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
I press my forehead to his again, catching my breath, but I don’t pull away. His eyes are glassy, lips red and kiss-swollen. I don’t know where we go from here. How we navigate this with Paige in the picture now. I only know that my feelings for him are real. Right now, in this moment, he’s as r
** Paige’s POV ** The moment the word leaves my lips, the energy in the room shifts. Callen gets to his feet, far too graceful for a regular human male. He looks predatory as he looks down at me, but when he extends a hand to me, it feels more like an offer than a demand. He’s still giving
** Paige’s POV ** I stare at Ryder for a long moment, my chest tight and my heart beating way too loud in my ears. Can they hear it with their superior hearing? Everything he just said should terrify me. It should push me further into the little fortress I’ve built around my heart. I’ve sp
Callen blows Ryder a kiss. “You wish you could ignore me.” I fight off a smile as I sit down at the breakfast bar. This feels so normal. After last night’s intensity and the emotional rollercoaster of yesterday, it feels comforting to watch Callen burn pancakes and argue with his brother like this







