LOGIN“Hey,” Paige says softly.“Hey,” I reply, my voice cracking. Her smile fades and her eyes narrow as she studies me. “What happened?”“Nothing, I’m okay.”Callen snorts a laugh, and I shoot him a look. “Callen, get out,” Paige orders.“Well, that’s rude.”“Out,” she demands, and he wisely retreats,
** Poppy’s POV **The door closes behind us with a soft click, and I finally take my first real breath in hours. I want to freak out. I want to shout that this isn’t supposed to be happening. But allowing myself to get worked up is not good for anyone or anything. Stuff will break, people will pani
“I was trying to figure you out,” he shrugs.“You were lurking.”Callen gasps. “Shadow boy was lurking?”Bastian’s eyes narrow. “Shadow boy?”“Oh, don’t worry,” I say. “It suits you.”For one strange moment, his expression softens. Not much, but enough that I see it. Enough that my heart skips a bea
** Poppy’s POV **The branch is still lying where it fell. I try not to look at it as we walk away, but my eyes keep finding it anyway. Split wood, torn bark, and leaves scattered across the ground as if it had exploded from the inside out. Because of me.One stupid argument. One moment when everyth
“At least she didn’t pass out this time.”Poppy groans. “Callen.”“What?” he shrugs innocently. “That’s personal growth. I’m proud of you.”“Pass out?” Bastian frowns. “Yeah, when she found out Leo was her mate, she tried to run. But she ran right into Jake, who immediately told her she was his mat
** Leo’s POV **“No, seriously, humour is my thing,” Callen says enthusiastically. “True,” Ryder nods."Aww, thanks, Rye. It's nice to finally be appreciated.""Last week you got stuck in a camping chair," Ryder continues. "I have to admit that was pretty funny."Callen's face drops immediately. “
** Paige’s POV **By the time the afternoon rolls around, Ronnie is still here, sitting at the kitchen table with his sleeves rolled up and his hair sticking up like he’s been running a hand through it too many times.My mates have gathered around him, Ryder leaning against the counter with that qui
“Game or warning,” Callen mutters. “Either way, they’re trying to make us afraid to step outside our own borders.”“They won’t win,” I say quietly.Four sets of eyes shift toward me. Ryder’s expression softens, but there’s pride in it too. “No, they won’t.”Remy nods. “We’ve been reacting too much l
** Paige’s POV **“Morning, campers,” Ronnie’s voice calls as we hear his footsteps on the porch. He steps in and drops a small leather satchel on the counter, giving Jaxon’s hair a quick ruffle. “Morning, champ. Smells like you survived the great toaster massacre in here.”Callen salutes the black
I catch myself smiling. Jax and I watched a movie yesterday while he was feeling ill, one of those old ones with fairies and pirates. He’d fallen asleep halfway through, but I’d stayed up watching it just to see how it ended. There was a scene where the fairy lit up the dark, fierce and stubborn and







