Mag-log in“They just moved here last week.”“Wow, you didn’t waste anytime,” Erika laughs. “At least give us local girls a chance. There’s not many single men our age around here, and you’ve somehow managed to bag four of them. You have to tell me your secret.”“Actually, I knew Leo and Jake before I came her
** Poppy’s POV **“All four?” Erika tries to whisper, but it comes out more like a hiss.“Keep your voice down,” I say, glancing over my shoulder to check we haven’t gained the attention of the entire shop before turning back to her.She stares at me, blinking slowly. “Poppy. Four?”I blow out a bre
“Are you okay?” he asks.“Yeah.” She nods. “It’s strange being back.”Alaric peers through the window. “Crazy coffee girl has returned.”Poppy snorts a laugh.“Are we going inside? Or just standing here, drawing attention to ourselves?” Mason asks, his eyes scanning the street.Poppy nods and pushes
** Leo’s POV **The village is quiet. The sun shines over the street, reflecting off the windows, leaving patches of gold on the cobbled road. It’s very similar to the one on the edge of Phoenix, actually. Maybe slightly more modern, with a mix of old and new shopfronts. People walk slowly, stopping
“Nope, that’s why I was coming here. I was going to ask to borrow a quad.” I narrow my eyes at her. I don’t believe her for a second.Poppy shuffles closer to me, keeping a small distance between us. I look down at her. She’s smiling that smile again. The one that makes me agree to things that I’d
** Bastian’s POV **The mind-link is silent for a moment. Then Leo speaks.“Who the hell are you, and what have you done with Bastian?”“Very funny.”“I’m being serious. Is she holding you hostage up there? Blink twice if you need help.”“Leo, shut up,” Alaric says. “We can’t even see him, so how wo
** Paige’s POV **The moment the pack disperses, my legs stop working. I don’t collapse, but my knees go weak enough that Ryder’s hand shoots out, gripping my waist like he’s ready to catch me.“Easy,” he murmurs.Easy… if only.I can still feel it, the rush of the pack dropping to their knees. The
“Our light,” Remy adds.Her glow softens.Ronnie exhales shakily. “We need to be ready. If she truly is Eos reborn… then this is only the beginning.”Paige buries her face in my chest, and I hold her, knowing the world is shifting under our feet, and she is the axis.Poppy clears her throat gently,
** Ryder’s POV **The moment it hits me, I almost drop to my knees. It’s not a pulse or a flare. Not the usual warm tug of the bond when Paige is overwhelmed or scared. This… this is a detonation.A tidal wave of heat slams into my chest so violently my vision goes white. For a breathless second I c
Paige looks down at her hands, and I can see the tremor in her fingers.“They’re… tethered,” she whispers. “Like someone pulled them back from death with a thread that’s too thin. Like it’s fraying. Like it’s going to snap.”A growl rumbles in my chest before I can stop it. “Snap how?”“Snap, meanin







