He paused. “Stay sharp. We have no idea what we’re dealing with here. It could be an aftershock from her power, or something reacting to it. Don’t take any chances.”
I crouched, pressing my palm flat against the earth. It was warm-too warm for this early hour-and that same pulse throbbed beneath my hand, as if the earth itself had a heartbeat. My wolf growled low, restless. He wanted to rush back to her, to protect her from whatever this was.
I glanced over my shoulder. Paige remained in the garden with Ryder, her head tilted as if listening to something beyond my reach. Light flickered across her skin again-faint, but unmistakable-like her body was responding to whatever was stirring beneath us.
“Callen?” Ryder’s voice cut through the link again. “Talk to me.”
“It’s fading,” I replied, though I wasn’t sure if that was true or if I was imagining it. “Whatever it was… it’s gone.”
The hum disappeared for good this time, replaced by the usual quiet of the forest. But the feeling it left behind wasn’t calm. It was anticipation.
I straightened slowly, scanning the woods one last time before heading back toward the cabin. My heartbeat thundered in my ears. Whatever had happened at that creek hadn’t ended there. It had followed her home. And I couldn’t shake the thought that this was only the beginning.
Forget organizing patrols in person-I’d handle it through the mind-link. Right now, I needed to be near my mate. And I wasn’t the only one. Parker stepped onto the porch, his eyes locked on her. Remy turned away from the enforcers he’d been speaking with, and all of us instinctively gravitated toward her presence.
**Paige’s Perspective**
I find myself unable to look away from my hands. They appear unchanged-still dotted with the faint freckles I’ve had for years, and the small scar near my thumb, a souvenir from a careless kitchen accident long ago. Yet beneath the familiar surface, I sense something different. A subtle warmth pulses just under my skin, a steady thrum that feels like a heartbeat, but it’s not my own.
Ronnie’s words echo relentlessly in my mind.
“Not Moon Child magic… then what in the Goddess’s name are you?”
They replay over and over, sinking deep into my bones. The question isn’t exactly frightening, not in the way it probably should be. Instead, it weighs heavily on me, as if I’ve been carrying a hidden power all along without realizing its true magnitude. Now it’s awake-quietly stirring, waiting, ready to surface when I least expect it.
The atmosphere around me shifts subtly, and I suddenly become aware that I’m not alone. My friends have gravitated back toward me, instinctively forming a loose circle. Ryder stands on one side, calm yet alert. Callen and Parker linger nearby, close enough that I can sense their concern through the bond we share. Behind me, Remy remains silent but steadfast-a solid wall of quiet strength.
They don’t speak, but their worry, confusion, and fierce protectiveness radiate through every link between us. It dawns on me that my silence is only making things harder for them.
Taking a slow, deliberate breath, I force myself to stop spiraling into doubt. I’ve been here too many times before-lost in questions with no answers, tearing myself apart trying to understand the unknown. It never leads anywhere.
“Okay,” I murmur softly, barely audible. “Enough.”
I remind myself, just as I used to when Jaxon was little, that fear solves nothing. None of this changes who I am. I’m still the same woman who woke up this morning with messy hair, a stiff neck, and coffee on her mind.
Whatever this strange power inside me may be, it doesn’t erase me.
I lift my gaze and meet Ryder’s eyes first. “Any news on the fertility clinic?” I ask.
He furrows his brow in surprise at the sudden shift in topic but answers without hesitation. “My contact is still decrypting the full file,” he says. “But he’s sent over a partial report. It looks like your mother received donated eggs. There were three rounds of IVF… only two worked.”
Two successful rounds-me and Poppy. I nod slowly as the pieces in my mind click together, tightening my stomach.
Ryder’s expression softens. “We’ll have more soon. I promise.”
“Thanks.” My voice is quieter than I intend. I glance toward the cabin, where Poppy sits by the window, clutching a mug and watching us through the glass.
“I need to talk to her,” I say finally. “Just the two of us.”
Parker’s brow creases, but he doesn’t argue. “Are you sure?”
I force a small smile. “Yeah. It’s time.”
Callen looks like he wants to protest, his bond pulsing faintly with protective energy. But when he catches Ryder’s nod, he steps back. One by one, they give me space, though I can feel their reluctance like a weight pressing down.
“I’ll be fine,” I assure them, my voice steadier now. “Just… give me a little while.”
Ryder brushes his thumb gently over my cheek-a soft, grounding gesture that speaks volumes. “We’ll be right outside,” he whispers.
“I know.”
I watch them retreat, my anchors moving toward the tree line to grant me privacy. Their absence feels heavier than I expected, but it’s necessary. This moment is mine to face alone.
Turning toward the cabin, I exhale slowly and head for the door. My pulse remains steady, but beneath it all, that strange hum persists. It’s not fear, nor quite magic, but something alive. I push it aside and focus on what lies ahead. Poppy deserves the truth, and maybe, just maybe, this is where I begin to find some answers for myself.
Inside, the cabin feels different somehow. The air carries the faint scent of coffee and warm wood, but beneath that is something softer-like sunlight filtering over old pages. Poppy sits at the kitchen island, a cup in her hand and a book before her, though I doubt she’s read a single word.
When she looks up, there’s no surprise in her eyes. “Hey,” she says softly, setting the book aside. “You look like someone just dropped the weight of the world on your shoulders.”
I manage a weak laugh and sink into the chair opposite her. “Something like that.”
“Jax is still asleep.”
I nod, glancing at the clock. It’s barely eight in the morning, and yet so much has already happened.
Poppy studies me quietly for a moment. She never needs words to see through me-she just knows. It’s both comforting and frustrating.
“What happened out there?” she finally asks. “Ronnie wouldn’t say much, just that you did something none of us can explain, and then he ran off muttering about tests and contacting someone.”
“That’s one way to put it.” I rub my hands together nervously, eyes fixed on them again. “The creek was still tainted. I could feel it. When I touched the water, it changed-cleared. It shone with light, silver and gold, like both the sun and the moon were shining through it.”
Poppy leans forward, eyes wide, breath catching. “Paige…”
“I know.” I offer her a small, humorless smile. “Ronnie said it wasn’t Moon Child magic. He doesn’t know what it is. Neither do I.”
For a long moment, silence stretches between us, broken only by the quiet hum of the fridge and the ticking clock on the far wall.
Then I take a slow breath. “There’s something else I have to tell you.”
Her brow furrows. “What is it?”
I glance toward the window, where Ryder and the others move like shadows through the trees. “It’s about Mum and Dad.”
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