His brow furrows slightly, lips parting like he might speak, but nothing comes. Just a faint exhale, and then he goes still again.
I lower my head to the edge of the bed, my forehead resting against the back of his hand, and breathe him in. He still smells like cedar and smoke. Like Callen.
“I should’ve been there sooner,” I whisper. “I should’ve been faster.”
The guilt is like a poison. Different from the kind in his veins, but just as deadly. If he doesn’t wake up… I can’t even finish the thought.
Instead, I sit there in silence, holding on to him like he might disappear if I let go, and all the while, that question haunts me.
Did she bring this danger with her?
Or did it follow her all on its own?
Either way, someone’s going to pay.
The others might be too blinded by the mate bond to see what’s obvious to me. But this is too much of a coincidence. She has to be involved somehow, even if she doesn’t know it.
Callen groans.
The sound is low, hoarse, and raw, but it’s the best noise right now. I sit bolt upright, eyes snapping to his face as his fingers twitch again, this time stronger.
“Callen?” My voice cracks on his name. “Hey, hey, I’m here.”
His eyes fight their way open, unfocused at first. His whole body shakes with the effort of consciousness, but he’s fighting. He’s coming back to me.
I squeeze his hand. “You’re safe, Cal. You made it.”
He blinks slowly, his gaze trying to find mine, and for a second I think maybe the first thing out of his mouth will be my name. But it’s not.
“Paige,” he rasps. “Is Paige okay? Jaxon… are they safe?”
The words hit like a blow to the chest. I jerk back, hand falling from his like it burned me.
Not ‘Are you okay?’
Not ‘Remy.’
Not even ‘What happened?’
Just her and the kid.
I swallow the bitterness rising up my throat like bile. He’s been unconscious for hours, barely breathing, poisoned and broken, and the only thing on his mind is her.
“They’re fine,” I manage. “They’re home. Parker got them home. No one touched them.”
His eyes flutter closed again for a moment, like just hearing it is enough to make his body relax. Like she’s the lifeline he was holding onto through all of this. Not me.
The door swings open behind us, and Ryder strides in, wide-eyed and tense. His gaze lands on Callen instantly, brushing past me like I’m not even here.
“You’re awake,” he breathes, and I can see the relief crashing over him. “Sh*t, Cal, you scared the hell out of us.”
Callen offers him a weak, lopsided smile. “Didn’t mean to,” he croaks.
“You always have to be dramatic,” Ryder mutters, but his hand is already on Callen’s shoulder. “Next time, warn us before you get shot, yeah?”
Callen snorts softly, then winces, coughing once and hissing in pain.
I stand slowly, my hands curling into fists at my sides. There’s no room here for what I’m feeling. Not when Ryder’s here. Not when she is what he asked for.
Callen looks up at Ryder and tries to smile again, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. He looks exhausted. He’s still so fragile.
Yet I can’t get my mind off the fact. The only thing he asked for… was Paige.
I step back toward the door, needing space to breathe and sort out my thoughts.
“I’ll let you two catch up,” I say, my voice coming out quieter than I meant. “I’ll let the healer know he’s awake, too.”
Ryder glances back at me with a nod, but Callen doesn’t even look. He’s focused on his brother, asking about his mate and her kid, his f*cking everything but me, and maybe that’s how it’s always going to be.
Was everything he said this morning just a heat-of-the-moment thing?
Or maybe coming so close to death gave him clarity, and I wasn’t part of what he held on for.
I walk outside, the cooling air hits my skin, but it doesn’t touch the ache in my chest.
This isn’t about me. I know that. Callen almost died. That should be all I’m thinking about, but his words keep echoing in my mind, and it hurts.
I wasn’t imagining it this morning, was I? The way he held me. The way it felt. It was real.
The walk back home is a blur. I don’t remember leaving the healer’s cabin. Don’t remember what the healers said before I left. My ears are still ringing with Callen’s voice, the way he said her name.
She’s here. The human. The outsider. The woman who might have led danger straight to our door, even if she didn’t mean to.
I need answers. I need to see her face when I ask if she knows what she’s brought down on us.
Two of our pack enforcers stand guard at the front. They give me nods as I pass, but I don’t stop to talk to them. The door to the cabin is unlocked, Parker’s scent strong in the air. He’s calm as always. He’s the peacekeeper, always the one playing nice. The better, more sensible twin.
I step inside and the sound of quiet conversation cuts off instantly. Parker is sitting at the kitchen island, his big frame hunched forward slightly, blocking my view of Paige. As soon as the door clicks shut behind me, he turns to face me.
Paige stands, and the moment I see her, my world tilts on its axis. It hits me like a lightning bolt to the chest. A burn, a pull, a knowing so ancient and primal it takes my breath away. My knees give before I can stop them.
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