LOGIN** Poppy’s POV **Ronnie doesn’t waste time after that. Blood samples are taken quickly from us all. Jake handles most of it with steady hands and a focused expression, as if he’s clinging to something he understands. Something that makes sense to him… science. I can barely feel the needle. Or mayb
** Poppy’s POV **I mull over Ronnie’s words. Even though I’d already started piecing it together, hearing the words spoken aloud lands hard.Collides… like we’re something dangerous and unstable. As if we’re the problem.My stomach twists. “So what? We just… stay away from each other?”Ronnie’s gaz
** Poppy’s POV **The silence doesn’t last. Footsteps hit the hallway, fast and heavy, then the door swings open hard enough to rattle the frame. Callen steps in first, eyes scanning the room in a sweep before locking onto Paige.“What the hell is going on?” he demands, already moving toward her. “I
** Poppy’s POV **The cracked glass shouldn’t still be holding, but it is.I stare at it, my breath caught somewhere between my lungs and my throat as another thin fracture splinters outward, branching like it’s alive. The water inside trembles, rippling faintly.Leo’s arm is still locked around my
“What?” Leo asks, softer.I hesitate. Because I don’t know how to explain it without sounding insane.“It’s like…” I swallow. “Like everything is louder when I stop fighting it.”“There it is,” the voice murmurs.My eyes fly open.“Stop,” I whisper.Jake’s expression sharpens. “What happened?”“It s
** Poppy’s POV **The room feels too heavy after my outburst. Like my mates and even the walls themselves are waiting to see what I’ll do next. My stomach is still in knots, heat and shame twisting together so tightly I can’t tell where one ends and the other begins. Jake is staring at me like he’s
“You’re not stupid,” I say immediately. “They’re good at hiding. Hunters. Parasites. People like Greg. They know how to make you doubt your instincts. It’s what they do. Besides, you had no idea any of this existed, so why would you look for it?”“What if my instincts aren’t enough?” she whispers.I
Her eyes slide to me, and the bond pulses.I nod once. “Whatever you need.”Ryder exhales. “Then let’s get today started.”Paige moves towards the coffee machine, and Remy follows her with a look that could power the whole damn pack.Callen murmurs, “Well… Remy’s enchanted, now we’re all in trouble.
** Ryder’s POV **By the time Paige finishes gathering the crayons and Jaxon is wrapped up warm in his coat and boots, the sun has dipped low. The air outside is still, expectant, heavy, waiting.This is the moment I promised the pack, and I can feel Paige bracing for it even before she steps outsid
“Paige,” I murmur against her skin. “I can feel your power; it’s reacting to this. To us.”“Then don’t stop,” she whispers the command, and everything in me wants to obey.I lift her top slowly, giving her time to stop me if she wants. She doesn’t. Instead, she lifts her arms for me, letting me pull







