Ryder gives a small smile. “You’ll understand when it happens. But for now, it’s our job to protect you. And that means you don’t run off, even if you think someone needs help. You come to us first, okay?”
Jaxon nods. “Okay.”
I exhale, smoothing his hair back before turning back to Ryder’s arm. The bleeding has slowed, but the wound is deep. I clean it, my hands steadier now that things are calming down.
Jaxon talks excitedly to Parker and Callen about what colour wolf he wants and what superpowers he will have, and I can see the pride in Ryder’s eyes as he listens to his son accept his new identity with so much enthusiasm.
It’s only when I’ve finished tying off the fresh bandage that I realise the others are too quiet.
I glance up. Ryder stares at Remy, who leans against the wall, arms crossed, and jaw set.
Parker puts an arm around Jaxon. “Hey, buddy, why don’t we get you upstairs and into bed?”
Jaxon yawns, his eyes flick to Ryder’s arm, then to me.
“Are you mad at me?” His voice sounds small and worried.
“No, baby, I was never mad. I was scared, but we will talk about it more tomorrow, okay?”
“Okay. I love you, Mummy.”
“I love you to the moon.
“And back,” he finishes with a sleepy smile.
Parker picks him up, and he snuggles into him, clearly ready to give in to the exhaustion. Parker whispers to him as they head toward the stairs. Jaxon glances back once, his gaze lingering on Remy before he disappears out of sight.
The moment they’re gone, the space between us all gets heavier again.
“What happened out there?” Ryder asks, his tone low but lethal.
“She was being hunted,” Remy says flatly. “I made sure they didn’t get her.”
“That’s not all you did,” Callen cuts in. “Did you even give her a choice?”
The tension in the room spikes, and my stomach twists. I know what they’re talking about before anyone says it out loud.
“There wasn’t time for one,” Remy says, unflinching. “They were too close. She was too panicked. She wouldn’t have made it back without the bond.”
“That wasn’t your decision to make,” Ryder snaps, standing so fast the chair scrapes the floor.
Domy’s eyes flash.” you’d been there first, you’d have done the same damn thing.”
“The hell I would’ve,” Ryder growls.
“Yes, you would!”
“Stop!” My voice snaps across the room before I even know I’m going to shout. Every head. turns towards me, but I keep my focus on the floor, my breaths coming too fast. “I can’t… I just…” I shake my head. “I don’t want to do this right now. I just need to breathe and know everyone is safe. The rest can wait.”
Silence stretches heavy between us, thick with everything unsaid.
Finally, Ryder backs off, though the muscle in his jaw still ticks. Callen doesn’t look any happier, but he doesn’t speak.
Remy pushes off the wall, his eyes finding mine. There’s no apology there, just that same quiet certainty. “You’re safe now,” he says.
“That’s all that matters.”
I don’t answer, unsure how to feel. The bond pulses with certainty, making it even harder to know what I really feel.
The room feels smaller than it should, all the heat from the argument still clinging to the air. I can still feel Remy in the back of my mind. Not just a presence, but flashes of sensation: the thud of his heartbeat, the low, simmering possessiveness that’s making my pulse skip.
Ryder moves first, pulling out a chair for me at the table. “Sit. You’re pale.”
“I’m fine.”
“You’re not,” Remy says, his tone leaving no room for argument. I sit, but only because my legs feel shaky again.
Ryder stands in front of me, studying me carefully, his hand warm against my knee. “Did they touch you?”
“No,” I whisper. “Remy found me before they could.”
The muscle in his jaw ticks. “And then he marked you.”
I nod.
Ryder blows out a breath and runs a hand through his hair. “I should’ve…”
“You were already fighting,” I cut in quickly. “And you came back injured. If you’d been with me instead, maybe…” I trail off. It’s too easy to go down that path.
He glances at his arm, still wrapped in the fresh bandage I’d tied. “It’s nothing.”
“It’s not nothing,” I say, leaning forward to check it again. “You need to let it heal properly. I mean it, Ryder, don’t pretend you’re invincible.”
A corner of his mouth lifts despite the tension in his eyes. “Says the woman who ran through the forest barefoot.”
“That’s different.”
“How?”
“Because I was trying to save Jaxon.”
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