LOGINHis mouth twitches slightly, but he doesn’t quite smile.“Good,” he says.Good? I stare at him.“That’s not an answer.”“No,” he agrees. “It isn’t, but you also didn’t ask a question.”My hands clench at my sides, which is more Leo’s style than mine. I force them to relax.“Ronnie…”“When something
** Jake’s POV **That baby should have died. The thought swirls in my mind, no matter how many times I try to push it aside. I’ve seen enough births to know the difference between a close call and a miracle. That wasn’t a close call; it was impossible.I stand at the end of the bed, watching as the
“Poppy,” Jake’s voice calls, softer than before.I glance over at him. He’s watching me now.A flicker of unease slides through me.“Yeah?” I call back, forcing a small smile.His gaze narrows slightly, as if he’s trying to piece something together that doesn’t quite fit.“Are you sure you’re okay?”
Jake watches me closely.“I’m fine,” I insist, before he can say anything. I know he doesn’t fully believe me, but he doesn’t argue.We step out into the corridor together, and I hear a few voices drift in the distance. “Jake,” Leo says quietly beside me. “What’s going on?”Jake exhales slowly as
** Poppy’s POV **Spending my first night after completing the mate bond back in the clinic was not on my bingo card, but here we are. I wake up stiff. Like I slept too heavy for too long. Jake and Leo insisted we spend the night here, which makes no sense. Yes, I had a bit of a funny turn, but I r
The baby cries a second later, strong, clear, alive. Relief floods the room. I hand the baby to my assistant, who quickly runs through checks before passing him to Mum.My chest tightens at the sight, but it’s tainted by an uneasy feeling, because I just witnessed a miracle, and in my experience, th
** Paige’s POV **The hall hums with quiet voices when we enter the first set of doors. Conversations hush as soon as we step through the internal doors. All eyes turn toward us, sharp, assessing, and curious. I swear I can feel the dominance rolling off every man in here.I thought I’d seen enough
** Ryder’s POV **The forest tilts, just a little. A strange shimmer catches my eye, like the moonlight is bending oddly around the trees. I blink hard, shake my head, and the world rights itself again.The heat inside me spreads. It crawls up my spine, pressing into my skull, making my heartbeat po
** Paige’s POV **After my shower, I feel like a new person, ready to try to deal with everything happening now that I’m not caked in blood. I head back downstairs wrapped in one of Ryder’s oversized hoodies. The smell of camomile tea drifts through the air, calming me further. Ryder is waiting at t
I blink my eyes open to find his face inches from mine, his hair sticking up in every direction.Behind him, Ryder groans, burying his face into the pillow. “Too early,” he mutters.Jaxon giggles without a hint of fear from last night. He wriggles until he’s sprawled half across Ryder’s chest, half







