MasukMate.The word rolls through me, low and possessive, but tonight it doesn’t feel overwhelming. It feels certain. Poppy swallows hard.“You calm it too,” she whispers suddenly.I frown slightly. “Calm what?”“That feeling.” Her eyes lift back to mine. “The pressure. The noise in my head. It gets quie
** Jake’s POV **The second Leo leaves the cabin feels wrong.It’s quieter and colder, even though the fire still crackles softly in the corner. Rain still taps steadily against the roof, and Poppy is still standing only a few feet away from me.But something shifted when he left. I felt it immediat
“I’ll be okay,” she whispers.I wish I believed that.Instead of answering, I lean forward until our foreheads touch, and for a second, everything else fades away. It’s just her breathing against me and the warmth of her hands on my face.“What if this thing isn’t new?” she asks quietly. “What if it
** Leo’s POV **“It’s not staying silent anymore.”The words have been stuck in my head for the last two fucking hours since Jake explained what happened at the clinic.I tighten my grip on the strap of the knife sheath sitting across my chest harder than necessary, checking it for the third time si
Of 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
I can’t speak. My mouth is dry, my brain short-circuited by the images Callen’s words just painted across the inside of my skull. I should be furious with him. Embarrassed and offended. But I’m not. I’m burning. Heat runs down my spine, blooming between my legs, pulsing with every erratic beat o
“You okay, Rem?” I ask in the mind link. “Leave me alone,” he snaps. “Okay, but if you need me, just shout.” The door opens a few seconds later and Callen steps out. He’s wearing shorts now, and he places three bottles of beer on the table before he flops down into the chair with a sigh. He
Pain roars through my spine as it arches backwards, my bones popping in a horrible chain reaction. My legs bend at impossible angles, reversed at the knee, my feet… no, my paws, dig into the earth. My skin is gone, hidden under thick, coarse fur. The air is thick with scents, sounds, and sensation
Is he trying to freak her out even more? Paige doesn’t speak for a moment and I know she is trying to make sense of his words. I pinch the bridge of my nose, waiting for all hell to break loose. “What the hell are you talking about? You cannot claim me like I’m some property. I barely even know







