I can’t help it, I burst out laughing, the image too vivid. “You’re completely unhinged.”
“Protective,” she corrects with a huff. “There’s a difference.”
“I appreciate it,” I say, still chuckling, “but trust me, we are dealing with it. Ryder took a DNA test, and we’ve amended Jaxon’s birth certificate to list Rye as his father. Plus, none of us will let him near Jax, no matter what any courts say. If I have to run with Jaxon, I will, and I can run pretty damn fast.”
Her head tilts. “Oh yeah? Prove it. Show me what you can do now, Supermum.”
A wicked grin spreads across my face. “Fine. Race me.”
Poppy blinks. “Race you?”
“Yeah. You stand here. I’ll run to the edge of the garden and back before you can take five steps.”
She laughs. “No one is that fast, Paige. You can’t even beat me to the kitchen when there are fresh cookies on offer.”
“Try me,” I challenge, getting to my feet. She shrugs, clearly amused.
“Okay, fine. On your mark…’
Before she can even say go, I blur forward, the wind whipping through my hair as the porch vanishes behind me. The world blurs around me, and in a blink I’m standing back in front of her, barely out of breath.
Poppy is frozen, her mouth hanging open. “Holy s**t, Paige,” she sputters, blinking like her brain’s buffering. “Did you just… You’re like… Speedy Gonzales on caffeine!”
I burst out laughing so hard my stomach hurts. “I told you!”
She shakes her head, laughter bubbling out of her. “Oh my God, I’m never racing you again, ever. Next time we’re testing your powers with a drinking contest instead.”
“That is definitely one you can win,” I say through my laughter, wiping at my eyes.
We stay there for a while, giggling like teenagers again until Jaxon comes running back out, followed by all four of my handsome mates.
** Paige’s POV **
We go through the details for another half hour. Mr Keating talks about documents, deadlines, and witness lists. I take notes as if I’m back in college. Ryder asks questions I’d never have thought of, and the others keep quiet, although Callen can’t resist the occasional smirk whenever Mr Keating fumbles through legal jargon that none of us understand.
When the call finally ends, Mr Keating gives me a polite smile. “You’re in a strong position, Ms Wilson. Keep records, stay calm, and remember, you’ve already done the hardest part by building a safe home for your son. We’ll handle the rest.”
“Thank you,” I say softly.
He nods awkwardly, adjusting his glasses again. “You’re welcome. I’ll be in touch within the week.” Then the screen goes dark.
For a moment, no one speaks. I exhale the breath I feel like I’ve been holding for hours.
“Well,” Callen says finally. “That wasn’t so bad.”
“Speak for yourself,” I grumble. “My heart’s still racing.”
Ryder crouches beside my chair, resting his hands on my knees. “You did great,” he says, his voice low. “Keating clearly knows what he’s doing. Let’s get through this, and then Greg can’t lay claim to you or Jax ever again.”
I meet his gaze, seeing the mix of pride and quiet fury still burning behind his eyes. “You think he’ll back down?”
Ryder shakes his head slowly. “Men like him don’t know how to lose gracefully. But it won’t matter. He will look like a fool in court.”
Remy pulls out a chair and drops into it, sighing. “So, who do we think is feeding information back to the hunters? Because it’s clear, we have a leak.”
My head snaps up. “Wait, what?” The adrenaline that had only just begun to fade slams right back through me. “What do you mean, a leak?”
Ryder glances at Callen, then back at me. No doubt deciding how much they should tell me.
Remy folds his arms on the table, his voice low but even. “Greg told them you’re in a polyamorous relationship. How could he possibly know that?”
“If he studies werewolves, I’m sure he will know that twins often share a mate. He probably just guessed based on Ryder having a twin,” I offer.
Callen leans forward, his usual smirk gone. “Keating knew the five of us were living together, none of us mentioned that, which means he got that information from Greg’s statement.”
My stomach twists. “But no one outside the pack knows that. We’ve not even left pack land together.”
“Exactly.” Parker cuts in, his voice clipped. “Which means somebody here told him.”
For a second, I just stare between them, trying to process it. My pulse pounds in my ears. Why would they do that?”
Ryder stands, pushing back from my chair, his expression hard. “Because someone still thinks humans shouldn’t mix with us.” His jaw flexes. “Either way, it means we need to be extra careful. If they’re watching you, they mustn’t find out about your extra abilities. We definitely don’t want that getting back to the hunters.”
The room feels suddenly too small, too quiet. I can hear Jaxon’s laughter from the living room, Poppy’s voice chasing after him. I cling to that sound for a heartbeat before I whisper, Do you really think they’ve been watching me?”
Callen’s eyes soften, but his voice is grim. “You’re the Luna now, Paige. People notice everything you do. Most of them respect you already, and I know they’ll adore you when they really get to know you, but there are always a few who’ll look for cracks.”
Remy nods, his brows drawn. “Hunters already know more about us than they should. They could have been feeding them information for a long time for all we know.”
Ryder’s hand lands on my shoulder again. “Don’t panic. It just means we tighten the circle until we find out who’s talking.”
But I can’t stop the fear running up my spine. I rub a hand over my face, trying to think through the haze. “So what do we do now? How do we find out who it is?”
Callen’s grin spreads slow and wicked, that familiar glint of mischief lighting his eyes. “I have an idea,” he says, leaning back in his chair. “If Greg wants to play dirty, maybe it’s time we had a little fun of our own.”
Ryder arches a brow. “Fun?”
“Sure,” Callen says, his tone confident. “It’s time for a game of Rumour Roulette. We feed a few of our more questionable pack mates some false plans. Different stories for each one. Then we sit back and see which version makes it back to the hunters.”
For a second, no one says anything. Then Ryder’s brow lifts, the corner of his mouth twitching like he’s fighting off a smile.
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