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.
** Ryder’s POV **I feel it the moment I cross the threshold. The bond tightens, sharp and alert, and my wolf lifts his head inside me like he’s just scented a deer on the breeze. The cabin feels different, steadier somehow, but also charged, like the air itself is holding its breath.Parker feels i
** Ryder’s POV **We don’t celebrate. We don’t howl with victory cries or shake ourselves clean of blood and fear. We simply settle, our shoulders relaxing after carrying too much weight. Maybe all that will come later.The pack moves quietly. Not in shock or grief, but in assessment. Enforcers regr
Callen sits beside her on the couch, arm draped loosely around her shoulders. She leans into him without hesitation, and I see the way his presence steadies her.Parker catches my eye from across the room and gives a small nod.“She’s stable,” he says through the mind-link.I nod back.Later, when t
Paige inhales sharply.I feel it through the bond, the spike of heat, the pull, the very human want she hasn’t let herself acknowledge yet.Good.“Touch him,” I say quietly.She hesitates just long enough for me to know she’s asking permission, not defying me.“Yes,” I answer before she can speak it







