Ryder’s expression shifts, some of the anger draining. “Paige…”
“No.” I shake my head. “I’ve spent days wondering why I was feeling so torn. I’ve been ripped from the world I thought I knew and thrown into this strange one, and now I’m being called too weak… and having choices made for me without even asking what I want or what I feel?”
“I was trying to protect you,” Remy says quietly.
“By making me feel like I ruined your perfect little life and that I’m too fragile to make my own decisions?”
He winces. That one hit home. “But it’s not just your decision.”
“You think this is easy for me?” I ask, softer now. “Being human? Being dropped into all of this? I’m trying to learn how to keep Jaxon safe, how to survive in a world I didn’t know existed two weeks ago, and all I want is a chance to figure this out with all of you.”
There’s a long pause. No one speaks. Then Callen stands slowly, his hand brushing my back as he moves to stand beside Parker.
“I already told her I’m in, and this doesn’t change that,” he says. “Whatever this looks like. Whatever we need to work through. She’s worth it.”
My heart warms at his words, and I smile at him.
“I don’t understand how this happened. Four mates is almost unheard of, but the Moon Goddess doesn’t make mistakes and she put us all what any match you to four if you weren’t strong enough,” Ryder says, and I take his hand in mine. of us think you can handle, because she wor a reason so it doesn’t matter
Remy remains silent, his eyes on the floor, shoulders tense.
“Remy?” I ask gently.
He exhales as if the weight of it might crush him. “I want to run. Every instinct in me says I should.”
“Then why are you still here?” Callen asks.
Remy finally looks up, and in his eyes, I see it all. The fear, the longing, the anger at fate and at himself.
“I don’t know,” he whispers and turns on his heel and walks straight out the door.
“Remy…” I get to my feet and take a step after him, but Callen’s already moving, his hand. brushing mine as he passes.
“I’ll go,” he says softly. “Let him cool down, but not alone.” my throat
The door clicks shut behind him. I stare at it for a moment, my heart thudding and my going tight. This was never going to be easy, but I didn’t think it would feel like losing something before I’d even had the chance to hold it.
Ryder clears his throat. “I’ve got patrol,” he mutters, pushing his chair back with a scrape. He pauses in the doorway. “You okay?”
I nod, even though I’m not sure I am. “Yeah. I will be.”
His eyes flick between me and Parker, unreadable. Then he leaves without another word.
Autore Rewards
Parker exhales beside me, dragging a hand through his hair. “That went… about as well as I expected.”
I lean against the edge of the table, crossing my arms over my chest. “It all feels more real now.
Parker takes a step closer, his voice low. “Yeah.”
I study him in the soft kitchen light, his strong jaw, his gentle eyes. I step forward, close enough to feel the heat radiating off him. I place a hand over his chest, right above where I feel his heart beating. Parker’s breath catches.
I rise onto my toes, kissing him before he can say anything else. It’s soft at first, but when his arms wrap around my waist and his hands splay across my lower back, everything else melts away. His lips move with mine, slow and deep, and for the first time in days, the chaos fades. into silence.
We break for air, our foreheads pressed together.
“You don’t have to hold back anymore,” I whisper.
His eyes flick to my mouth, then back to my eyes. “That’s dangerous to say.”
I smile. “I’m not afraid of this kind of danger.”
** Paige’s POV **
More Reward)
Parker kisses me again, this time with less hesitation. His hands find my waist, then slide down to my thighs as he lifts me effortlessly. I gasp against his mouth, legs wrapping around his hips without a second thought as he carries me up the stairs.
He pushes open his bedroom door without breaking the kiss and then kicks it shut behind him. It’s dark in here, only illuminated by the moonlight streaming in from the open window. Parker lays me down on the bed and then steps back to look down at me.
“I’ve been imagining you lying right here in my bed for days,” he murmurs, crawling up on top of me and trailing kisses down my neck. “Felt like I was going to lose my mind watching you pretend there was nothing between us.”
I tug his shirt up and off, hungry to feel more of him. I explore his warm skin, and his muscles flex under my touch.
“I think I felt it from that first day,” I breathe, tangling my fingers in his hair. “You made me feel safe when everything around me was chaos.”
His mouth meets mine again, slower now, deeper, like he’s trying to memorise the feel of me. The way I arch into him. The way I tremble when his hands slide beneath the hem of my top, but even in the heat of it, there’s something soft between us too. A realisation that this is finally real, that it’s not a secret.
When we break apart again, chests heaving, lips swollen, I run a thumb along his jaw. “What happens now?”
He presses a kiss to my palm. “Now we stop pretending. We’ll figure this out together.”
The wind blows through the open window, and somewhere in the distance, I hear a wolf’s howl echo through the trees.
“Is everything okay out there?” I ask.
He pauses for a moment, looking towards the window. I’m not sure if he’s listening to something or talking to the pack, but then he smiles and nods. “Everything is fine.”
Parker’s hands slide up beneath my top again, his fingers brushing over my ribs. His mouth comes back to mine.
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