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
** Remy’s POV **Dawn creeps in slowly. The forest outside the Midnight Pack’s border hums with life again, birds calling, wind shifting through the trees, but it’s wrong. Too quiet in the places that should be loud, too still where the world should move.I haven’t slept. None of us really have, but
“I’ve got you,” Leo says, and for the first time in what feels like forever, my brain actually hears it.Leo settles on the floor beside the sofa. He lets out a breath, looking uncomfortable. He’s an enforcer, a warrior. Not a doctor or therapist, but he tries anyway. He places one hand lightly over
The thought should scare me; it doesn’t.“Is everyone safe?” I ask finally. “The pack?”There’s a pause before Callen answers. “Most of them. We lost nine. The rest made it to Midnight.”Nine. I swallow the grief that swells in my throat. Every death weighs on us, but tonight… tonight they were mine
Josh studies us both again. I can tell he’s weighing the risks. Midnight’s always been independent, but Paige swayed him last time, and now he just needs a reminder of why he chose to support us with enforcers and offer sanctuary.“This is not a war between my pack and the hunters; it’s our kind ver







