LOGIN“I don’t mean out here,” I add.“I know.” “I…” I rub my forehead, searching for words that refuse to come. “I don’t even know how to explain it.” “Then don’t.”I frown. “What?”“You don’t have to explain it.” “I have to explain something.” “Only if it helps you,” he shrugs.I let out a laugh, sh
** Poppy’s POV **For a long time, neither of us speaks. The forest settles around us slowly, one careful breath at a time. The leaves stop trembling, the branches grow still, and somewhere not too far away, the stream continues to run as if nothing ever happened. As though I didn’t almost tear the
“No…” she whispers. The word barely leaves her lips before the air around us drops a few degrees. Leaves skitter across the forest floor, despite there being no wind, and a nearby branch groans. Somewhere above us, birds explode from the treetops in a frantic chorus of wings and shrieks. I stay whe
**Bastian’s POV **The forgotten sister… the words seem to freeze the room for a moment. As if every person in the room and on the video call collectively holds their breath.Jake is the first to speak. “Is that what the voice said?” Poppy doesn’t answer. I can’t see her face from here, but the ten
Alaric presses his lips together, giving a small wave towards the phone, and Bastian bows his head slightly. “It looks like Ronnie found something, we thought you might want to hear it,” Callen says. “Hang on.” Muffled voices come through the speaker, and something thumps before Paige speaks agai
** Jake’s POV **The silence that settles after Ronnie’s words is uncomfortable. For a long moment, no one moves. The forest seems unnaturally still around us, as though even the birds have decided this isn’t a conversation they want any part of. Ronnie clears his throat. “So,” he says, his gaze d
“Then why…” I begin.“Because they’re not them,” Poppy interrupts softly.Jake nods. “Their bodies are fine. Their brains… their consciousness… their personalities… those are another story.”Poppy crosses her arms, face pale. “The best we can describe it is like… low-power mode. They’re there, but n
“Our light,” Remy adds.Her glow softens.Ronnie exhales shakily. “We need to be ready. If she truly is Eos reborn… then this is only the beginning.”Paige buries her face in my chest, and I hold her, knowing the world is shifting under our feet, and she is the axis.Poppy clears her throat gently,
** Ryder’s POV **The moment it hits me, I almost drop to my knees. It’s not a pulse or a flare. Not the usual warm tug of the bond when Paige is overwhelmed or scared. This… this is a detonation.A tidal wave of heat slams into my chest so violently my vision goes white. For a breathless second I c
I swallow. “What about? Is Jax okay?”“He’s fine,” Remy answers. “It’s Nina.”A cold ripple of tension ghosts down my spine.Nina, the suspected traitor.My stomach knots. “What about her?”“We need to speak with her,” Callen says.Blaine stiffens in front of me, instantly alert. He rises slowly unt







