MasukPaige inhales sharply. “That doesn't mean…”“I know,” I move toward her. “I’m your sister.”Tears spill down her cheeks. I reach for her hand, then stop myself.“I know this is my family, and that Phoenix will always be home.”My own tears fall again.“But maybe it isn't the only one.”Paige looks a
** Poppy’s POV **A horrible choking gasp tears from Leo, and Jake quickly rolls him onto his side as he coughs.“Leo.”I reach for him, but Jake catches my wrist.“No.”I look at him and fear flashes across his face.“You've done enough,” he says quietly.I stare at Leo. His eyes are closed. But th
“He wouldn’t want to be a Twiceborn,” Jake says between chest compressions.Jake pauses to check Leo’s pulse again. I hold my breath. His shoulders sag and his eyes meet mine. I shake my head before he can say anything because, no, he’s not saying those words. I won’t allow it. He can’t give up on h
The gold around her wrist brightens, and my darkness answers.“Stop your power,” Ronnie orders.“I'm trying,” I say between clenched teeth.Paige's face tightens. Heat suddenly rushes into my palm, and I gasp as something pours into me. Life. Paige’s life.“No.”I pull backward, but our hands remain
“It’s not saying anything.”“I still don’t like it,” Leo shakes his head. “Let’s not mess with things we don’t understand.”I understand his fear. Yesterday, I'd wanted exactly the same thing. But the problem with being afraid of something inside yourself is that you can't actually get away from it.
** Poppy’s POV **Jake is running an antenatal clinic this morning, and Alaric and Bastian are meeting with Callen and Ryder to discuss some alpha stuff that doesn’t interest me, not with everything going on in my life at the moment.I think everyone assumed I’d be going with them so I could see Pai
** Paige’s POV **“What the hell was that sound?” Poppy repeats, skidding to a stop beside the edge of the field, her eyes scanning the trees like she expects something to step out and wave.Around us, the pack murmurs in confusion. Enforcers shift uneasily. A few of the Twiceborn bare their teeth,
** Ryder’s POV **The second the car doors shut, the world goes quiet. It’s not a peaceful or relieved quiet; it’s a stunned silence.Paige sits between me and Parker in the back seat, staring straight ahead. She hasn’t said a word since the police finally let us go. Her glow has dimmed to almost no
The absence shifts and my head snaps toward the treeline, the Twiceborn all following my gaze with their hackles raised. The hollow I felt earlier… it’s closer now. Still not visible, still wrong in a way that makes my skin crawl, but aware… watching.“Ronnie,” I say urgently. “That thing I felt. It
Remy sits beside me, close enough that his arm presses against mine. “If anything feels off, anything at all, you tell us. No hiding anything, no being brave.”I roll my eyes. “You guys are seriously overreacting.”They stare at me. Silent, united and completely unconvinced. God… I love them. My che







