LOGINHis mouth twitches slightly, but he doesn’t quite smile.“Good,” he says.Good? I stare at him.“That’s not an answer.”“No,” he agrees. “It isn’t, but you also didn’t ask a question.”My hands clench at my sides, which is more Leo’s style than mine. I force them to relax.“Ronnie…”“When something
** Jake’s POV **That baby should have died. The thought swirls in my mind, no matter how many times I try to push it aside. I’ve seen enough births to know the difference between a close call and a miracle. That wasn’t a close call; it was impossible.I stand at the end of the bed, watching as the
“Poppy,” Jake’s voice calls, softer than before.I glance over at him. He’s watching me now.A flicker of unease slides through me.“Yeah?” I call back, forcing a small smile.His gaze narrows slightly, as if he’s trying to piece something together that doesn’t quite fit.“Are you sure you’re okay?”
Jake watches me closely.“I’m fine,” I insist, before he can say anything. I know he doesn’t fully believe me, but he doesn’t argue.We step out into the corridor together, and I hear a few voices drift in the distance. “Jake,” Leo says quietly beside me. “What’s going on?”Jake exhales slowly as
** Poppy’s POV **Spending my first night after completing the mate bond back in the clinic was not on my bingo card, but here we are. I wake up stiff. Like I slept too heavy for too long. Jake and Leo insisted we spend the night here, which makes no sense. Yes, I had a bit of a funny turn, but I r
The baby cries a second later, strong, clear, alive. Relief floods the room. I hand the baby to my assistant, who quickly runs through checks before passing him to Mum.My chest tightens at the sight, but it’s tainted by an uneasy feeling, because I just witnessed a miracle, and in my experience, th
** Callen’s POV ** The first thing Jaxon does when we get back to the house is kick off his trainers and sprint to the living room like it’s been waiting forever for this moment. His little voice echoes down through the house, announcing to anyone within earshot what game we’ll be playing first.
The tightness in my chest eases a little, though I know the hardest part is still to come. “Okay,” I whisper. “I’ll tell him tomorrow.”“Good, now that the heavy stuff is out of the way, who wants to watch a movie?” Callen asks, his voice suddenly brighter.“Some of us have patrol tonight,” Parker h
I lean down, pressing the gentlest kiss to Jaxon’s head. “Sleep tight, little man,” I whisper, my voice thick. “I’ve got you, always.”When I slip out of the room, I pause in the doorway. For a second, I let myself imagine every night like this. Paige at my side, Jax looking at me like I’m his dad t
** Remy’s POV ** The second I step into the room, her scent slams into me like a freight train. It’s Paige, sweet, soft and maddening, but underneath it is something else. Something I’ve only ever caught traces of when pack females go into heat. Only this is sharper, richer, laced with a pull th







