LOGIN** Bastian's POV **Poppy's lips part. Behind her, Alaric turns his head away, but not quickly enough to hide his smile. I ignore him.“What did you remember?”The change in Poppy is immediate. Her fingers tighten around mine.“The accident.”I have no idea what accident she is referring to, so I wa
** Bastian’s POV **She throws herself at me before I can think. One second she’s staring at me with tears swimming in her eyes, the next she’s there, hands gripping my shirt, her face buried against my chest as though I’m the only thing keeping her upright.My body locks. Every instinct screams at
“Stop! Don’t do this!” They can’t hear me, can’t feel my desperate attempts to stop this. I’m trapped inside the worst moment of my life with no way to change it. The world fractures around me, and for the briefest second, my mother’s fingertips brush mine. “Live, Poppy.” Then darkness explodes
** Poppy’s POV ** I blink against the darkness surrounding me. The cabin is gone. The smell of dinner. The warmth of the fire. The laughter in the kitchen. All of it has vanished. Instead, cold asphalt presses against my bare feet. I know this place. Not because I’ve seen it before, but because I’
“It seems our timing,” Leo says, looking between us, “is perfect.”“No, it’s terrible,” Alaric corrects flatly.“That depends on who you ask,” Jake shrugs.Alaric ignores him, turning back to the stove to flip the chicken with far too much focus.“So, what were you saying about defence lessons?” Leo
** Poppy’s POV **I thought Alaric would have been pissed at learning his brother had my number all along and had been messaging me, but he’s amused, and maybe even a little proud. He shakes his head again and laughs; it’s so contagious that I can’t even be mad.“Come on,” he says, standing from the
** Paige’s POV **Callen leads me to the bathroom, flipping on the small light over the mirror. The glow is warm and golden, giving the room a cosy feel. He rolls his sleeves and starts the water running in the tub.For a moment, I just watch him. The quiet focus on his face, the way his shoulders m
Ryder glances up at me, something raw flickering behind his eyes before he looks back at Jax. He sits on the edge of the bed, his elbows on his knees, and just… watches him. Every protective instinct in him is awake.I see it in the way his hand stays close, ready to touch and soothe if Jax wakes. I
** Paige’s POV **By the time the afternoon rolls around, Ronnie is still here, sitting at the kitchen table with his sleeves rolled up and his hair sticking up like he’s been running a hand through it too many times.My mates have gathered around him, Ryder leaning against the counter with that qui
“I get that, but I hope with time you’ll be able to rely on us to take some of the mental load too.”“I’d like that,” I smile.I look out the window, still craving the feeling of the sun on my face.“Do you want a coffee?” Parker asks.I think about it for a moment before shaking my head. “Not yet,







