LOGIN“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 **The hall hums with quiet voices when we enter the first set of doors. Conversations hush as soon as we step through the internal doors. All eyes turn toward us, sharp, assessing, and curious. I swear I can feel the dominance rolling off every man in here.I thought I’d seen enough
** Ryder’s POV **The forest tilts, just a little. A strange shimmer catches my eye, like the moonlight is bending oddly around the trees. I blink hard, shake my head, and the world rights itself again.The heat inside me spreads. It crawls up my spine, pressing into my skull, making my heartbeat po
** Paige’s POV **After my shower, I feel like a new person, ready to try to deal with everything happening now that I’m not caked in blood. I head back downstairs wrapped in one of Ryder’s oversized hoodies. The smell of camomile tea drifts through the air, calming me further. Ryder is waiting at t
**Paige’s POV **For a long while, neither of us speak. The only sounds are Jaxon’s laughter and the soft breeze rustling through the trees. Parker keeps looking over at us like it’s a struggle for him to stay away when he can feel how much I need him. But he knows I need Jaxon distracted more right







