LOGINOf course, the voice remains completely silent. Coward.“So what am I?” I ask.No one answers quickly enough. Jake steps closer, crouching in front of me so I have to look at him and not the horror show printed on the paper in my hands.“We don’t know yet,” he says. “But we will.”I want to believe
** Poppy’s POV **The room feels too small and too hot.I swallow. “Not the same how?”Jake exhales slowly, reaching for another sheet. “Paige’s blood showed abnormal energy markers, mostly consistent with what Ronnie later connected to Dawn energy, cleansing, regenerative and life-based.”“Sounds l
Rain… Headlights… Control it, Poppy. I push the thought down hard.Leo is already dressed by the time I sit up, pulling on his boots near the edge of the bed. His hair is damp from a shower, and his expression is locked into the serious mask he wears when he’s pretending not to be worried. It does n
** Poppy’s POV **Leo sets a glass down in front of me far more carefully than necessary. He’s slow, deliberate, as if he’s half expecting it to explode the second it leaves his hand. My eyes flick to Jake across the kitchen, only to catch him watching me too.The rest of the day passes in a strange
** Poppy’s POV **Shiver’s run through me. Starting from my chest and spreading out, but everything else calms. My heart stops pounding, my breaths come easier, and the cold that was creeping in is slowly replaced by a comforting warmth.It’s them, my mates. They’re anchoring me. Whatever this power
“Hey,” I say, dropping to my knees in front of her, not caring about the glass. “Look at me.”Her eyes snap to mine, and for a second, they’re not right. There’s something deeper in them. Something darker flickering beneath the surface like a storm trying to break through. The hairs on my arms lift.
** Paige’s POV **“What… what are you?”The question hangs in the air, and everyone goes still.Ryder’s protective instinct spikes like a cold gust of wind through the bond, but I lift a hand to keep him from stepping forward.I can’t blame her. I’m probably glowing again.My voice comes out steadie
Loaded question, too loaded. I sit anyway. The cushions dip under my weight, and her body leans subtly closer to mine. I shouldn’t be affected by something as small as that… but I am. Every inhale is her. Every exhale feels too hot in my lungs. My hand twitches with the urge to touch her, to anchor
For a long moment, no one speaks.“I have to mark you,” I blurt out, the words falling out before I even realise I’m thinking them.Everyone in the room goes still.Ryder blinks. “Paige…”“I’m not saying right this second,” I say quickly. “But soon. Something inside me, something instinctive, tells
** 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 th







