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
**Paige’s POV ** Much to my disappointment, Ryder had a late-night patrol. Which meant he didn’t mark me, just kissed me softly and sent me off to bed. I can’t deny I needed the rest, though. Even without him, I’d ended up curling into his sheets, deciding to spend the night in his bed, anyway.
“Have you ever been taken here, baby?” Cal asks. Remy breaks the kiss so I can answer, sitting up to watch Callen tease my ass whilst he works my clit. “No,” I breathe. Thrills shoot through me, my heart rate picking up its pace. “How does she feel about it, Rem?” Remy is quiet for a momen
** Remy’s POV **The bond thrums steadily between us, not the sharp, unrelenting pull it used to be when I fought it, but a deep, grounding hum. It doesn’t feel like chains anymore, binding me to something I don’t want. It feels like… peace.I should be angry with Callen. Hell, part of me still is.
A pit of cold dread opens in my chest. My wedding day, already a memory I’d wanted to forget, now morphed into something darker. Now I replay every smile, every toast, every handshake, questioning it all. It wasn’t just family and friends. It was predators sitting at the tables, watching me, watchin







