Chapter <b>10 </b>


    **Paige’s POV **


    I knew it was Ryder in the street in front of me, even from behind recognise him.


    His name slips from my mouth without permission, and he turns in my direction, making my heart feel as though it drops into my stomach.


    I’m not ready.


    I’d told myself I was. I’ve rehearsed every possible version of what’d say if I ever saw him again. But none of it matters. Because the moment Ryder is in front of me, everything inside me copses. Six years vanished in a breath.


    He is still a foot taller than me, intensely familiar. The same broad shoulders, the same ocean–blue eyes that once looked at me with admiration, only now they are heavier, haunted even. His jaw is sharper, his face a little leaner, a little more shadowed. Maybe life hadn’t been kind to him either. But God help me, he is still the most beautiful kind of wreck.


    He drops to his knees when he sees me. Just… drops like the world has just fallen from under his feet. His chest heaves as if someone has sucked all the oxygen from the surrounding air.


    “Breathe through it, Rye. You’ve got this,” Callen says, crouching beside his brother.


    They’re even more identical than I’d thought, but Callen doesn’t carry the same sadness that Ryder does. They are the same, but opposites. Callen is happy and carefree, his eyes shine with mischief.


    Ryder lifts his head, and his eyes meet mine again. They are wide with disbelief, as if he’s still not sure if this is real. There is something else in his gaze too: regret, pain, and maybe even hope.


    “Paige,” he breathes and my name on his tongue is like a caress.


    I can’t speak. Can’t move. I just stand here, staring as my heart ms against my ribs. I can’t speak, I can barely breathe.


    “You’re alive,” I say. Ites out too quiet. Too weak. Ryder makes me weak.


    “I’m so sorry, you have no idea…” he says, his voice trailing off with a strangled cry as he doubles over.


    I look away from him. I can’t see him like this. All I want to do is drop to the floor in front of him, hug him right here in the middle of the street and tell him everything is going to be okay. My eyes shift to Callen as heforts his brother, whispering


    words I can’t hear.


    Then I hear one clear word slip from Ryder’s lips. “Mate.”


    Callen goes still then, and his eyes shift to me. He looks at me like he is seeing me for the first time. His lips slightly parted, and his nostrils re as he inhales deeply,


    “Is everything okay? Should I call an ambnce?” A male voice calls from across the street and I look up to see a man around our age making his way over.


    “No, everything is fine, thank you. He just has a cramp is all,” Call calls back, and the man gives him a wary look before nodding and continuing on his way.


    I’m still too stunned to do anything but stand frozen in ce,


    “We need to get out of here,” Callen says, pulling Ryder to his feet “This way,e on.”


    My feet move without permission, following behind my ex and his win like a lost puppy. We round a corner and, as if I’ve suddenly regained all brain function, I stop. What am I doing?


    “Someone better exin what is going on. What is wrong with him?” I demand.


    Callen looks over his shoulder at me. His face strained as he tries to keep Ryder upright.


    +15 BCNUS


    “Paige, please just trust me and follow us. I will exin everything I promise, but not here, not now,” Callen pleads, and I almost tell him to piss off, but Ryder is really struggling.


    “Is he sick?” I ask, a tremble in my voice.


    I can’t have found him after all these years just to have him taken by some terminal illness. That’s cruel.


    “Kind of, but he will be okay if we just get him home,” Callen says


    “Where does he live? I can run ahead and get my car if it’s far,” I offer.


    “That won’t be necessary. It’s not much further,” Callen says as he moves forward again.


    Two men jog down the street towards us, their expressions panicked and… identical. More twins?


    “Get him out of here, quick,” Callen says, and they move to either side of Ryder, taking him from Callen.


    Ryder lets out a groan as the two men run with him hanging between them. Callen lets out a breath and turns back to face me.


    “Sorry about that. I take full responsibility,” he says, holding up his hands in surrender.


    “What happened? Is he on drugs or something?”


    “Or something,” he grins, and I huff, pushing past him. I’m done with whatever is happening here.


    “Go look after your brother, and keep away from me and my son. We don’t need people like you in our lives,” I snap.


    “Ouch, that one stung, Freckles,” he says.


    I turn back to face him with fury, finally hitting my limit. “Paige, my name is Paige Wilson and almost seven years ago, I let your brother trick me into sleeping with him. Then, straight afterward, he left me to wake up alone in a tent. I never saw or heard from him again. What kind of person does that? Since then, my life has fallen apart, and I’ve struggled to raise my son alone. I finally found him again and this is what he has be? If this is who he is now, then me and Jaxon were better off without him the whole time. Now go away and keep the f*ck away from my son


    “Sh*t,” I hear Callen breathe as I storm off towards my house.


    When I get home, I m the door closed and lock it behind me. With my back pressed to the door, I slide to the floor, finally allowing myself to break.


    Fat tears roll down my face as thest bits of hope for Ryder leave my body, Why had I spent so long hung up on a man like him? Had my marriage failed because I’d secretly always held on to hop that Ryder woulde back for me? Had I ever given myself a chance to truly love Greg? I’ve made such a mess of everything, and it’s all been for nothing.


    I pull myself together and push to my feet. I need to get Jax and get the hell away from this ce. My heart hurts for my son. He had been so excited about starting this school, and now I’m taking him away, but it’s better than letting him get hurt by his


    father.


    I grab the bags we had arrived with and, for the second time in a week, I throw our essentials in to flee with Jaxon. I take a nce around the house. We could have been happy here if Ryder hadn’tined things yet again.


    When I pull open my front door to run to the car, Ie face to fac with Callen.


    “Get out of my way,” I sneer, and Callen steps back, raising his hands again, allowing me past


    “What are you doing?” He asks, following me to the car.


    “Getting the hell out of here.”


    “I’m sorry, but I can’t let you do that,” he says with a sigh, like heven has a say in what I do.


    “Try to stop me,” Iugh incredulously, tossing our bags into the boot.


    “Do not get in the car, Paige,” he warns, his tone bing serious.


    “Or what?”


    “Or… look, we don’t have to do this. Just give me one day to exin everything, please,” he says, his voice softening and his shoulders sagging.


    I don’t want to give Ryder a chance, but I want answers before I leave. Maybe then I’ll finally be able to move on with some


    closure.


    “You have one hour,” I say, crossing my armis over my chest.


    “Fine, let’s go,” he shrugs and gestures for me to walk ahead.


    “Where are we going?”


    “To my house. It’s not far.”


    “I have to pick Jaxon up soon.”


    “Then we better hurry,” he smiles, the same smile he had yesterday.


    We walk into the woods and myndlord’s warning shes through my mind.


    “Are there wolves out here?” I ask.


    “Who told you that?”


    “Myndlord, and I thought I saw something from my window when I first arrived,” I exin.


    “That was Remy you saw,” he sighs.


    “Is Remy your pet?”


    “You could say so,” heughs. “Look, I’m going to tell you some things you will not believe, but please keep an open mind. It’s really important for Jaxon that you try to ept what I’m about to tell you.”


    “What is it? Some gic family disease?” I ask. Worry coiling in my stomach.


    “Kind of, but it’s not a disease exactly. I really wanted to ease you into this, but <b>I </b>can see you are not going to let me. We are wolf shifters, or werewolves, whatever you prefer to call us,” he says before whistling sharply.


    “Are you seriously messing with me right now? I’m so not in the mood for this bullsh*t.”


    I turn to walk back to my car ande face to face with a huge grey and brown wolf.


    This is like no wolf I’ve ever seen before. Not that I’ve seen many, only at the zoo and on the TV, but I know this is not one of those. This thing is huge, and beautiful, but absolutely terrifying. m pretty sure it could fit my entire head in its mouth.


    I stagger back with a gasp and Callen catches me. “Shh, don’t worry, he won’t hurt you, he’d never hurt you,” he whispers in my


    ear.


    My body trembles uncontrobly as the wolf looks at me with intelligent eyes. He prowls towards me, his head low.


    “Take it slow, Rye, you’re scaring her.”


    Did he call the wolf Rye? As in Ryder?


    The wolf suddenly starts to shrink, with cracks and pops of bones, try to turn my face away in disgust, but Callen grips my chin.


    “Watch, Paige, you need to see this<b>,</b>” he urges.


    <b>I </b>screw my eyes shut<b>, </b>unable to watch. Then I hear a groan and dare to peek, just as the face of Ryder reces the wolf. My vision blurs as if my eyes are trying to reboot because what I just saw can be possible. My head spins for a second before the world


    around me goes ck and silent.