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
He nods, his eyes softening. “Yeah. It is.”I laugh softly, shaking my head. “You always did make things complicated.”He grins. “And you always loved me for it.”“Still do,” I admit.We start walking again, the silence between us lighter this time. The tension that’s been building in my chest for d
**Paige’s POV **When I wake up, the world is quiet.The faint grey light of early morning seeps through the curtains and spills over the bed. For a second, I can’t remember how I got here. Then it comes back in pieces… the vision, the fear, the sound of Ryder’s voice shouting my name. He must have
** Paige’s POV **For a few minutes, everything feels normal. I rest my hands against the cool stone of the wall. Then Callen lands hard after taking a hit to the ribs. He doesn’t flinch much, but I feel it, sharp and sudden, like the echo of pain pressing against my chest.I blink, clutching the ed
** Paige’s POV **The house feels alive again this morning.Soft laughter drifts from the living room along with the low hum of conversation. Jaxon is curled up on the couch, a blanket tucked around him, his cheeks flushed from coughing, but his fever has gone. Ryder sits beside him, his hand absent







