I rise slowly, my legs trembling as the adrenaline fades, and the four of them shift closer like they’re afraid I might crumble, and maybe I would, if they weren’t here.
“I don’t know if I can do this,” I whisper honestly. “They hate me for being human. They don’t want me as their Luna, and…” My voice breaks. “They think I’ll destroy what you have here.”
“You won’t,” Ryder says immediately, his tone fierce.
“You can’t,” Callen adds, quieter but no less certain.
“You’ll save them, the way you saved me,” Remy murmurs, eyes locked on mine like a vow.
Parker takes my hand, lifting it to his lips in a gesture so tender it makes my heart swell.’
You’ll save all of us.”
“
The words ease something inside me. Tears roll down my face without permission, but none of them look away. They let me cry, each reaching for me in their own way. Ryder’s hand rests on the small of my back, Callen brushes hair from my face, Remy’s fingers lace through mine, and Parker takes my other hand.
Jaxon squeezes between us, wrapping tiny arms around my legs, and standing there, surrounded by the four men fate tied me to and the little boy who’s the best piece of me, I almost believe I might make it through this. As long as the people right here accept me, then the rest doesn’t matter, not really.
Later, I sit on the edge of the bed, Jaxon curled against me, his soft breaths warm against my side. The men are downstairs, voices low and sharp, probably working out how to handle the pack’s attitude towards me. I should be down there with them, but I don’t feel like facing anymore right now.
My mind keeps replaying the images. The way some of the pack had bowed to me, but others had refused outright. The whispers and sneers about me being a weak human. The accusation about the hunters. The way eyes locked on Remy’s mark on my neck, turning something intimate and confusing into evidence against me.
My hands tremble as I grip the duvet, attempting to relieve some of the tension swirling inside of me. What if they’re right? What if I don’t belong here?
I’ve seen how Ryder takes control with ease, how Callen steadies everyone with his calm presence. Remy has earned their trust through his unwavering protection, and Parker, with his quiet confidence, feels like he’s always been a part of this place in a way I never will.
Then there’s me. I’m just… Paige. A human woman who stumbled into this world, who didn’t even know what her son was. A woman already carrying scars from the life she left behind. What if I really am the weak link? What if their faith in me is the very thing that gets them hurt?
Jaxon moves, his little hand clutching my T-shirt in his sleep, as if even in his dreams, he needs to know I’m here.
They bowed to him so easily. No hesitation, no suspicion. Just acceptance. Because he’s one of them, he’s Ryder’s blood. Their Alpha’s son. But Jaxon is mine too. He wouldn’t exist without me, and if they accepted him, then they’ve already accepted a piece of me too.
The thought flickers like a spark of hope, and I clutch onto it. Parker’s words about me being strong enough to carry an alpha pup didn’t go unnoticed. He was right. I’d got through that pregnancy and birth alone, without knowing my tiny baby was such a powerful wolf shifter. I’d grown and fed their future alpha with this weak human body.
I look down at my son, his messy hair, his pouty lips, the strength he holds in his tiny body, and a fierce determination rises inside me. This boy is everything good I’ve ever done, and he is my proof that I belong here.
Then there are the men. My mates. My soulmates. Fate didn’t just tie me to one of them; it tied me to all four. That isn’t an accident or a weakness. That’s power.
The pack might hate me now. They might doubt me. But they’ll learn. They’ll see me stand beside Ryder, Callen, Remy, and Parker. They’ll see me raise Jaxon into the Alpha he is going to be, and they’ll realise I’m not going anywhere.
Whether they like it or not, this is my pack now too. My family.
I lean down, pressing a kiss on Jaxon’s head. “I’ll make them see, for you, for all of us,” I promise.
The voices downstairs grow quiet. Then I hear footsteps on the stairs, before the door creaks open and Ryder’s frame fills the doorway.
He doesn’t speak at first, just leans against the doorframe, watching me. Even in the dim light, I can see the tension in his shoulders, but his eyes are soft.
Jaxon is still asleep, curled against my side. I run a hand over his hair and then carefully shift him to the pillows, tucking the blanket up to his chin. My chest aches at how peaceful he looks, how untouched by the chaos surrounding us.
When I stand, Ryder is already moving toward me. His hand finds my waist, pulling me against him, his forehead dropping to mine like he needs the contact to breathe.
“You were incredible today,” he whispers. “You’re so much stronger than you know.”
“I didn’t feel strong. I felt like they were tearing me apart just by looking at me.” “They don’t matter.” His jaw clenches. “They’ll fall in line. What matters is you, us, and him.” His gaze flicks briefly to Jaxon. “And I’ll never let anyone touch you. You’re mine.”
The words send a shiver through me, not because I doubt them, but because I need them. I need to believe them.
“I don’t want to be something they tolerate,” I whisper. “I want to be… yours. Fully. I want them. to see it, to know it.” My heart pounds with fear and determination. I lift my chin, meeting his gaze. “I’m ready, Ryder. For you to mark me.”
For a heartbeat, he goes deathly still. Then he lets out a breath.
“Paige…” my name comes out like half a plea and half a growl. His hand comes up to cup my face. “Do you know what you’re asking? Once I mark you, there’s no going back. You will be tied to me until your last breath.”
“I know.” My voice doesn’t shake this time. “And I want it.”
Something inside him snaps. His mouth crashes onto mine, fierce and desperate, like he’s been starving for this. His other hand fists in my hair, pulling me closer until there’s no space left between us.
Every ounce of doubt I’d carried today burns away in the heat of his kiss. Because this, us, it’s undeniable. When he finally pulls back, his eyes are wild. “Then I’ll claim you. Not for the pack, or to prove anything, but because I love you.
“I love you too, Rye,” I smile and look up at him through teary eyes.
I know without question that when his mark brands my skin, there will be no room left for doubt. Despite our circumstances and our time apart, I’ve always been his.
** Parker’s POV **
The moment Paige takes Jaxon upstairs to bed, I pull out the file our intel guy handed me at the pack meet from where I shoved it in my jacket.
I flip it open on the kitchen island, careful not to spread everything out too wide in case Paige wanders back in. She doesn’t need to deal with this tonight, not after the day she’s had. She’d been radiant today, nerves hidden under that quiet grace of hers, standing tall before a crowd that looked at her with suspicion.
The first picture almost guts me. Paige in a white dress. It’s simple yet elegant, the kind of beauty that doesn’t need lace or sparkle to shine. Her hair is pinned up in soft curls, a few strands loose around her face. The sunlight streaming through the church windows catches her eyes, making them brighter. She looks younger here, and there’s a hope there I’ve never seen in her. It makes my chest ache; I want to make her look that way. I want to bring that hope back into her eyes.
Greg stands at her side, smiling for the camera, his hand pressed too tightly against her waist. It looks like an image of possession, not love. I clench my jaw and force myself to keep looking, even though every instinct screams at me to tear the photo in half. My mate is stunning; she always has been, but there’s a bitter, jealous part of me that wishes I could have been the one beside her that day.
The next photo is a close-up of Jaxon. He’s barely more than a toddler, dressed in a tiny white shirt and a crooked little tie that someone clearly wrestled him into. His cheeks are round, and his hair fluffier, but those eyes are the same. He’s clapping at something out of shot, his joy spreading across his entire face. My chest tightens. That little boy, that moment of pure happiness. Paige gave him that, held his world together while Greg played at being a husband.
I shuffle through the stack. There’s more of the ceremony, Paige crouching to straighten Jaxon’s tie while Greg stands aside, disinterested. Shots of the reception, tables of food, dancing and laughter. Paige is smiling in all of them, but when I look closely, her smile never reaches her eyes. It’s like a mask, and it makes me wonder how early she’d begun to realise the mistake she’d made.
Then I notice it.
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