LOGIN“Where?” Alaric asks.“Right. Up the rocks.”Leo looks towards the slope. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.”“They’ve been using the trees to stay above us. Take those away, and they’ll have nowhere to hide.”“And if they decide to come out of hiding?”“At least we can see what to fight.”Alaric
** Bastian’s POV **She belonged to us first. The words are still ringing in my ears. I don’t know who said them, or how they managed to get close enough to whisper them into my ear without me seeing anything. But the moment they did, something slammed into my side with enough force to knock me off
** Leo’s POV **“Move!”I don’t wait to see who or what is laughing. I tighten my grip under Sawyer’s arms, whilst Bastian still has his legs, and together, we cut across the water and scramble towards the slope.Alaric shifts into his wolf so fast I miss it. He positions himself at our backs. Snarl
** Leo’s POV **Bastian moves towards a fallen tree, crouching beside its exposed roots. He points to a dark spot on the ground. It’s not much, barely more than a drop, but it’s enough.“It’s Sawyer’s,” Alaric says from a few paces behind us.I turn to look at him over my shoulder. “Possibly. Can yo
** Leo’s POV **The mind-link falls silent, but the tension around us only grows. Owen is the first to move, stripping off his T-shirt and shorts before shifting into a large grey wolf with a fierce determination in his eyes.Two others follow, their bones cracking as they drop onto all fours on the
Bastian turns to face Miles, his head tilting as he studies him.I nod. “That tells us two things… first, it wasn’t a hunter. Second, I think there’s only one or two. Otherwise, they’d have snatched Miles too.”Miles’ gaze snaps to me. “You know what happened?”Alaric steps forward, crouching in fro
** 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
** Paige’s POV **The sentence lands heavily, but I can’t say I’m totally shocked.“What?” I ask softly.She finally looks at me then, eyes bright and too guarded all at once. “I’m not staying, Paige. Not here. Not now.”My chest tightens, but I don’t interrupt.“I need space,” she continues, her vo







