LOGINI raise my brows. That should scare me … to feel her so intensely. But instead, I crave that connection to her.“How fast is she?”“Fast enough that Jake couldn't catch her to get her to drink some water, and Leo couldn't get anywhere near her.”I laugh. The image of Poppy zipping around the kitchen
** Bastian’s POV **Branches crack somewhere below the ridge, followed by the unmistakable sound of someone making absolutely no effort to move quietly. Typical Alaric.A few minutes later, he appears between the trees, fully dressed, and carrying two travel mugs.I stare at him. “Did you seriously
** Bastian’s POV **The problem with running is that you can’t do it forever, and then everything you've been trying to outrun catches up with you. So I push harder.My paws pound the damp earth, sending leaves and loose soil scattering behind me as I tear through the forest. The trees blur past lik
“I'm helping!” He laughs.“You're going to be the first person I test this speed by punching if you carry on.”“See?” he smirks. “Already thinking like an Alpha.”I glare at him. Then take a long, victorious drink. No one will take this coffee from me.Jake folds his arms. “Now, how about that water
** Poppy’s POV **“Do that again,” Jake says.I pause with the mug halfway to my mouth. “Do what?”Jake is staring at my hand. “Put it down.”“No. I’ve waited long enough for this. You'll have to pry it from my cold, dead hands.”I finally take a sip of heaven. Leo definitely made this; it has the p
** Poppy’s POV **When Alaric finally pulls away, I have to remind myself that there's a very important point to this conversation.“Bastian,” I whisper.Alaric rests his forehead against mine. “Right.”“I have an idea.”“That sounds dangerous,” he smirks, before kissing me once more.I smile agains
About halfway down the southern line, Leo connects his mind to mine again. “Check this out.”I move toward him. At first, I don’t see it, then the metallic glint catches my eye. Lodged in the mud near the base of a tree is a small, flattened bullet, the edges scorched black.“Looks the same as the o
** Remy’s POV **I don’t remember falling asleep on the couch, but when I wake, sunlight is filtering through the window. For a second, it feels like any other day. Then the memories hit. The flash of light. The laughter echoing through the woods. The stench of poison in the creek, and Paige’s arms
** Ryder’s POV **Dinner feels almost normal. The sound of laughter, the warmth of the kitchen, the way Paige’s smile makes everything else bearable. For a while, we pretend everything’s fine, but even as I laugh at Jaxon’s terrible joke, a part of me stays on alert. The scent of worry clings to Rem
“Leo didn’t react this badly though, his biggest issue was the wound itself.” Callen shakes his head.“I think that’s the key.” Poppy’s eyes flick between the two men. “Leo was actively bleeding, which means most of the toxin would’ve drained out with the blood. Ryder has no open wounds, it’s trappi







