Jaxon bursts into a fit of giggles. “He wants to play!”
Callen chuckles beside me. “Looks like someone’s already recovered from patrol.”
I watch as my son scrambles up and chases after the wolf, who never gets too far ahead, slowing his pace so Jaxon can almost catch him before darting away again. Watching him like this and hearing him laugh makes everything just feel right.
I step closer to Callen, brushing my arm against his. He wraps an arm around my shoulders, leaning in to kiss the top of my head.
Ryder and Parker’s wolves soon join the play session, and something settles in me. I realise then that I can sense when my mates aren’t here. It’s like a part of me is missing, and I only feel complete when they are all here.
** Paige’s POV **
When we all come back into the house together, Jaxon announces he’s going to play with his Lego and dashes upstairs. The moment he’s gone, I feel the air shift. The tension is suddenly thick.
Ryder stands by the window, arms folded across his chest. Callen sits at the kitchen island, papers spread in front of him. Parker leans against the counter, his jaw set. Remy is restless.
My stomach twists. “Okay,” I say slowly, looking from one to the other. “What’s going on?”
The four of them glance at each other, in the kind of silent conversation that makes me want to shake them. I hate it when they do that, deciding how much I should know, how much I can handle.
“Sit down, Paige,” Callen says gently, gesturing toward the chair opposite him.
The way he says it makes my pulse skip a beat. I pull out the chair, my fingers trembling a little as possibilities fly around my head. Has the pack turned on them because of me? Was there another attack last night?
“You’re scaring me,” I admit.
“It’s not meant to scare you,” Ryder says quickly, his voice rough. “But we need to ask you some questions… about your wedding.”
The word makes me freeze. My wedding. I haven’t thought about that day for a while, not really. I’ve spent so long trying to forget it, trying to erase the feeling of Greg’s hand gripping mine too tightly, the vows that felt like shackles instead of promises.
“What about it?” I ask warily.
Parker steps forward, setting a file on the table. His eyes flicker with something that looks like guilt. “We got hold of some photographs from that day. The ceremony and the reception.”
My chest tightens. “Why?”
“They were uncovered during our checks into Greg, and we found something,” he says sympathetic smile, sliding the folder toward me. with a
I hesitate, then open it. The first photo is of me in my dress, bouquet clutched tight, my smile wide but not quite real. My breath catches. I remember that moment too well, the way my cheeks ached from forcing it. I’d convinced myself it was just nerves, but I know better now. The whole thing felt off, and I knew I was making a mistake, but it was too late to pull out.
Then Jax. My little boy, about to turn four, in his tiny shirt and tie. My heart twists. He looked so proud, so happy, clapping his hands like the world was perfect.
My fingers brush over his face on the photo before I turn the page. Guests, tables, laughter. Then Parker taps the two faces circled in red.
“Do you know them?” he asks carefully.
I lean closer as I study their faces. I didn’t really know anyone, not really. The only guest I invited was Poppy, the rest were all Greg’s friends and family.
“Yes,” I whisper. “Well, I know of them. They’re Greg’s friends. He worked with them for a while, I think. He invited them. I don’t remember their names, but they came to the house a few times. Why?”
The silence that follows is deafening. Four pairs of eyes fix on me, and my skin prickles.
“Are they hunters?”
It’s Callen who answers, his voice steady but low. “Yes. This is the asshole who shot me,” he taps on one of the men’s faces. “This one is on a wanted list for an attack on another pack.”
The words hit me like a blow. Hunters, near my boy. My breath stutters out of me, and the room tilts slightly as I look at the pictures again. On closer inspection, it is obvious that both men are watching Jaxon, and they aren’t the only ones.
“No,” I say, shaking my head, refusing what is right in front of my eyes. “That can’t be right.
They were just… Greg said they were workmates. How could I let them so close?” My voice breaks. Even as I say it, I know the truth is undeniable.
Ryder moves closer, crouching beside me, his hand gripping mine. “Paige, we wouldn’t bring this to you unless we were certain. The intel’s solid. Greg had hunters at your wedding. Around you and Jax, but none of this was your fault. How could you protect him from a threat you had no idea existed?”
A pit of cold dread opens in my chest. My wedding day, already a memory I’d wanted to forget, now morphed into something darker. Now I replay every smile, every toast, every handshake, questioning it all. It wasn’t just family and friends. It was predators sitting at the
::. tables, watching me, watching my son.
More Howards
“Oh my God,” I whisper, my chest heaving. They could have taken him right then, and I’d have been powerless to stop them.”
Remy stops pacing and looks at me. His features are hard, but his voice is soft. “You did nothing wrong, Paige. They wouldn’t have taken him like that anyway, because they know you would have screamed from the rooftops if they had taken him. They know how fiercely you would have fought for him and brought attention to them. That’s why they chose to be sneaky about it. They planted one of their own to become a father figure to Jax, to manipulate him.”
But it feels like my fault. Like I let them in. Like I invited the hunters into our lives and handed them the most precious thing I had.
I press both hands to my face, trying to breathe past the panic clawing at my throat. “Why would Greg… Why would he do that? I thought he cared, I thought…
“Maybe he did, in his own way,” Callen shrugs. It’s possible he wasn’t working with them. willingly, they could have had something on him. We don’t know yet. But those photos prove he’s connected. This wasn’t random.”
Anger spikes through the fear, making me feel dizzy. Greg, always hurting me, lying to me, breaking me down, and now this. He wasn’t forced into this, or he’d have found a way to warn me; he’d have told me what Jax was.
I drop my hands, looking at all of them, my voice shaking. “What do we do now?”
Parker’s gaze softens, but there’s a fierceness in his tone. “We protect you and Jax, and we find out exactly how deep Greg is involved with them.”
Ryder nods, his hand still covering mine. “Don’t worry about anything. We’ll handle Greg.”
I look at my mates, and despite the fear and betrayal still twisting in my gut, they make me feel safe. I believe them. They won’t let anyone hurt us, not ever again.
I hate that the life I thought I’d left behind isn’t done with me. Greg is not just my past anymore. He’s a threat.
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