로그인“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 **For a while, neither of us moves. The air between us feels heavy with the ghosts of Mum’s laughter, Dad’s quiet warmth, all the pieces of a life that suddenly don’t fit the same way anymore. But underneath it all, there’s comfort too. Poppy’s hand in mine. The quiet promise that we
** Paige’s POV **Light spills through the kitchen window, the smell of fresh coffee in the air. Poppy’s still sitting at the counter, a second cup of coffee cradled in her hands. Jaxon’s curled against me, finally wide awake and humming to himself as he plays with the edge of his blanket.My gaze d
The tension in my chest loosens, just enough to breathe again. “Good,” I rasp. “Let’s keep it that way.”Parker’s gaze flicks between us. “We need to move. That blast stunned them, but I could hear the hunters regrouping on the way here. They might be retreating, or coming back.”Remy’s head snaps u
The pages are old, discoloured, cracked parchment; the ink faded to near-invisible brown. The lighting in the scans is also not great. But it’s all I have.I zoom in on one section, squinting at the looping script. It’s written in a mix of Latin and something even older that is apparently a dialect







