LOGINHis mouth twitches slightly, but he doesn’t quite smile.“Good,” he says.Good? I stare at him.“That’s not an answer.”“No,” he agrees. “It isn’t, but you also didn’t ask a question.”My hands clench at my sides, which is more Leo’s style than mine. I force them to relax.“Ronnie…”“When something
** Jake’s POV **That baby should have died. The thought swirls in my mind, no matter how many times I try to push it aside. I’ve seen enough births to know the difference between a close call and a miracle. That wasn’t a close call; it was impossible.I stand at the end of the bed, watching as the
“Poppy,” Jake’s voice calls, softer than before.I glance over at him. He’s watching me now.A flicker of unease slides through me.“Yeah?” I call back, forcing a small smile.His gaze narrows slightly, as if he’s trying to piece something together that doesn’t quite fit.“Are you sure you’re okay?”
Jake watches me closely.“I’m fine,” I insist, before he can say anything. I know he doesn’t fully believe me, but he doesn’t argue.We step out into the corridor together, and I hear a few voices drift in the distance. “Jake,” Leo says quietly beside me. “What’s going on?”Jake exhales slowly as
** Poppy’s POV **Spending my first night after completing the mate bond back in the clinic was not on my bingo card, but here we are. I wake up stiff. Like I slept too heavy for too long. Jake and Leo insisted we spend the night here, which makes no sense. Yes, I had a bit of a funny turn, but I r
The baby cries a second later, strong, clear, alive. Relief floods the room. I hand the baby to my assistant, who quickly runs through checks before passing him to Mum.My chest tightens at the sight, but it’s tainted by an uneasy feeling, because I just witnessed a miracle, and in my experience, th
Finally, I can’t stand the silence anymore. “She’s not just your mate,” I say quietly, breaking the air between them. “She’s my sister, and she’s scared of this new world enough as it is. When she wakes up, she’s going to need both of you to be patient, not territorial.”Jake looks at me, then, real
“He adores you,” I tell her. “And he’d love to see you this morning.”The sound of clattering pans and Ryder’s voice carries up the stairs as we make our way down. Poppy’s steps are confident, but she doesn’t let go of my hand.The moment we step into the kitchen, Jaxon spots us. His whole face ligh
** Paige’s POV **When I get to Jaxon’s bedroom door, I just stand there for a second, preparing myself. I’m not sure what version of my sister I’m about to walk into. Will she be curled up in a ball and shaking, angry, or pretending she’s fine?“Poppy, can I come in?” I say softly to the door.“Yea
I put my cup down, shaking my head slowly, trying to process it.My chest tightens until I can barely breathe. “You can’t just say something like that so calmly, Ryder.” My voice cracks halfway through. “That my mum or my dad might not even be my real parents.”He winces, his hand tightening around







