LOGINNo. Absolutely not.“We’re heading to the same place,” he continues before anyone answers. “And apparently it’s easier to get between here and your territory by vehicle, which we didn’t bring.”I stare at him blankly. “Then hire one.”Callen snorts loudly. Traitor.Alaric just grins wider, as if he
** Leo’s POV **The meeting drags on for hours. By the time the sun starts dipping lower outside the lodge windows, every Alpha in the room smells like stress, exhaustion, and brewing aggression. Arguments spark at least every twenty minutes before Alpha Josh, or Ryder manage to drag things back und
The discussion around the table shifts toward territorial alliances and emergency response plans, but my attention keeps dragging back toward them despite myself. Catching Alaric’s amused stare and Bastian’s unsettling calm.“Alpha Ryder, Alpha Callen, I have spoken to everyone here, and we each agr
** Leo’s POV **Alpha Josh finally calls for the meeting to start officially, but I can barely focus on what’s being said because the twins keep watching me. They’re not doing it openly enough for anyone else in the room to notice, but I feel it every damn time I look up.Bastian lounges against the
** Alaric’s POV **Everyone in this room is waiting for the Phoenix Pack alphas to arrive. Not that anyone would openly admit it, because heaven forbid they ask for help from the pack that everyone said was weak and would fail. My brother and I are waiting for them just as eagerly, but for an entir
By the time Callen and Ryder wake up, and we’ve all showered and eaten breakfast, it’s time to leave for the meeting. The main lodge is already crowded when we walk inside. It reeks of alpha power. Wet fur, freshly cut wood, musk, and coffee layered so thick in the air it hits the back of my throat
I stagger forward; the breath leaving my lungs in short, gasping bursts. “No,” I whisper again. “No, please…”A sound rises in my ears, faint at first, then growing, a voice that’s not my own or my mate’s, inside my head. “It’s time.”I blink, confusion cutting through the grief. “What…”“You know w
** 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







