Scott, Derek, and Isaac froze when the familiar Texas drawl drifted out of the trees.
"Y'all sure talk a lot."
They spun around instantly.
Jax stepped between the pines as if the forest itself moved for him. No sound. No scent. No warning. Just there.
Scott's heart jumped. Derek's stance shifted automatically. Isaac nearly tripped over himself trying to brace.
Jax didn't flinch at any of it.
"I figured you'd still be here," he said, eyes calm and unreadable. "Most wolves with sense would've bolted."
"We're not running from you," Derek said through clenched teeth.
Jax smirked. "Wouldn't matter if you did."
Isaac swallowed. "He really talks like that's normal."
Jax looked straight at him. "It is."
Scott forced himself to step forward. "Why are you still here? If you wanted a fight—"
"A fight?" Jax cut him off, amused. "If I wanted one, you wouldn't be standin' upright right now."
Derek's jaw twitched, and he lunged before Scott could stop him.
Jax barely moved.
Derek's clawed swipe cut through empty air as Jax sidestepped smoothly, one hand tapping Derek's shoulder as he passed. Derek dropped to one knee, the pressure point hit clean and deliberate.
"Predictable," Jax said.
Derek snarled and spun, swinging again — faster.
Jax caught his wrist mid-strike.
Effortlessly.
"Too wide," Jax said. "You lead with emotion instead of your instincts."
He twisted just enough to flip Derek onto his back. Not hard. Not brutal. Just efficient.
Scott stepped forward. "Stop!"
Jax released Derek and looked at Scott — really looked at him.
"You're always tryin' to break up fights," Jax said. "Even ones you didn't start."
Scott's jaw tightened. "Because someone has to."
"No," Jax corrected softly. "Someone just chooses to."
Before Scott could respond, Jax moved.
He closed the distance in a heartbeat — not fast enough to blur, but faster than Scott could process. Scott swung on instinct, a strong, clean punch.
Jax caught it.
Again.
One-handed.
Scott froze.
"You got power," Jax said quietly. "But you hesitate."
Scott braced his legs, pushing harder against Jax's grip — trying to break free.
Nothing happened.
Jax didn't tighten his hold. Didn't shift. Didn't even break eye contact.
He didn't need to.
He finally released Scott's fist and stepped back.
Scott steadied himself, breathing hard. "Why test us? What do you get out of it?"
Jax shrugged. "Wanted to see what I'm workin' with."
Derek pushed himself up. "We're not yours to evaluate."
Jax walked past him without a glance. "Everything in this town affects me, Derek. Whether y'all like it or not."
Isaac gathered enough nerve to speak. "And if you didn't like what you saw?"
Jax's smile was small, cold, and honest.
"Then you'd know."
Scott shivered despite himself.
Jax stopped in front of the three wolves, boots planted firmly in the dirt.
"There's somethin' comin'," he said. "Something none of you are ready for."
Scott swallowed. "Are you ready for it?"
Jax didn't blink.
"I don't get ready," he said. "I stay ready."
The woods creaked quietly in the wind.
Derek narrowed his eyes. "You're not scared of it."
"No," Jax said simply. "I'm just makin' sure the mess doesn't spill."
Scott felt a weight settle in his chest. "You're doing this… to protect the town?"
Jax exhaled slowly, almost tired. "Protectin' the town is the side effect."
Scott frowned. "Then what's the goal?"
Jax didn't answer.
Instead, he looked at all three of them — long enough that each felt like they were being measured in ways they didn't understand.
"Stay sharp," Jax said. "Or you'll end up casualties in a fight you ain't even part of."
Without another word, he turned and walked into the trees.
No dramatic exit.
No threat.
Just confidence.
Pure, unshakable confidence.
Scott watched him disappear and whispered, almost to himself:
"He didn't test us for him…"
"He tested us for whatever's coming."
Derek nodded slowly. "And we failed."
Isaac shivered. "I don't think we failed."
Scott turned to him. "Then what do you think happened?"
Isaac stared into the dark trees.
"He found out exactly how easy it'll be to break us."
Scott didn't argue.
Because deep down…
he knew Isaac was right.