LOGINAlaric presses his lips together, giving a small wave towards the phone, and Bastian bows his head slightly. “It looks like Ronnie found something, we thought you might want to hear it,” Callen says. “Hang on.” Muffled voices come through the speaker, and something thumps before Paige speaks agai
** Jake’s POV **The silence that settles after Ronnie’s words is uncomfortable. For a long moment, no one moves. The forest seems unnaturally still around us, as though even the birds have decided this isn’t a conversation they want any part of. Ronnie clears his throat. “So,” he says, his gaze d
** 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
** Paige’s POV **Parker exhales slowly, some of the worry leaving his face. “I’ll talk to Jake. Maybe he can run some scans, check your energy levels. Make sure this isn’t doing you any harm.”I nod, though the thought of being poked and prodded by a healer makes me uneasy. “How are we going to kee
“I get that, but I hope with time you’ll be able to rely on us to take some of the mental load too.”“I’d like that,” I smile.I look out the window, still craving the feeling of the sun on my face.“Do you want a coffee?” Parker asks.I think about it for a moment before shaking my head. “Not yet,
His face softens, and he exhales slowly, the tension draining from his shoulders. “You always make it sound so simple.”“It’s not simple,” I admit, “but it’s true.”He looks away, staring into the water. “You think he knows that? That I still…” His voice falters. “That I still want him?”“Yes,” I sa
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







