**Paige’s POV **
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Ryder and I walk the woond path in silence, our steps in sync, the guards keeping a respectful distance behind us. It feels strange being back here after yesterday. I’d been so
worried, so stressed that I’m surprised I hadn’t left a track on the floor from all my pacing. Now it feels weing again, as if nothing ever happened.
Ryder waits in the kitchen as I move through the house, collecting a few things, myptop, some paperwork, toys, a few changes of clothes for both Jaxon and me. I linger in my
bedroom for a moment, just staring at the bed. I don’t think I’ll sleep here again, it’s not safe
to bring Jaxon back here.
We’re only here for twenty minutes, but when we step outside again, it feels like closing a chapter, even if it was only a really short one..
We make it back to the cabin by noon, and the mood shifts the moment we walk through the door. Jaxones hurtling toward us the second he hears us<b>, </b>his little arms flinging around his dad’s legs before Ryder can even crouch down to his level. Parker follows closely behind, leaning against the door frame.
“I have a surprise for you,” Ryder grins, reaching into one of the bags and pulling out the Lego
box.
Jaxon’s eyes go huge. “A new Lego set?! This is the one I wanted!”
He squeals so loudly I wince. Ryder is beaming, and crouches beside him as Jaxon tears into
the box like it’s Christmas morning.
“Slow down, or you’ll lose the pieces,” Ryeughs.
I try <b>to </b>slip away, but Jaxon insists I help. So the four of us sprawl out in the living room with Lego pieces scattered across the floor. I feel as if we’ve made a temporary bubble of joy. Ryder shows Jaxon how to build the spaceship. Parker is put in charge of the stickers, while I read out the instructions.
Eventually, Ryder sighs. “It’s time for me to go to work,” he says softly, brushing a hand through Jaxon’s hair.
Jaxon pouts but nods. “You’ll be back soon?”
<b>176 </b>
? Chapter 41
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“Before you know it,” Ryder promises, pressing a kiss to his son’s forehead. Then he looks at <ol><li>me. “Don’t wait up.” </li></ol>
I nod, even though I probably will.
Once Ryder leaves and Jaxon is tucked into bed, sleeping peacefully with one of his new Lego figures clutched in his hand, I head back downstairs.
Parker is in the kitchen, leaning against the counter, with a bottle of beer in one hand and a
book in the other.
“Want one?” he asks, gesturing to the bottle.
I
“No, thanks, I need to get some work done this evening.” I slide into the seat across from
him, grateful for the calm he brings me.
“Tea then?”
“Yes, please,” I nod.
He boils the kettle and pours me a cup, then passes it over without a word, but I don’t drink it yet. Instead, I look at him.
“Can I ask you about the mate bond now?”
His eyes lift to mine. “Of course.”
I fidget with the edge of the mug. “How does it work? The mate bond. Will I be like you?
His expression softens instantly. “If you mean, will you turn into a wolf? No, but there will be
some changes.”
“What changes?” <b>I </b>ask.
<b>you </b>
“I’m no expert on this. We’ve only had one human mate in our pack before, but I know some of what u can expect. First of all, after the mating, you’ll feel different, and I don’t just mean emotionally. You’ll be stronger and faster than a regr human. You’ll age slower and live longer like us. I have heard that some humans develop the ability to mind link, although I don’t think that’s a certainty,” he exins, and I nod as I process.
So far, none of that sounds bad. Actually, it’s all a pretty good perk, but the mind–link thing
worries me.
“How does the mind link work? Like you all just hear each other’s thoughts?”
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“No,” he shakes his head. “Think of it more like a built–in walkie–talkie. I can talk to any
member of my pack right now just by thinking my thoughts directly at them. They only hear
what I want them to hear.”
I
“Okay 1
not so bad. So how does the actual mating happen?”
<b>Parker </b>drops his gaze, and I swear I see a blush on his cheeks as he smirks.
He clears his throat. “So it’s usually done through a bite during s*x. It doesn’t necessarily
need to happen during s*x, but as it brings intense pleasure, it makes sense tobine the two. It’s also something a male has to actively resist when being intimate with his mate. The need to im our mates at that moment is so strong, although I have no experience of that,
as you know.”
“Oh,” is about all I can manage, because that’s a lot.
I know Callen had mentioned something about hot s*x and a bite, but it seemed more like a taunt when he said it. To hear it now, so calmly from Parker, makes it so much more real.
“I know thatpletes the mate bond, but how? Will it feel different afterward?”
“Yes, the bondpletes. You’ll carry the mating mark, and your scent will change. All other wolves will know who you are mated to by scent. The bond will intensify for you rapidly after that, and you’ll feel the way we do. It’s like <b>this </b>invisible force. This thread that’s always there.
You feel each other, even when you’re apart.”
“So you already feel it that strongly?”
Parker nods. “From the minute my wolf scented you.”
“And how does that feel?” I dare to ask.
Parker sets his beer down and leans forward slightly, his voice quieter now, more thoughtful. “It’s hard to exin, but I’ll try. It’s a pull. Like your soul recognises theirs as home. There’s this heat in your chest. When they’re close, everything settles. When they’re far, you ache for them. Not just metaphorically, your whole body will miss them. When they’re hurting, you’ll
know. You’ll feel it.”
He pauses as if searching for the right words. “But it’s not just pain. The joy is stronger too. Their happiness bes yours. It’s intense, even overwhelming at times, but it never feels
wrong.”
He leans back, exhaling slowly. “It’s not just love, Paige. It’s fate. There’s nothing stronger
han that.”
“That’s a lot.” I breathe, lost for words.
“It is,” he says gently. “It is massive, and it changes everything. But it’s not something you have to force. For humans especially, it’s a gradual process. The bond is already there, it’s a thread that strengthens with time, with trust, with love. It’s only after the bite that it hits hard.”
“But what does it mean….. long term?” I ask. “Do I lose who I am?”
He shakes his head. “No. Not unless you want to. The bond doesn’t erase you or your
feelings. It enhances what’s already there.”
“And you? When you knew I was yours, how did that feel?”
He’s quiet for a long moment before answering. “Like someone finally turned the lights on when I’ve been in the dark for a long time, Paige. I saw you, and suddenly… I knew. My wolf knew. But I kept it to myself, because I didn’t want to scare you. Or pressure you. Or make
you feel like you didn’t have a choice.”
“You should have told me,” I whisper, but there’s no anger in it. Ipletely understand why
he kept it from me.
“I know, and I’m sorry.” He leans forward, resting his arms on the kitchen ind. “But I’d rather be patient and do it right than push you into something you’re not ready for. You’ve had enough to deal with.”
“I just… I don’t want to let anyone down.”
“You won’t,” he promises.
I take a slow sip of my tea, letting his words settle.
“Thank you,” I whisper.
“For what?”
“For waiting, for being here, for exining things and for making me feel safe.”
Parker’s smile is soft, his eyes full of honesty. “I’d wait forever if it meant I still got to be
yours in the end.”
There’s a long, quiet stretch after that. It doesn’t feel heavy or awkward. Just… calm. Like the stillness after a storm. I think I understand what he means about being near your mate settling you, because he’s had this effect on me from the start. It’s almost like <b>his </b>presence
<Chapter 41
wraps around me like a nket.
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Parker watches me for a moment longer, his fingers tracing the rim of his beer bottle. Then he pushes it aside, looking at me nervously. “Would it be okay if I held you?”
The question is so simple. So gentle. But it undoes me.
I nod before I can second–guess myself. “Yes,” I whisper. “I’d like that.”
He moves slowly, as if he’s giving me a chance to change my mind with every step. He walks around the counter and extends a hand toward me, not grabbing, not pulling, just offering. I
take it.
He draws me up and into his arms, and for a second I just stand there, unmoving. Then something inside me rxes. My body melts against his, my face resting against his chest. He smells of pine, warmth and something clean. Like this, with his arms around me, everything else fades away.
His hold is firm but not crushing. Protective, <b>not </b>possessive.
I exhale a breath. “I didn’t realise how much I needed this.”
He hums. “Any time you need this, juste to me, you don’t even have to ask. I’ve felt your need for it for days, but I didn’t want to overstep. You carry a lot, Paige. You shouldn’t have to
do it alone.<b>” </b>
“I’ve always done it alone,” I say quietly, not really meaning to admit it. “It just… became a
habit, I guess.”
“Well,” he says, his voice so sure, “you don’t have to anymore.”
I press my cheek against his chest, listening to the steady rhythm of his heart. With Parker’s
I
arms around me, I feel untouchable. Held together. Emotionally stronger than ever.
His thumb moves in a slow,forting circle over the small of my back. “You’re safe here,” he says, so softly I almost miss it.
I believe him. Not because the world has suddenly be less dangerous, but because, in this moment, wrapped in his warmth, I feel it. That thread he talked about. The one that
connects us.
It’s not overwhelming. Not yet. But it’s there, humming quietly beneath my skin. I close my eyes and let myself breathe him in.
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When I open my eyes again, I pull back, just enough to look up at him. His eyes search mine
as if he knows what I’m about to say.
“I want you to kiss me now, Parker.”
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