*Paige’s POV **


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    The house falls quiet again after Ryder’s words. His gaze is steady on me<b>, </b><b>as </b>though he is


    trying to memorise the exact shape of my face. I swallow, the weight of what we’d just talked


    about still sitting heavy in my <b>chest</b>.


    “Alright,” he says softly, shifting in his seat. “Let’s try this mind–link. Just rx and focus.”


    I nod, unsure how I can rx when I can already feel my <b>pulse </b>hammering. My palms go


    mmy as I close my eyes, trying to block out everything else, even Ryder’s steady presence


    at my side. I concentrate on the thread that tugs at me whenever I think of Remy.


    He’s out there, not far, though I can’t tell exactly where. Still, there is a constant pull, like an invisible string


    twing us together, tugging at my chest.


    “Remy?” I think the word, as clearly as if I am whispering it into the night. “Can you hear me?”


    For a heartbeat, nothing happens. Just silence<b>. </b>Then, like a muffled echo, I felt a brush of


    something against my mind. A voice, so faint I almost think I’ve imagined it.


    “Paige?”


    My breath hitches. “Yes! It’s me.”


    Something in him res, sharp and startled, but then it’s gone. The silence that follows is so


    thick it makes my chest ache.


    “Remy?”


    Silence.


    “Please don’t shut me out.”


    I press harder, as if sheer willpower might force the connection open again. But it’s like


    talking to a locked door. I push again, but there’s no answer.


    My eyes snap open to find Ryder watching me closely. I shake my head. “He was there for <b>a </b>


    second. He heard me, I swear he did. Then it was like… he mmed the door.”


    Ryder sighs, running a hand through his hair. “That sounds like him. He’s guarded, especially


    when he’s feeling things he doesn’t want to deal with, but it may just be that you haven’t mastered the skill yet. When I warned him what we were going to try, he seemed fine with it.”


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    I bit my lip, frustration and longing tangling in my chest. “I just want him to let me in.”


    Ryder reaches out, taking my hand. “He will. Give him time. If he blocks you now, it doesn’t mean he always will. He just needs to get his head straight.”


    I nod, though the ache in me doesn’t ease. I can feel him out there, his presence like a


    shadow pressed against the edges of my mind.


    So close, and yet impossibly far.


    Ryder tilts his head suddenly, his eyes going distant. Then, he pauses and smiles. “He wants to try again with you tomorrow. He says you’re too tired and should sleep.”


    “He said that?”


    “He said he’ll meet you in the morning and walk you through it himself,” Ryder nods.


    Something flutters in my chest, equal parts nerves and hope. “Okay,” I whisper. “Tomorrow.”


    The next morninges far too soon. Golden sunlight spills through the curtains in Ryder’s


    bedroom as I stretch out in bed alone and practice my new hearing skills. I can hear Jax is


    already awake and someone is downstairs making coffee in the kitchen.


    When I get downstairs, Jaxon is practically vibrating, bouncing around the kitchen with more


    energy


    than should have been possible for someone so small after so little sleep.


    “You’re really going to do it today? Really? You promise?” His wide eyes dart between me and


    Parker, who is desperately trying to keep him from knocking over a ss of juice with his


    elbow.


    “I know it’s exciting.” I say, ruffling his bedhead hair. “But you have to eat breakfast first.”


    He groans dramatically, but shovels down scrambled eggs as though they are a punishment. he has to endure to reach his prize.


    By the time Ryder and Callene back from visiting their injured men, Jax is already tugging at their hands, his excitement impossible to contain. “Now? Can we go now? Please?


    Ryder exchanges an amused nce with Parker, who shrugs. “Guess we don’t have much of a choice; our future Alpha demands a demonstration,” Parker says with a softugh.


    “What’s an Alpha?” Jax asks as they lead us outside, onto the widewn that stretches. behind the house. The air is cool and sweet, and there’s a faint sound of birds in the trees. It’s


    as if nothing ever happenedst night.


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    “A story for another day; we don’t want to overload you just yet,” Ryder smiles, looking down.


    at his son with pride.


    Jaxon stops in the middle of the grass, bouncing on the balls of his feet. His little hands


    fisted at his sides, his eyes practically glowing with anticipation.


    “Alright, <b>pup</b>,” Ryder says<b>, </b>crouching down to meet our son’s gaze. “You ready for this?”


    Jax nods so hard I worry his head might fall off.


    After stripping down to their boxers, one by one, the men step back. Parker first, then Ryder,


    then Callen. Remy lingers at the edge of the field, his arms crossed, his expression


    unreadable. My stomach clenches when our eyes met, but he didn’t look away.


    Parker moves first. His body shimmering, bones rippling under his skin, fur blooming like fire


    from his arms and back. In seconds, a wolf stands where he had been. He’s tall and sleek, his


    fur looking as soft as silk <b>in </b>the sunlight.


    Jaxon gasps so loud I have to p a hand over my mouth to stop myself fromughing. His


    whole body vibrates; his little hands press against his cheeks. “Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh!


    That was epic! He’s so big!”


    Before Jax <b>can </b>catch his breath, Ryder shifts. His wolf is massive,rger than Parker’s, with


    fur as dark as midnight and eyes that burn bright. His very presence sends a shiver down my


    spine.


    “Daddy?” Jax whispers, his awe so pure it made my throat ache.


    Ryder’s wolf dips its massive head, brushing gently against Jaxon’s chest. My son giggles, stumbling back a step only to throw his arms around the thick neck of his father’s wolf.


    My heart feels like it’s swelling so big it hurts. I wish I could take a picture, but I’m not sure


    that’s wise.


    Then Callen shifts, his form rippling into <b>a </b>sleek ck wolf, just like Ryder’s. He trots in a


    circle around Jax, his tail swishing, his mouth open in what looks suspiciously like a grin.


    Jaxon ps his hands, squealing. “Uncle Cal! You’re so fast!”


    Finally, all eyes turn toward Remy. He stands still, his jaw clenched, his posture tense, like a


    man bracing for impact.


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    <Chapter 52


    “Remy?” I call softly. “You don’t have to.”


    His gaze flicks toward me, lingering for a moment, before he exhales, and lets go. His shift is


    smooth, almost too smooth, his body folding into a massive wolf.


    Jaxon freezes as he assesses him. “You still look like Parker, it’s super cool,” he whispers.


    Remy’s wolf stalks towards him, then lowers itself to the ground, paws syed out, head tilted slightly as though bowing to him. Jaxon creeps closer, reaching out a trembling hand to touch the wolf’s muzzle.


    The moment his fingers brush fur, Remy closes his eyes, pressing his face gently into Jaxon’s palm.


    Tears sting my eyes.


    And then it turns into chaos… happy chaos. Jaxon runs from one wolf to the next, hugging their necks, burying his hands in their fur. Parker gives him a yful nudge that sends him tumbling into the grass, giggling so hard he can barely breathe. Callen darts past him in circles until Jax copses, dizzy and delighted. Ryder lets him climb onto his back, carrying him around like a prince on a steed.


    But it’s Remy who holds his attention the longest, letting Jaxon sit between his paws, stroking his fur with wide–eyed wonder. I feel the bond hum between us then, fierce and aching, as though Remy’s pride and tenderness for my son bleeds straight into me.


    This. This is everything I had ever wanted for Jaxon: a family, love, safety, and a ce where he could belong.


    When Jax finally stumbles back toward me, flushed and glowing, he copses into my arms with a breathlessugh. “Mummy… did you see? They’re all wolves! They’re amazing!”


    “I saw, baby.” My voice cracks. “They are amazing.”


    He leans into me, yawning, his small body trembling with leftover excitement.


    I look up just as the wolves shift back, one by one, clothes quickly being tugged on. Parker ruffles Jax’s hair, Ryder brushes a kiss to my temple. Callen winks.


    Remy stands slightly apart, his hands shoved into his pockets, and his shoulders tense. When my gaze meets his, he swallows.


    “Paige?” His voice is rough, almost hoarse. “Can we… talk? Alone?”


    My heart leaps into my throat.


    I nod slowly. “Of course.”


    He hesitates, then jerks his chin toward the trees. “Walk with me?”


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    Leaving Jax nestled safely between Ryder, Callen, and Parker, I follow Remy into the woods. The sunlight shines through the leaves in patches across his broad shoulders as he walks at few steps ahead of me. He doesn’t look back, doesn’t say a word, but I can feel the tension


    radiating off him like heat. The bond between <b>us </b>hums with something restless.


    When he finally stops, he doesn’t turn right away. He stands there, fists clenching and


    unclenching at his sides. My heart hammers, my throat tight with the weight of all the


    questions I haven’t dared to ask.


    Atst, Remy nces over his shoulder, green eyes locking with mine. They are raw and


    vulnerable in a way I’ve never seen before.


    “I need to tell you something,” he says, his voice low.


    E


    <b>587 </b>