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
I kick his ruined clothes behind a tree while I pull off my own, adding them to the pile. Ryder is still down on the floor, panting and whining. His wolf is exhausted after the battle he’s just had to break free. Which is probably the only reason he hasn’t taken off back towards his mate yet. If Rem
Even if it breaks me. I open my eyes and stare out at the treeline. The forest stretches far beyond what I can see. How many creatures are out there that I don’t know about? Is Dracula going to show up next, wanting to suck my blood? Are fairies coming to grant me wishes? Hell, puff the magic dr
“Sh*t,” I hear Callen breathe as I storm off towards my house. When I get home, I slam the door closed and lock it behind me. With my back pressed to the door, I slide to the floor, finally allowing myself to break. Fat tears roll down my face as the last bits of hope for Ryder leave my body.
** Ryder’s POV ** I still feel like this is all some crazy dream. Maybe I hit my head, and I’m in a coma, and any minute now I’m going to wake up. It doesn’t feel real, sitting on my couch, Xbox controller in hand, my son beside me. My son. A living, breathing little person who looks like me and s







