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
** Callen’s POV **The first thing I feel is the bond.It’s not the usual background hum, or the distracting warmth Paige always radiates when she’s close. This is something else… something sharp, bright, electrifying, like she’s a live wire pressed directly against the inside of my ribs.And then a
** Paige’s POV **Nina draws a slow breath, as if bracing herself. “There’s something else,” she says softly.The forest seems to freeze around us, and I feel everyone around me tense, waiting for the blow.Jake stands just behind Nina with a steadying hand on her shoulder. “What else?” he whispers.
Callen huffs a laugh behind me. “Interfered is one word for it.”Parker snorts weakly. “Ryder almost blew the clinic door off its hinges.”I don’t look back. I can’t take my eyes off her.“You scared the shit out of me,” I whisper, my forehead pressed to hers. “Don’t ever do that again. Ever.”Her f
** Paige’s POV **The air around us is so still it feels held in place, like the world itself has paused.The blond male kneels on the grass in front of me, human now, still glowing faintly with that soft gold-silver shimmer that clings to all the Twiceborn. His hair falls over his forehead as he bo







