LOGIN“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.
** Jake’s POV ** The thought that I shouldn’t have left hits me hard and sudden, but I don’t know why. I’m halfway down the corridor in the clinic, the faint hum of the lights buzzing overhead, when something in my chest pulls tight. Not the mate bond exactly, but close enough that every instinct
** Poppy’s POV **Things have changed. Not just around me, but inside too. The voice has remained silent. Its presence is still there, watching, waiting, but somehow it’s more settled now. Content even. Which is surprising; I was sure it would be complaining about how close we were to completing th
** Jake’s POV **My eyes close for half a second, grounding myself the way I do when my wolf fights for control, or trying to.“You’re…” I start, then stop, because I don’t have a word for what she is right now.I move to stand directly behind her, both of my hands on her hips now. So close, just on
** Jake’s POV **My mate is unreal. She tastes like heat and something softer beneath it, sweet, with a bite that keeps pulling me back for more. And the way she responds, every breath, every sound, it hits heavier than anything I’ve ever known.Hard enough to drop me to my knees, not that I’d choos
** Poppy’s POV ** I don’t remember deciding to move. One second I’m breathing both of them in, and the next I’m acting on it.Heat coils low and tight inside me, sharper than before, impossible to ignore now that I’ve stopped pretending I can. This isn’t hesitation anymore. This is choice. Jake do
The words hit me like cold water.“Poppy,” I breathe, not pleading, but careful. “You don’t have to run.”“I’m not running. Running would mean I’m afraid.”“And you’re not?”For the first time, something flickers across her face, an emotion she can’t quite hide.“I’m terrified,” she admits, and her
** Paige’s POV **The forest doesn’t explode into chaos. That’s the strangest part. The wind doesn’t rise. The hunters don’t burst through the trees, and the shots don’t come, but they will. It’s just a matter of time.Everything is silent, too silent as we wait for something, anything to happen.I
**Ryder’s POV **Preparation for what’s coming doesn’t feel dramatic, not anymore. Now it’s a quiet acceptance.I call the pack into the clearing just after first light. Not because we need the daylight, but because I want them to see my face. I want them to see certainty, not panic, not doubt, not
** Paige’s POV **I can barely breathe with how intense the desire is that’s coursing through my body. I’m so stunned by it that I can’t move. I can’t do anything but watch, transfixed by them.My mates are hot, unbelievably so, and I love them touching me, but watching them touch each other is on a







