LOGIN** Jake’s POV **A minute later, the cabin door opens again. Callen steps out with far too much satisfaction written across his face. Poppy follows a second later. The moment she sees all four of us waiting, she hesitates, her steps faltering. Her gaze lands on me, then Leo. Then it drifts to Alaric
** Jake’s POV **My wolf practically whines in my head as my eyes track Poppy walking inside with Callen. Every second I spend with her makes every second away from her more difficult. “I know this is difficult,” Ryder says, pulling our attention back to him. “But for Poppy’s sake, you all need to
“Hey,” Paige says softly.“Hey,” I reply, my voice cracking. Her smile fades and her eyes narrow as she studies me. “What happened?”“Nothing, I’m okay.”Callen snorts a laugh, and I shoot him a look. “Callen, get out,” Paige orders.“Well, that’s rude.”“Out,” she demands, and he wisely retreats,
** Poppy’s POV **The door closes behind us with a soft click, and I finally take my first real breath in hours. I want to freak out. I want to shout that this isn’t supposed to be happening. But allowing myself to get worked up is not good for anyone or anything. Stuff will break, people will pani
“I was trying to figure you out,” he shrugs.“You were lurking.”Callen gasps. “Shadow boy was lurking?”Bastian’s eyes narrow. “Shadow boy?”“Oh, don’t worry,” I say. “It suits you.”For one strange moment, his expression softens. Not much, but enough that I see it. Enough that my heart skips a bea
** Poppy’s POV **The branch is still lying where it fell. I try not to look at it as we walk away, but my eyes keep finding it anyway. Split wood, torn bark, and leaves scattered across the ground as if it had exploded from the inside out. Because of me.One stupid argument. One moment when everyth
** Ryder’s POV **The room grows tense the moment the back door closes behind Paige and Poppy.Jaxon is the first to break the quiet.He tugs on my sleeve, his eyes wide and hopeful. “Daddy… can I play Xbox?”The innocence in his voice softens something inside of me. After everything that’s happened
** Paige’s POV **The cabin is humming with too much energy. Too many worried eyes, too many protective wolves outside. There are too many unanswered questions. Just too much… everything.My skin still feels warm beneath the surface, like the glow hasn’t decided whether it wants to settle or burst o
“They’re calling to me,” I whisper. “Like… like something inside of me knows I’m supposed to go.”Ryder swallows audibly.“Paige…”“Ryder, Ronnie told me to listen to my instincts,” I remind him gently. “And this is instinct. Whatever happened to them, whatever is happening now, I can feel it. Somet
“No,” I say firmly. “Paige doesn’t need more stress, and, like it or not, Greg is using the human authorities as a layer of protection. If anything were to happen to him whilst he has an open court case, Paige would be the first person they’d look into. We need to deal with the hearing the regular h







