LOGIN** Poppy’s POV **“Turn around,” I breathe.He raises his eyebrows. “You are face down.”“Alaric.” He laughs quietly, and turns his head towards the wall. I push my upper body up as far as I can, and then face-plant the bed the moment I reach for the hem of my T-shirt. I try again with the same re
** Poppy’s POV **My bedroom is no longer the calm space it was yesterday. I stand in the doorway, staring at the ridiculous sheet of wood covering what used to be my window. It blocks out all the daylight, leaving the room gloomy. There are cracks running across one wall and tiny pieces of glass s
** Bastian’s POV **“Vampires,” someone whispers.I don’t care to look who, because we are all thinking it.“Do you think it was a vampire?” Leo asks when the rogue doesn’t respond.The rogue gives a hollow laugh. “You say that like it’s just one.”My wolf surges forward, every protective instinct m
“Dehydrated. Severely underweight. Anaemic, probably.” He looks toward Paige. “I’ll have bloods done on all of them. Fluids for this one and probably him too.”He points toward the man sitting on the floor.“I’m fine,” the rogue mutters.“You’re shaking while sitting down.”“I’m just cold.”“It’s tw
** Leo’s POV **The short walk to the clinic is silent. Bastian walks beside me, his eyes sweeping over everything we pass. Remy had wanted him to come because of his ability to notice things others don’t. He wasn’t wrong, but it still pisses me off. Jake walks slightly ahead, pushing through the c
** Leo’s POV **Last night proved a few things. The first is that midnight DIY sucks. The second is that there is definitely more to Poppy’s parents’ accident than they’d always believed, and the third is that Poppy absolutely needs the Mountain Ridge twins. None of us had missed how quickly her ou
Paige inhales sharply.I feel it through the bond, the spike of heat, the pull, the very human want she hasn’t let herself acknowledge yet.Good.“Touch him,” I say quietly.She hesitates just long enough for me to know she’s asking permission, not defying me.“Yes,” I answer before she can speak it
** Paige’s POV **The sentence lands heavily, but I can’t say I’m totally shocked.“What?” I ask softly.She finally looks at me then, eyes bright and too guarded all at once. “I’m not staying, Paige. Not here. Not now.”My chest tightens, but I don’t interrupt.“I need space,” she continues, her vo
** Paige’s POV **Leo’s chest rises as he sucks in a breath. His fists are clenched at his sides. He looks like he’s on the verge of shifting, and I can almost see the war in him, duty versus love, control versus fear.“You’re not safe alone,” he says, his voice low now, dangerous.Poppy shakes her
Paige’s gaze flicks toward her, worry threading through the bond like a soft ache.Poppy stands abruptly. “I’m going to check on Jax.”Paige nods. “Okay.”Poppy doesn’t meet her eyes. She slips out quickly, like she’s escaping a conversation that hasn’t even started. I could tell her that Jax is sti







