He turns at the door. “I’ll be back soon.”
Then he’s gone, leaving me alone in the kitchen with nothing but the ticking of the clock and the sudden rush of nerves fluttering like butterflies in my chest.
Tonight, we talk, and no matter what happens… at least everything will finally be out in the open.
** Paige’s POV **
Jaxon falls asleep quicker than I expect, probably thanks to the deep breathing and gentle bedtime routine Ryder had done with him. After a warm bath, a new storybook, and at least three stuffed animals tucked around him just right, he’s out cold.
I can’t deny how positive an impact Ryder has had on him already. He’s really stepped up as his father and I couldn’t be happier, but it also makes me so sad. Because it proves that all those years without him would have been so full of love and happiness, and we can’t ever get that missed time back.
I linger beside Jaxon for a while, watching the steady rise and fall of his chest as he sleeps and wondering what he’s dreaming about. It calms me.
I’m also stalling, because I know that when I go downstairs, everything’s about to change.
By y the time I make it back to the kitchen, Ryder and Callen are already sitting at the table. Ryder’s sitting in his usual chair, arms crossed, and his eyes suspicious. Callen looks a little more relaxed, but there’s tension in his shoulders, like he knows something’s coming but isn’t sure how to brace for it.
Parker stands near the sink, watching the back door, and then, as if on cue, it opens.
Remy steps inside, eyes scanning over us all, and his jaw clenched. He doesn’t greet anyone, just leans against the counter with the kind of energy that says he wants to bolt before anyone says anything.
I take a seat between Callen and Ryder, and silence seems to grow thick and heavy around us. For a second, no one speaks. Then Parker breaks it.
“We need to talk,” he says, his voice low but steady. “All of us. Everything out in the open.”
Callen shifts uncomfortably beside me. He probably thinks this is about him and Remy. I cover his hand with mine, giving it a reassuring squeeze.
Ryder raises a brow. “Talk about what?”
Parker looks at me first, and something about the way he softens his gaze before shifting it back to the others makes my heart twist.
“The mate bond,” he says. “With Paige.”
The room freezes for a second.
More Rewar
Callen doesn’t look shocked, though. He just exhales slowly and rests a hand lightly on my knee under the table.
Ryder straightens. “You… you’re her mate too?”
“I felt it the day I met her,” Parker says. “But everything was happening so fast, and I figured I’d wait, give her space, give her time to come to terms with everything and for the two of your to work things out. But there’s no denying it anymore. The bond is there, she feels it.”
Ryder drops his head into his hands, and the room falls silent again.
Then Callen looks at Remy, waiting. When it’s obvious Remy isn’t going to speak, Callen finally speaks up.
“Is that why you’ve been avoiding me?” His voice is rough, his expression is unreadable.
Remy looks at him, jaw still tight. “No.”
“Then why?”
Remy laughs, bitter and sharp. “You’re really going to make me do this? Right here, in front of everyone?”
Callen nods slowly. “Everything out in the open, remember.”
Remy’s eyes flash with frustration and pain. He gives me a brief glance and then his eyes. lock back on Callen before he nods once.
“When you woke up in the healer’s cabin, you barely acknowledged me. I sat there for hours, holding your hand, pleading with the Moon Goddess to save you. I cursed the fates for trying to take you when it had only been a few hours since you finally told me you loved me. Then you woke up and asked for her.”
Callen flinches beside me, and I can’t stop the guilt from creeping in again, even though I didn’t do anything.
“s**t, Rem,” Callen sighs. “I’m sorry. I could barely string a thought together, but I saw you, I knew you were safe. I needed to know Paige and Jax were safe too.”
“You want to know the real kicker? I came home after that, so angry and hurt, and the moment I saw her, the mate bond floored me. Great timing, huh?” Remy laughs bitterly.
Ryder slams a palm against the table, standing. “You’ve known? Both of you?”
“Sit down,” Callen mutters, not even looking up. “Getting angry won’t help.”
“Don’t tell me not to be angry,” Ryder growls. “She’s got enough going on without this…”
“This is not something we can choose,” Parker snaps, standing straighter. “We didn’t ask for it. But it’s here, and I’m not mad about it.”
“Speak for yourself, brother,” Remy snorts.
“You don’t mean that,” Callen snaps back.
Remy steps forward. “Yes, I do. Are you all forgetting she’s human? She can’t handle four f*cking mates, especially not two alphas and two betas. We’re even too much for our own kind, and she’s weaker than a she-wolf.”
“Don’t call her weak. She has proven she is anything but weak,” Ryder says with a low, dangerous growl.
“Fine, if you all want to put your own desires over her safety, then on your heads be it, but don’t…”
“Enough!” I cut him off as I push to my feet, hands braced on the table. My heart’s racing so hard I feel dizzy. “You’re all talking like I’m not even in the room.”
Four pairs of eyes land on me.
“I didn’t choose this,” I say, trying to keep my voice from shaking. “But I feel it. With all of you, and I don’t want any more lies. I can’t do this, guessing who’s pulling away or hiding something or waiting for me to fall apart.”
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