LOGINWe step out into the corridor together, heading towards the room we’d seen him go into. “Hey,” I call as we spot Jake’s assistant leaving the room opposite. “Have you seen Jake?”She looks up, relief flickering across her face as if she’s glad it’s not another emergency.“Yeah,” she says. “He stepp
**Poppy’s POV **After the tree of death tried to kill me, we head back into the clinic for breakfast. Jake leaves to check on his patients, promising to catch up with us soon. I want to tell him no, that I need him with me, but that will only worry him and Leo. I feel fine; the chill I had last ni
His 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
Callen catches my eye over the stove; he grins at me. “Looks like breakfast just got crowded.”“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” I say softly, watching as the men gather around the table, the people who’ve very quickly become my family.Ryder sets Jaxon down and meets my gaze, something tender fli
Parker closes the folder with a thud. “That’s enough for tonight,” he says. “If you keep going, you’ll burn out before you even step in the room.”“I’m fine,” I protest, though my eyes sting from reading.He leans across the island, brushing a strand of hair from my face. “You don’t need to prove an
** Paige’s POV **“I’ve never seen you as a supporting act, Rem.” I rise on my toes and kiss him again, this time with the quiet desperation of someone who’s been holding herself back for too long.I pour everything I have into that kiss. Hoping he feels how much I want him, how much I need him. He
** Ryder’s POV **The forest is quiet tonight. Too quiet.It’s the kind of quiet that makes every instinct in me hum with warning.Before we set out on our first patrol together, I’d gathered the new enforcers in the clearing outside the cabins. They stood in a semicircle, Midnight wolves, strong an







