** Paige’s POV **
The school was fantastic, and all the staff were very welcoming. The head teacher, who prefers to be called Regina rather than Mrs Green, didn’t seem at all phased when I explained Jaxon’s history at his previous school. By the time the tour was over, Jax had already made friends with a few of the kids, and he hadn’t wanted to leave. Regina had agreed for him to start with half days tomorrow before he starts full-time next week. The walk back through town had been nice. We had stopped for ice cream at a small parlour. Then we had picked up some art supplies from a craft shop, so Jaxon can sit in the garden and paint, whilst I call the utility companies to get everything set up. I’m still on hold with the internet company when there’s a knock at the door. I glance at Jax, who is still sitting in the back garden painting, and move to answer the door. Poppy hadn’t said she was visiting today, and we don’t know anyone here yet, so I’m tempted to ignore it, but curiosity gets the better of me and I open the door. My heart seizes for a second when Ryder’s face stares back at me with a grin and my eyes shift to his hand, checking for the birthmark. “Hey, sorry to call unannounced, but I was passing and thought maybe Jaxon wanted to kick a ball around,” Callen says with a ball tucked under his arm. He has changed his clothes since I saw him a few hours ago. Swapping out his black shorts and T-shirt for a baby blue T-shirt that makes his eyes look even more blue. “Um… he’s actually busy at the moment,” I say, just as Jaxon runs in, holding up his painting and proudly declaring he’s finished. “Callen!” Jax shouts excitedly when he spots him at the door. He runs towards him, tripping over his unfastened shoelace and landing with a heavy thud on the wooden floor against the wall. “I’m okay,” Jax declares before I have a chance to ask him. “Slow down, buddy, there’s no need to rush,” Callen says. I help Jaxon to his feet and check him over. He doesn’t seem injured, but his painting is completely destroyed, as well as the once immaculate wall. Blue, red and yellow paint is smeared down the wall like a crude attempt at a rainbow on the magnolia wall. “Sh*t,” I curse under my breath and rush to the kitchen for a cloth. This is not the first impression I want to give to the landlord when he visits tomorrow. “I’m sorry, mummy,” Jaxon says with tear-filled eyes as he looks at the mess on the wall. “It’s okay, baby, it was an accident,” I reassure whilst I wipe the paint from the wall, which only seems to make it worse as I smear it further. “Here, let me help. It was my fault for turning up unannounced,” Callen says, stepping into the house and holding out a hand for the cloth. I’m about to protest when the phone tucked under my ear finally connects to an agent. I nod and hand the cloth to Callen to take the call. If I didn’t need the internet for work, I’d have hung up and called back tomorrow, but their call centre closes soon, and I need to get connected as soon as possible to meet the manuscript deadline. I go through all my details and haggle a good deal on a TV and broadband package as I watch Callen and Jaxon clean the wall. Then they go out in the back garden to kick the football around whilst I watch them through the window. When I end the call, I stay at the window watching Jaxon play. He looks so happy and thoroughly enjoying playing football. Greg never had time to play with him this way. He was always too tired or too busy, and I never was good at sports. My dad always said I had two left feet. As I watch them, I can’t stop my mind from imagining another life. If Ryder hadn’t disappeared on me, and we lived together as a family for the last six years. Would this be how our life would have looked? Jax and Ryder out in the garden playing ball games whilst I prepare dinner? I catch myself smiling at the imagined life, and then I sigh. I need to ask Callen if he has any siblings. I think that is the best way to see if he knows about Ryder, because no one can convince me they are not twins. I can’t ask in front of Jaxon, though. If Callen reveals he is Ryder’s brother and something awful happened or Ryder doesn’t want to meet Jax, then I’ll just be putting my son through unnecessary hurt. I step out the back door, and Callen grins at me. “I think you have a future football star in the making here.” “I scored a goal!” Jax says, throwing his hand up in the air. “I know, I saw it. Well done Jax, it was a great goal,” I smile. “Can Callen stay for dinner?” Jaxon asks, his big blue eyes full of hope. “I’m sure Callen already has plans.” “I don’t,” Callen shrugs. “Great,” I force a smile, not keen on having him over for dinner when we only met him a few hours ago. “How about I order a takeout? There’s a great Italian that does delivery and their lasagne is to die for,” Callen says with a groan. “I like lasagne,” Jaxon nods. “Three portions of lasagne, then?” Callen asks, looking at me. “Sure, and thank you for helping with the wall and Jaxon.” “It’s no problem.” Although I didn’t want him to stay, I can see how much Jaxon enjoys having him here, and it takes his mind off Greg. Plus, I might find some time to ask him some questions when Jax is out of earshot. Callen was right. The lasagne was amazing, and I had to fight the urge to groan like he had when it seemed to melt in my mouth. After dinner, I send Jaxon upstairs to wash and change into his pyjamas whilst we clear the table. “You are good with kids. Do you have a lot of little ones in your family?” I ask, trying not to sound like I’m interrogating him. “No, not in my family, but there are several kids in my... friend group.” He paused, making me suspect he’d rather have used different words. “So, do you have a lot of family here in town?” “Not really. I grew up in foster care and only recently found out I have a brother,” he says as we carry the empty plates to the sink. My heart pounds in my chest and my breath catches in my throat. I almost drop the plates into the sink as my hands tremble. “An older brother, or younger?” I ask, my voice coming out higher-pitched than I’d like. “I’m not actually sure. We are twins, and we don’t know which one of us was born first, but I think I’m the older one,” he laughs. “And he lives here in town?” “Yes, just on the outskirts,” he says. My head suddenly feels funny, and I grip the countertop to steady myself. I was right. He is Ryder’s twin, and Ryder is alive and right here, in the town I have just moved to. Is this fate or a cosmic coincidence? I have no idea what to say next. Do I tell him his twin is Jaxon’s father? Do I demand he take me to him or call him and tell him to come here? How do I approach this and keep my son safe?**Paige’s POV ** Remy takes my hand again, his eyes searching mine. “Maybe we should keep this between us for now, just until we know if it’s a possibility. Ryder was…” “I’m not hiding this,” I cut in. “Not from them. If I brought a threat, they deserve to know.” Remy’s jaw works, but after a moment he nods, lacing his fingers with mine. We walk back towards the house in silence, our hands linked, and my mind buzzing with the weight of what Remy has just made me realise. Everything feels sharper now, more fragile, like one wrong move could break the balance we’re trying to find. The rest of the day slips by in a less tense mood. Jaxon insists we spend hours outside, having Parker shift into his wolf to chase him around the garden while Jaxon’s laughter bounces off the surrounding trees. I sit on the porch steps and watch them, smiling despite the churning in my stomach. For a while, it feels normal… sunlight, laughter, muddy shoes on the porch. Remy heads back out with
** Paige’s POV **I tug my cardigan tighter around myself even though the morning air isn’t cold. My nerves are the actual cause of the chill I’m feeling, as I watch Remy’s shoulders tense and relax like he’s fighting himself.He’s stopped us in a small clearing where the sunlight shines through, highlighting the beauty of the place. A fallen tree rests in the centre, its bark thick with green moss. The top is worn smooth as though it’s been sat on frequently. Remy doesn’t sit. He doesn’t even move. He just stands rigid in the stillness, fists clenched at his sides, as if the weight pressing down on him might break him.I swallow, my voice low. “Remy… you’re scaring me a little.”That makes him turn. His green eyes are so raw they nearly steal the breath from my lungs. “I don’t want to scare you. That’s the last thing I want.”“Then talk to me,” I whisper. “Please.”For a moment, he only stares, jaw tight, chest rising and falling like he’s forcing air into his lungs.“I’ve been t
** Paige’s POV ** The house falls quiet again after Ryder’s words. His gaze is steady on me, as though he is trying to memorise the exact shape of my face. I swallow, the weight of what we’d just talked about still sitting heavy in my chest. “Alright,” he says softly, shifting in his seat. “Let’s try this mind-link. Just relax and focus.” I nod, unsure how I can relax when I can already feel my pulse hammering. My palms go clammy as I close my eyes, trying to block out everything else, even Ryder’s steady presence at my side. I concentrate on the thread that tugs at me whenever I think of Remy. He’s out there, not far, though I can’t tell exactly where. Still, there is a constant pull, like an invisible string tying us together, tugging at my chest. “Remy?” I think the word, as clearly as if I am whispering it into the night. “Can you hear me?” For a heartbeat, nothing happens. Just silence. Then, like a muffled echo, I felt a brush of something against my mind. A voic
** Paige’s POV **The house falls quiet again.Parker is still upstairs with Jax, and Ryder is brooding silently at the kitchen island.“What happened out there?” I ask, sitting next to him.Ryder doesn’t answer right away. He lifts his gaze to meet mine, and then his eyes drift to my neck. I don’t miss the flash of anger before he turns his head away.“They came at us from three directions. It was an organised attack, but not as organised as our defence. We’ve had years to learn this land, and Ronnie has been preparing the pack to defend it as soon as they turn eighteen. We knew they’d find us one day; I’m just sorry it has to be now. I wish you could have joined us during our peaceful years. You’d have loved it here.”“Did you lose any pack members tonight?”I suddenly feel sick at the thought. I had been too worked up over Jaxon, the mate bond, and worrying about my mates that I hadn’t even given a second thought to the others out there fighting.Ryder reaches out and cups my c
** Paige’s POV ** I’m still shaking when Parker pulls me in closer, his arms wrapping around me and Jaxon. The blanket is warm, but it’s not doing much to stop the way I’m trembling. Jaxon’s little hands clutch my shirt, and he presses his damp cheek against my chest. I keep imagining him out there alone, so vulnerable, and it makes my stomach twist all over again.The door creaks open behind us. I glance over Parker’s shoulder, expecting Ryder, but my breath catches instead. It’s Remy. He’s barefoot, shirtless, streaked with dirt and blood that isn’t all his. His chest rises and falls hard, like he’s been running for hours, and his eyes… they lock on me like I’m the only one in the room. There’s something strange there… heat, intensity, a magnetic pull I don’t fully understand. It’s a hum under my skin, like a second heartbeat. It’s not subtle; it slams into me, ripping away the last fragile barrier between us. I can feel him. His exhaustion, his relief, his stubborn possessiven
** Remy’s POV **“I’ve just found Jaxon running towards the town. Someone get back to the house now!” Parker roars in the mind-link.Dread hits me harder than I expect. My mate is in danger. Thoughts of hunters dragging her off, torturing her for days on end for information flash through my mind.My wolf lets out a furious roar and turns away from the hunt, doubling back towards the house.“On my way!”Despite hearing Ryder and Callen’s frantic response, I block it. I need to focus. I have to find her.I don’t run for long before I hear Paige’s desperate calls for Jaxon. Good, if she’s shouting, she’s okay. Now I just have to get to her before the hunters do.The scent of her hits me before I see her, the usual sweetness now tainted with the sharp tang of fear, and tinged with salt from her tears.She’s crashing through the trees like prey that doesn’t know it’s being hunted from two directions. The hunter’s boots pound somewhere off her right flank. Too close. Far too close.I mo