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 ** I sit in silence as the weight of this entire insane new world bears down on me. I can still feel their eyes on me, like they’re waiting for me to do something. For what I don’t know. For me to scream?… To cry?… To run? I don’t do any of those things. I can’t. Instead, I just
He nods, his eyes softening. “Yeah. It is.”I laugh softly, shaking my head. “You always did make things complicated.”He grins. “And you always loved me for it.”“Still do,” I admit.We start walking again, the silence between us lighter this time. The tension that’s been building in my chest for d
** Ryder’s POV ** I’m a father. There’s no doubt about it. This boy is mine. A good mix of me and his mother. The boy runs to me like I’m some kind of long-lost hero. I’m not. I’m the bad guy in this scenario. The selfish villain that left his mother alone and pregnant so I could live a life wit
“You don’t get to just walk back into my life, Rye. I’m not the same girl you left almost seven years ago. I don’t need you. We don’t need you.” I shake my head. “Jaxon needs me. Please don’t try to take him away. Don’t make him go through what I did, with no idea who or what he is. Stay with me,







