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
“Whoa, easy tiger,” Poppy laughs.“I’m not a tiger! I’m a…”“Hungry little soldier,” Ryder quickly cuts him off. “Meat feast is fine, thank you, Poppy.”She smiles, dropping into the chair next to Jax.Remy slides plates across the table, his movements careful and controlled. I know him well enough
** Ryder’s POV **The house is quiet, apart from the faint hiss of water running upstairs. Paige has disappeared into the shower, her laughter from training still echoing in my head. Only it’s not the memory of her laughter that keeps my wolf pacing. It’s the way she moves. I already knew she was fa
** Paige’s POV **The problem with Callen is that I can never tell when he’s joking. His smirk is pure trouble, but his eyes are bright with the kind of excitement that tells me he’s about to drag me into something I’ll regret.“Alright, sweetheart,” he says brightly, “time to put you through your p
Before I can ask what that means, Parker appears at my side, his hand warm on the small of my back. The contact is barely there, but it sends a ripple of heat down my spine.“Let them have their fun,” Parker says smoothly. “I’ll make sure you’re not lonely.”The way he says it makes my breath catch.







