LOGIN** Remy’s POV **
The alarm rings through the air, sharp and piercing, cutting through the peace like a blade. Every muscle in my body locks.
Hunters.
I’m already moving before Ryder gives the order, instincts taking over, adrenaline flooding my veins. Chairs scrape, boots hit tile, and in seconds the kitchen that had been filled with quiet conversation erupts into chaos.
Paige and Poppy run in through the door, their faces pale and eyes wide. Leo and Jake pull Poppy between them, trying to shield her from a threat that’s not here yet, but it’s close.
Parker makes a grab for Paige, pulling her against hi
** Paige’s POV **I wake to warmth. Not sunlight or the lingering glow beneath my skin, but warmth that feels alive. That feels wrapped in love. The kind of warmth that only comes from my mates.Ryder’s arm is draped over my waist, heavy and protective even in sleep. His breath is slow against the back of my neck, steady, as though he’s holding the entire world still just so I can rest a little longer.My body aches, not painfully, but in a way that reminds me that something monumental happened last night. I gave him my mark.I feel it before I even move. A soft hum deep in my chest, answering the steady beat of Ryder’s heart where he’s pressed against me.He’s mine. I claimed him the way he claimed me.My fingers tremble as I brush them lightly over his forearm. The contact sends a soft pulse through the bond, warm and comforting, and Ryder tightens his grip around me instinctively, still asleep, yet still aware of me.For a few breaths, I just lie there, wrapped in him. Safe, wanted
** Ryder’s POV **Halfway up the stairs, she tightens her grip on me, her lips brushing the side of my throat. Not kissing, just… there. Like the contact is something she needs to stay steady.“Ryder…” she whispers.I stop.Every muscle tenses because of how she says my name. Like she’s stripping the whole world away except for the two of us.I turn my head slightly, enough to see her eyes in the dim hallway light. They’re glowing faint gold now, not from power, but from emotion.Her hand lifts from my chest to cup my face. “I felt your heart when I marked you. All of it, every part.”A lump forms in my throat. “Yeah?”“It was beating so hard,” she murmurs. “For me.”“It always does,” I say before I can stop myself.She studies me as if she’s seeing something she’s been waiting to see for a long time. Her fingers stroke my cheek. “Ryder… I love you.”There it is. That word I’ve heard her say a hundred times, not just to me, but to our son, her other mates, her sister, but this time I
** Ryder’s POV **The cabin door shuts behind the others, and the silence they leave behind feels charged.Paige stands in the middle of the room, breathing slowly, the weight of everything we just planned pressing down on her shoulders. The glow under her skin hasn’t fully faded. It pulses soft gold at her collarbone, her wrists, along her throat like it’s following her heartbeat.She looks like pure power trapped in a human body… she looks like mine.Remy, Parker, and Callen left minutes ago, heading out for patrol. I know their absence leaves an ache in her, but the intensity of it lets something else bloom. Something that’s been circling us since the moment she said it.‘I have to mark you.’My wolf hasn’t calmed once since he heard the words, and neither have I.“It feels too quiet now,” she whispers.“It’s just us,” I answer, my voice low.Her eyes meet mine, and something flickers there… curiosity, want, uncertainty, all tangled together.For the first time since the attack, sh
** Paige’s POV **I move toward the kitchen, not waiting for anyone to guide me or usher me. I want to get this over with, to feel like we are actively taking steps to put an end to this rather than waiting for the hunters to make their next move.As we enter, Ronnie steps through the back door. Behind him, Nina hovers with Blaine, both looking calm but alert.We settle in the kitchen. Ryder on my left, Remy on my right.Callen leans against the counter behind me, and Parker slides into the seat beside Jake.Poppy claims the place across from me as if she wants to stare down the problem herself, and stands behind her.Ronnie’s eyes find mine. “Well. Dawn mother.”“Paige,” I warn softly.“Paige,” he corrects with a teasing smile.I clear my throat and cut straight to it.“Nina,” I say. “You said a human girl was involved. Someone the hunters called the university girl.”Nina nods. “Yes.”“Do you know exactly what she was feeding them?”“Not everything. I only heard snippets.” Her voice
** Paige’s POV **The moment the pack disperses, my legs stop working. I don’t collapse, but my knees go weak enough that Ryder’s hand shoots out, gripping my waist like he’s ready to catch me.“Easy,” he murmurs.Easy… if only.I can still feel it, the rush of the pack dropping to their knees. The surge of power that wasn’t mine and yet was. The echo of Ronnie’s voice calling me Eos, the Dawn, the renewal, all those impossible titles that feel too heavy for a girl who still panics at the dentist.I feel like the forest is watching me the same way the pack did. Like it knows something I don’t. My skin tingles; the glow under it hasn’t settled down yet. I exhale shakily.Remy steps in close. “Breathe, Paige.”Parker takes my hand. “We’ve got you.&rdq
** Ryder’s POV **By the time Paige finishes gathering the crayons and Jaxon is wrapped up warm in his coat and boots, the sun has dipped low. The air outside is still, expectant, heavy, waiting.This is the moment I promised the pack, and I can feel Paige bracing for it even before she steps outside.Callen, Remy, Parker and I flank her automatically. Walking behind us are Ronnie, Jake and Leo, with Poppy, whose shoulders are still tight. Around us, moving with natural silence through the trees are the Twiceborn.I can’t say I’m completely comfortable with them, not the way I used to be, but she is. I can’t see them as pack the way they once were; they feel different now. They’re no longer mine; they’re hers.We walk toward the clearing together, a slow procession. The kind that feels like it should be marked by drums or bagpipes, maybe. Inste







