrol squad.”

“And,” Dy added with a conspiratorial wink, “all your little hormone-fueled friends demanded a homecoming bash for our golden boy here.” He nudged me. “So we decided to let you have your chaos—for one night only.”

“This is actually... awesome,” Jax said, genuinely impressed. “Didn’t see that coming.”

“You wanna crash here tonight?” I asked casually, but my tone held the silent invitation of shared comfort... and the safety of avoiding thoughts I didn’t want creeping into my head.

Jax grinned, but shook his head. “You rest up, Ty. I’ve got pack business to handle. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

He was out the door in seconds, vanishing with his usual dramatic exit. Just like old times.

The house quieted down as night fell.

But my thoughts?

Loud. Brutal. Unrelenting.

The party was tomorrow. A pack lunch... and a club party... for me. My return. My homecoming.

The irony was bitter.

I didn’t want the fanfare.

I didn’t want the welcome.

Because one face in that crowd could rip through five years of discipline in a heartbeat.

Kai.

How the hell was I supposed to face him?

The boy who became my nightmare.

The one I burned out of my veins with dragon fire and steel resolve—only for fate to throw me right back into his world.

Would I be able to control myself?

Not punch him in the face? Not pin him to a wall and scream every fucking thing I never got to say?

Or worse...

Would I give in?

Would I crumble at the sound of his voice?

Would I let those stormy eyes undo me again?

Fuck no.

He played me.

He broke me.

He didn’t chase me when I left.

And now? He didn’t deserve even a glance.

But I knew avoiding him would be impossible. The pack wasn’t big enough for my rage to hide.

Sigh.

I’d deal with him tomorrow. Somehow.

For now, I peeled off my shirt, let the cool sheets welcome me home, and let the darkness lull me under.

But even in my dreams...

His face haunted me.