“The same toxin,” Callen interrupts, running a hand through his hair in frustration. “Remy caught it before it spread too far, but we don’t know how far it’s gone yet.”
My mind instantly flashes to Jaxon-how he loves to play near that creek, the little bucket he fills with water to catch tadpoles and move them to the pond. The thought that he could have been poisoned right here, on our land, makes my skin crawl.
“Jake’s running tests on the tap water and will head out to the creek at first light,” Ryder continues. “We’ll have more answers in a few hours. Until then-bottled water only. And keep Jax inside.”
I nod, folding my arms tightly across my chest. The silence that follows feels suffocating. Finally, Remy breaks it with a slow, uneven breath.
I turn to look at him properly-the dark shadows under his eyes, dirt smudges along his forearms, the faint tremor in his hands. His usual lively energy has vanished, replaced by something heavier, more fragile.
“Remy?”
He doesn’t answer immediately. His eyes seem unfocused, staring right through me as if he’s looking beyond the room. When I step closer, he flinches, then forces a weak, humorless smile. I’ve never seen him this shaken before.
“I didn’t mean to wake everyone,” he murmurs, his voice rough. “I couldn’t sleep. My wolf wanted to run, but I wasn’t going far.”
“Don’t do that,” I say softly. “Don’t pretend you’re okay-I can see you’re not.”
He chuckles quietly, but it sounds hollow. “Being fine is overrated.”
I take another step closer. “What happened out there?”
His jaw tightens. “They were close. Closer than ever. I could smell them, hear their laughter… and then…” He trails off, running a hand through his hair in frustration. “It doesn’t matter now. I’m here.”
But it does matter. The way his shoulders shake betrays the fear he’s trying to hide. He’s always been the fearless one, the protector who charges toward danger. Seeing him like this sends a shiver down my spine.
Without thinking, I reach out, gently wrapping my fingers around his arm. He doesn’t pull away. When I move closer, he exhales shakily and pulls me into a tight embrace.
This isn’t the warm, passionate hug I’m used to-it’s desperate. His body trembles against mine, breath uneven as it brushes my neck.
I hold him tighter. One hand moves to the back of his head, the other to his back, feeling every unsteady breath shake through him.
“I almost didn’t make it back,” he whispers, barely audible. “If I’d moved a second slower…” His voice breaks. “I’ve never cared before. Not really. But now…”
“Now you do,” I finish gently.
He nods, pressing his face into my shoulder, a ragged sound escaping him. I can’t tell if it’s a laugh or a sob-maybe both. So I just hold him, rocking him gently until his trembling eases and his racing heart slows to a steady beat.
When he finally pulls back slightly, he doesn’t let go completely. His hand lingers at my waist, as if afraid that if he releases me, he’ll fall apart again. Behind us, Ryder, Callen, and Parker have fallen silent. I can feel their eyes on us, but for once, no one speaks.
After a moment, Remy straightens and wipes a hand over his face. “Sorry,” he mutters. “I didn’t mean to…”
“You don’t have to apologize,” I say softly. “It’s okay to feel, Rem.”
That earns me a faint, incredulous smile. “That’s a dangerous thing to say to a guy like me.”
I lift my chin. “Maybe you should start listening, because it’s what I’ve been trying to tell you.”
The morning stretches on in restless waves of worry. Everyone around me is tense, alert. I keep Jaxon close, refusing to let him play outside no matter how much he pouts. At least one of my mates stays inside with us, and enforcers are posted at every entrance.
I should be out there, helping. I should be welcoming the new enforcers from River Pack, but Jax is my priority. So I try to fill our morning with distractions. We build Lego towers, read storybooks, and he even teaches me how to play his favorite racing game on the Xbox.
Despite my efforts to stay busy and push thoughts of hunters and poison away, every creak of the floorboards makes me jump. Every distant howl sends my heart pounding.
Still, something inside me has shifted. I feel stronger, sharper. I’m no longer the terrified, confused woman who stumbled into this world. I’ve seen too much to go back to that.
When Ryder and Parker leave for a briefing with the new enforcers, and Callen gets caught up in an intense game with Jaxon, I head to the kitchen for a drink. I spot Remy sitting quietly on the porch, his posture exhausted but calmer than earlier.
Using the bottled water our pack has stored for emergencies, I make coffee and carry it out to him. He looks up briefly, then returns his gaze to the shadowy tree line. Even the sunlight seems dimmer today.
“We’ll find out how they’re doing all this,” I say softly. “We have to.”
He hums in agreement but doesn’t speak. After a long pause, he finally says, “I used to think the worst thing that could happen was losing control. But now, I realize the worst thing is knowing I finally have something to lose.”
My chest tightens. “You mean someone.”
He doesn’t deny it.
For a long moment, neither of us says a word. Then, quietly, he confesses, “Last night, I thought I was ready to die. I was willing to risk everything to take some of them down. But then I saw that flash, heard their laughter… and all I could think about was you. The stupid things I never said.”
My heart twists painfully, but I keep my voice steady. “Then say them. None of us knows how much time we have. Lately, I’ve been thinking about that a lot. When I thought Ryder might not make it through the poisoning, my mind raced with all the things I hadn’t told him, all the moments we lost.”
He looks at me, eyes tired but sincere. “You scare me, Paige.”
I laugh, surprised. “Me?”
“Yeah,” he says, a faint smile tugging at his lips. “You make me want to stay alive.”
His words catch me off guard. I don’t know how to respond. I could brush it off with a joke, but I don’t. Instead, I reach out and take his hand. His fingers are cold, but they close around mine with certainty.
“I’m not going anywhere,” I whisper. “And neither are you. This isn’t how our story ends.”
He looks away, swallowing hard. “You sound pretty sure about that.”
“I have to be,” I say firmly. “Because if I start believing we can’t win, then we won’t.”
For a long time, we sit quietly, hands entwined, watching clouds drift lazily across the sky. Fear still coils inside me, but it’s different now. It’s no longer a weakness-it’s a reminder. I’ve survived loss, heartbreak, and terror. I’m still here, and I refuse to be the girl who waits for someone else to save her.
When I finally head back inside, the house feels warmer, calmer. Outside, the world may be poisoned and dangerous, but here, with this imperfect family, there’s still something worth fighting for.
As I close the door behind me, Remy’s voice follows softly.
“Get some rest if you can. Tonight’s pack meeting is going to be hell.”
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