LOGIN** Bastian's POV **Poppy's lips part. Behind her, Alaric turns his head away, but not quickly enough to hide his smile. I ignore him.“What did you remember?”The change in Poppy is immediate. Her fingers tighten around mine.“The accident.”I have no idea what accident she is referring to, so I wa
** Bastian’s POV **She throws herself at me before I can think. One second she’s staring at me with tears swimming in her eyes, the next she’s there, hands gripping my shirt, her face buried against my chest as though I’m the only thing keeping her upright.My body locks. Every instinct screams at
“Stop! Don’t do this!” They can’t hear me, can’t feel my desperate attempts to stop this. I’m trapped inside the worst moment of my life with no way to change it. The world fractures around me, and for the briefest second, my mother’s fingertips brush mine. “Live, Poppy.” Then darkness explodes
** Poppy’s POV ** I blink against the darkness surrounding me. The cabin is gone. The smell of dinner. The warmth of the fire. The laughter in the kitchen. All of it has vanished. Instead, cold asphalt presses against my bare feet. I know this place. Not because I’ve seen it before, but because I’
“It seems our timing,” Leo says, looking between us, “is perfect.”“No, it’s terrible,” Alaric corrects flatly.“That depends on who you ask,” Jake shrugs.Alaric ignores him, turning back to the stove to flip the chicken with far too much focus.“So, what were you saying about defence lessons?” Leo
** Poppy’s POV **I thought Alaric would have been pissed at learning his brother had my number all along and had been messaging me, but he’s amused, and maybe even a little proud. He shakes his head again and laughs; it’s so contagious that I can’t even be mad.“Come on,” he says, standing from the
We don’t get to talk for long before I hear a commotion in the woods at the back of the house. It’s hard to hold a conversation with her while trying to figure out what is going on with Callen and Remy. I’m torn between checking in on them or staying present with Paige and leaving them two to fight,
Jaxon goes quiet as he focuses on his race. The sheer determination on his face and the way he sticks out the tip of his tongue when he’s concentrating are adorable. I may be biased, but Paige and I have created a good-looking kid. I hear Paige and Parker talking outside, and I tune in just enou
Ryder’s head rises and his ears flick forward at the sound and Remy steps aside. “Go Rye, but take it slow, or you’ll scare her to death.” We follow a few paces behind our alpha as he tries to control his pace towards his brother and mate. My brother and I hang back whilst Ryder creeps up behind h
“Thanks,” he says, and I can’t keep the grin from my face. I ruffle his hair, overwhelmed by how something so small, so normal, can mean so much. He called me Dad. He trusted me. He needs me. And I’m never going to let him down again. We step out of the bathroom just as Callen, Paige, and







