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
Heat rushes to my cheeks, but Ryder just lifts his chin, pride written all over him. Callen smirks like he’d been waiting for this exact moment, Remy steps in closer, and Parker squeezes my hand.Regina shakes her head in disbelief. “A completed mating bond between five… the goddess certainly has he
** Paige’s POV **Parker helps me undress slowly, like each button popped, and zipper undone is an act that should be treasured. When I step into the bath, I’m still trembling from the almost overwhelming anticipation thrumming through me. The hot water laps against my skin, and I sink into it with
My heart swells so full it aches. “You did this… for me?”“For all of us,” Callen corrects gently, pressing a kiss to the side of my head.I let them guide me into the bed, the mattress sinking beneath our combined weight as, one by one, they wrap around me. Ryder and Callen sandwich me between them
Remy grumbles something I don’t catch, but I laugh anyway, though it comes out more like a sob.“Sorry,” I say again, embarrassed at how much of a mess I feel.“Stop apologising. You have nothing to be sorry for. You’re going to be up and down for a while, and that’s okay,” Ryder lifts my gaze up to







