** Paige’s POV **
When the back door shuts behind them, it makes my chest ache. Ryder, Parker, and Remy vanish into the night together. I stand there far longer than I should, staring at the door like it might swing back open, like one of them mighte rushing back with a grin and an apology that they couldn’t bear to leave me tonight… but no one does.
I press my lips together and turn away, blinking hard. I want all of them around me. They’re my mates, my anchors, the ones who make me feel whole without even trying. The house feels too big when they’re gone, too still, even with Callen here and Jaxon tucked up safely in his bed.
I can’tin. I won’t. This is about safety, about keeping me and Jax alive while hunters still want <i>to </i>get to us. They’re out there, risking themselves, while I get the luxury of warmth and shelter. That should be enough.
It doesn’t stop the disappointment from twisting in my stomach, though.
What stings most is Remy. Everyone insisted he should take the night off, that he’s been working too hardtely. I thought, no, I believed that after giving in to the mate bond, he’d finally want to be here, with me. With us. But he insisted on going, his voice clipped, his jaw tight, refusing to rest. Like I wasn’t even a reason to stay.
A lump forms in my throat, and my eyes sting. I blink back the tears when I hear Callen’s quiet steps behind me.
“You’re brooding,” he murmurs, his voice low and teasing but not unkind. His hand brushes over my shoulder, instantlyforting me.
“I’m not.” The lie is obvious even to my own ears.
Callen just smiles faintly, like he sees straight through me. He probably does. Without a word, he slides his fingers down my arm andces them with mine, tugging me gently toward the hallway.
“Come with me.”
I let him guide me, confused, until he pushes open the door to the bathroom. The space is luxurious; it almost feels like something stolen from a dream. Callen leans over the wide jet bath and starts the water running, twisting the taps until steam rises. The sound is soothing
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in itself, filling the silence between us.
When he turns back, his eyes are soft. “You need this.”
I let out a shakyugh. “A bath? Are you saying I stink?”
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“No, a break. Some peace. Some time for yourself.” He presses a kiss against my temple
before backing away. “I’ll give you space. Call if you need me.”
He slips out, leaving me staring at the steaming water. I let out a breath, and the pressure in
my chest lessens.
By the time I sink into the tub, the heat has melted away some of the tension in my shoulders. The jets hum, bubbles rise around me, and I close my eyes. For a little while, I let myself just be me. Not the mother who has to be strong, not the mate left behind, just me, floating in the water.
When the water starts to cool, I drag myself out, dry off, and slip into one of Ryder’s T–shirts I’d stolen days ago. It smells faintly of cedar,forting me whilst making me long for Rye
at the same time.
When I step out of the bathroom, Callen is waiting in the hall. He looks me over once, his eyes catching on the oversized shirt, and I swear a smile tugs at his lips before he schools his features into something softer.
“Feel any better?” he asks.
“A little.” I sigh. “I just miss them, and I just… I thought Remy would want to be here more. With me. Now that…” I trail off, unsure how to say it without sounding pathetic.
“Now that you’re mated,” Callen finishes softly, and steps closer. “Paige, he does want to be here. Don’t doubt that for a second. But Remy’s instincts… they’re tearing him up right now. He’s a protector by nature, and that bond just makes it worse. He feels everything more intensely now. His wolf won’t let him rest if there’s even a chance you might be in danger. Being away from you hurts him, but staying behind when there’s a threat?” Callen shakes his head. “That would be worse. Give him some time. Once he’s sure there’s nothing out there, he mighte back.”
I think about his words, not sure if they make me feel better or worse. “So what you’re saying is, I’m not the problem. His instincts are.”
“Exactly.” His eyes go distant before glittering with mischief, and a smirk forms on his face.
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I eye him suspiciously. “What?”
“Come with me,” he says, the smirk turning into a full grin.
He grabs my hand before I can question him and tugs me toward the stairs.
“Callen…”
“You trust me, don’t you?”
“Yes, but…”
“Good.”
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He pulls me to his bedroom; the door clicking shut behind us. My pulse stutters when he spins me around, backing me against the door, his grin turning downright sinful.
“Callen,” I whisper, my heart racing.
“I’ve got an idea,” he whispers, leaning in until his lips brush my ear. “If Remy’s instincts won’t let him rest, then let’s give him something else he can’t ignore.”
It takes me a second to work out what he’s nning, but when it clicks, heat rushes to my cheeks. “You mean…?”
“Oh, I mean exactly what you think.” His hands slide to my hips, pulling me against him. “Let’s make him feel what he’s missing by not being here.”
My breath catches. This feels a little reckless, but God, the thought of pulling Remy back to me through the bond this way makes my entire body hum.
Callen kisses me then, slow at first, then deeper, hungrier, his tongue teasing mine until I’m clutching at his shirt. The tension between us sparks to life, hot and electric, and I know Remy will feel every flicker of it.
The idea makes me moan into Callen’s mouth, and his answering growl vibrates against my lips. He lifts me easily, carrying me the few steps to his bed,ying me down with a tenderness that is a stark contrast to the heat in his eyes.
“Let him feel everything,” Callen whispers, trailing kisses down my throat, his hand sliding beneath Ryder’s shirt to stroke my bare skin. “Let him learn what happens when he leaves you aching.”
Callen kisses his way down my body until he reaches my s*x. Then his kisses turn into licks that have me writhing on the bed. I cry out and lift my hips from the bed, desperate for more.
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I feel a flicker of something, an awareness that isn’t mine. Just the thought of Remy knowing what I’m feeling right now drives me wild and tips me over the edge in record timing.
“Callen,” I pant his name over and over as my fingers thread through his hair.
I’m so lost in the sensation, in the pleasure flowing through me in waves, that I don’t hear anyone approach until the bedroom door flies open.
Remy.
He stands there, his chest heaving, his eyes glowing with something dark and hungry. His gaze locks on me sprawled on Callen’s bed, shirt rumpled, lips kiss–swollen, and then on
Callen, smirking up at him from between my legs.
The bond surges between us, a tidal wave of fury and need that makes me gasp.
Remy steps inside, the door clicking shut behind him.
His voicees out in a low growl. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
Callen grins, brushing a finger over my sensitive p*ssy like he’s staking his im. “Getting
your attention.”
Remy watches Callen touch me before his eyes snap to mine, burning. I see the fury there,
but also the hunger. The desperate, aching want for me.
The air in the room grows thick with tension.
Remy’s chest heaves with every breath, his every muscle looks coiled tight, but his eyes are locked on me like I’m the only thing in the world. The bond pulses, flooding me with his rage
and hunger, with a desperate, unrelenting need he’s trying to fight.
I should be nervous, but all I feel is a want that makes my skin prickle and my breaths
be shallow.
“Remy,” I whisper, half a plea, half a challenge.
He takes a step forward. Then another. He doesn’t stop until he’s right at the edge of the bed, towering over us. His hands are clenched at his sides, and his control is hanging by a thread.
“You think this is a game?” he growls, his voice low and dangerous.
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