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
** Ryder’s POV **The more I think about it, the more I believe it. Everything we’ve been through, the chaos, the losses, the way fate pushed us together, then apart, and then back together again, isn’t random at all. I think it’s all playing out exactly the way it was meant to, even if some of it f
** Paige’s POV **After breakfast, Poppy is still grinning with amusement. Parker excuses himself to shower, giving me a smile that threatens to melt me. Callen goes back upstairs to nap before it’s time to check on Leo, and Ryder and Remy take Jax to play in the living room.I gather up the plates
I step back, watching her while I calm down.Parker releases the clasp on her bra and pushes it from her shoulders, and her breasts spill free. His eyes meet mine over her shoulder, silently seeking permission to touch her first. I don’t like that.“When it comes to her, we are not Alpha and Beta; w
**Paige’s POV **For a long while, neither of us speak. The only sounds are Jaxon’s laughter and the soft breeze rustling through the trees. Parker keeps looking over at us like it’s a struggle for him to stay away when he can feel how much I need him. But he knows I need Jaxon distracted more right







