I glance back, meeting his gaze. “Then we’ll face it together. Come rest with me, Rem.”
**Remy’s Perspective**
I can’t recall exactly when I drifted off on the couch, but when I finally open my eyes, the soft morning light is streaming gently through the window. For a fleeting moment, everything feels ordinary, like any other morning. Then the memories rush back-bright flashes of light, laughter echoing through the dense woods, the sickening smell of poison in the creek, and Paige’s arms wrapped tightly around me.
I remain still for a while, trying to calm the frantic beating of my heart. She’s still asleep beside me, curled in close, her breath warm and steady against my neck. Her hand lies softly over my chest, and I can feel the uneven rhythm beneath her palm. She doesn’t stir when I shift just a little, but the reassurance of her touch grounds me more than anything else ever has.
Earlier, when I stumbled into her arms-shaking, half wild-I thought she might pull away or freeze in shock. Instead, she held me firmly, without questions or judgment. Just steady, unwavering warmth until the tremors in my body began to subside and I could finally breathe again. It hit me then, how close I’d come to dying, how deeply it shook me to realize I might have left her behind. Left them.
It’s been years since I’ve known real fear like that.
Quietly, I slide off the couch and wrap a blanket around Paige. Her brow creases slightly in sleep, but she doesn’t wake. My eyes flick to the faint hum of power beneath her skin-it’s subtle, like the static before a storm. Something inside her is changing, growing stronger. She feels different, somehow more powerful.
I stretch and make my way to the kitchen, where I hear Callen and Jax chatting softly as they prepare dinner. Callen looks up when I enter, and I offer a small nod. I don’t need to explain what I’m feeling; he just knows and doesn’t press me for details.
Stepping out onto the porch, I take a deep breath, closing my eyes to listen. The forest is alive with the usual sounds-the chirping of birds, the rustling of leaves in the breeze. For a moment, I wonder if I imagined it all-the click of the safety, the mocking laughter, the blinding flash that stole my vision for those endless seconds. But the memory is too vivid-the heat of panic, the metallic scent of a bullet lodged in the dirt. Someone was out there. Someone who knew exactly what they were doing.
Footsteps make me glance up. Paige appears in the doorway, her hair a wild, untamed mess that somehow makes her even more beautiful. Her eyes are heavy with sleep, but the moment they meet mine, something inside me loosens.
“You didn’t sleep long,” she murmurs, concern threading her voice.
“Neither did you,” I reply softly.
She smiles and sits beside me. “I got a good half hour at least.”
“More like an hour-you were snoring so loud, I thought a storm was coming,” I tease, eager to see that smile stay.
She swats my arm playfully. “I don’t snore!”
Her laughter is warm and gentle, but it fades quickly, replaced by that wary silence that’s settled between us all too often lately.
Paige studies me, her smile dimming. “What’s wrong? Did something else happen?”
I want to brush it off, say I’m just tired, but lying to her feels like a betrayal.
I exhale slowly, rubbing the back of my neck. “When I went out with Jake and the team earlier, we found something that really unsettled me.”
Her eyes narrow. “What was it?”
I glance toward the tree line, where the forest stretches endlessly. From here, it looks peaceful-safe even-but I know better.
“There’s something you need to see,” I say at last. “I want to take you out there, show you, but it’s too dangerous.”
Paige frowns but doesn’t argue. Inside, I hear Callen’s calm voice as he keeps Jaxon distracted. Good. I don’t want the kid to catch any of this.
I pull my phone from my pocket and bring up the picture I took earlier while following the creek, searching for the source of the contamination.
I hand her the phone, and her eyes narrow as she studies the image. Her breath catches.
The photo shows a tree trunk just beyond our border. Carved deep into the bark is a crude, grinning face-a taunt.
She hands the phone back, and I stare at the picture again before locking it with a frustrated growl. That twisted smile has haunted me all day. This isn’t mere vandalism; it’s a message. A promise.
Paige wraps her arms around herself. “Why would they do that?” she whispers.
“Because they want us to know they’re watching,” I say, my voice rough even to my own ears. “They could have shot me last night, but they didn’t. They wanted to shake us first.”
Her wide eyes meet mine. “You think it’s a warning?”
I shake my head. “No. Warnings are meant to keep you away. This is bait.”
For a long moment, neither of us speaks. The forest falls into an eerie silence-the kind that makes your skin crawl. My wolf shifts beneath the surface, restless and uneasy. He wants to patrol, to make sure nothing comes near his mate.
Paige finally exhales, her voice trembling slightly. “You shouldn’t have gone out there alone last night.”
“I couldn’t sleep,” I admit. “My wolf needed to burn off some energy. I thought it would be safe.”
She studies me, searching my eyes, and I know she sees the truth. She knows I wasn’t trying to be a hero. It was just a pleasure run, but I barely made it back to her. That’s the worst part-I wasn’t expecting danger, so nothing should have happened. When we patrol, we’re always ready to defend our territory, but this wasn’t like that.
“You were lucky you weren’t poisoned or shot,” she says quietly.
“I know. They had the chance and didn’t take it. I never thought I’d be almost grateful to hunters,” I say with a bitter laugh.
“Don’t do that,” she says softly. “Don’t pretend you’re fine. You’re still shaking.”
I glance down. She’s right. My hands tremble. I clench them into fists and look away.
Paige sighs, her hand brushing gently against my arm. “Remy, please, talk to me.”
I don’t mean to tell her everything, but once the words spill out, I can’t stop them. “When I went down, I could hear them laughing. I couldn’t see anything-just light, heat, and that sound. I thought it was over.”
Her breath catches. “Remy…”
“I’ve fought hunters before,” I interrupt, voice low. “But this was different. How can they sneak up on us like that? We’re wolves-how are they getting so close without being noticed?”
Paige’s expression hardens, a fierce spark lighting her eyes. “I don’t know, but we’re going to find out.”
Her determination should comfort me, but instead, it twists my stomach. I’ve already imagined that moment-finding them-and in every version, it ends the same way: with blood and death.
“I don’t want you anywhere near this,” I say firmly.
“Too bad,” she replies, crossing her arms. “You don’t get to decide that for me.”
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