Page 59 of North’s Claim

I can’t breathe. I can’t…

A hand on my arm jerks me back. “Hey—hey, look at me.” It’s Eva, her brows pulled tight. “Nyxa, you can’t stay here. Breathe.”

I shake my head. No. Breathing won’t fix this. Breathing won’t put him back in this room.

I force the air in, force it out, but my legs already know what I’m going to do. Before I even think about it, I’m moving, cutting through the room, ignoring the looks, ignoring Eva calling my name, and making a straight line for Iron.

I wait until the others peel off, then plant myself in Iron’s path. “We need to talk.”

“Now’s not the time, Nyxa.”

“I’m not doing this in front of everyone, so either you take five minutes or I make a scene you won’t like.” I don’t blink. I don’t lower my voice. I just hold his gaze until his jaw ticks and he jerks his head toward the hallway.

We cut down a narrow corridor, past the armory. The second the office door shuts behind us, I’m on him.

“What the hell happened?”

His arms cross, his stance widening like he’s bracing for impact. “You don’t need…”

“Don’t you dare tell me what I need, Iron. My man is out there. Missing. And if you think I’m just gonna sit on my ass while you play hero.”

His voice rises over mine, steel and command. “This isn’t about playing the hero. It’s about keeping people alive. You step one foot where you’re not supposed to, and you’re not just a liability, you’re a target. You want to help him? Stay the fuck out of our way.”

“Then let me be a target.” I jab a finger into his chest. “If whoever the hell took him, wants to use me as bait—good. That’s more time for you to get to him. More minutes for him to breathe.”

He stares at me like I’ve grown a second head. “You got a death wish, Nyxa?”

“I’ve got a North wish,” I snap back, my voice trembling from the force I’m holding inside. “I’d bleed before I let them keep him.”

His laugh is humorless. “You try me, and I’ll chain you to the goddamn wall. You’re not Prez. You’re not patched. You’re not going.”

“I’m his.” My voice drops, quiet but burning. “That means something here, doesn’t it?”

“It means you don’t challenge a brother in front of the club unless you’re ready for the fallout. It means you listen when I tell you something, and you clearly don’t listen to me. Wolves and Black Panthers are already moving. Every minute we waste could cost lives.”

My nails dig crescents into my palms. “And every minute I’m stuck here feels like losing him all over again.”

Iron steps in close, his shadow swallowing mine. “Saints' HQ is locked down.”

“Don’t talk to me like I’m disposable,” I fire back. “You think I’m scared of being a target? I’ve been a target since the day I was born.”

His nostrils flare, breath coming heavy through his teeth. “You’re not just some girl in the club. You’re Prez’s. And I won’t lose any of my family.”

My stomach knots. “You just said it. Family.”

“So?”

“So, if I’m family, I fight with my family. You don’t lock me up and call it protection. You take me with you.”

His eyes narrow, weighing me. “That’s not how this works.”

“Then change how it works,” I bite back, my voice shaking with rage I can’t swallow. “Every minute you waste holding me back is another minute he’s in their hands. You might be able to stomach that. I sure as hell can’t.”

Iron doesn’t answer. He just stares, the kind of stare that feels like it’s stripping me down to bone, measuring how far I’ll go and whether I’m bluffing.

I’m not.

My pulse is wild, the air between us is buzzing with the kind of tension that makes people swing or kiss. With Iron, it’ll always be the first.