1.4K
<b>~ </b>
Vote
< Chapter 90
<b>Chapter </b><b>90 </b>
**Paige’s POV **
More Rewards >
“Ryder?” I ask, my stomach dropping as a thousand scenarios run through my head.
He doesn’t answer right away. His thumb moves quickly over the screen, his eyes scanning something. Then he lets out a breath and looks up at me, his eyes shining.
“It’s the DNA results,” he says, his voice low.
My heart stutters. I already know without a shadow of a doubt that he’s Jaxon’s father, but since they took the test, I’ve had this strange anxiety that the results will get messed up somehow. Greg might bribe theb, even though he doesn’t know we were doing this, and I’m sure he doesn’t even know anyone who works in a DNA analysisb.
“Well?” Callen says, his tone impatient.
“It’s confirmed, we have solid proof,” he grins, pushing the phone across the table toward me, his hand trembling.
The email is open. The words are formal, but I skip over them, getting right to the important part… Probability of paternity: 99.9999%.
Relief floods through me, not just mine, but Ryder’s, Callen’s and Remy’s too.
“Suck on those eggs, Greg,” Callenughs as he reads the email over my shoulder.
“We need to forward that to the solicitor and make an appointment to make this official,” Ryder says, jumping straight into proactive mode.
And just like that, we’re pulling outptops and phones. The men hover over me like overgrown bodyguards while I type in the request for the registry office appointment, Ryder’s hand steady on my
shoulder.
“Earliest appointment is next Thursday,” I say, scrolling down the list. “Ten in the morning.”
“Book it,” Ryder says without hesitation.
“Wait. We need to think about this,” Remy says, and all eyes go to him. “I’m not saying you shouldn’t do it; I’m just saying… we can’t just stroll into the city like it’s nothing. Not with the current threats. We need to n this first.”
There’s a long silence before Parker nods. “He’s right.”
Ryder growls. “I don’t care if we have to fight every hunter between here and the registry
More Rewards >
< Chapter 90
office. I’m not waiting any longer. He’s mine, and I want it official so no one can try to im him as theirs again. No one is taking him from us.”
“I know,” I say gently, reaching for his hand. His warm fingers close over mine instantly. “<b>I </b>think what Remy is trying to say is, can we risk taking Jaxon out there?”
At the mention of our son, Ryder falters. His eyes flick instinctively to where Jaxon is crouched on the floor, driving his toy truck through a river of spilt water. Completely unaware of what’s going on around him.
Callen exhales, running a hand through his hair. “Obviously, we all have to go to protect Paige. So the question is… do we take him with us, or do we leave him here with the pack?”
The words make me go cold. Take him into danger, or leave him behind. Neither option feels good.
Remy is the first to answer. “Leaving him is smarter.”
“No,” Ryder snaps instantly. “He should stay with us. Where we go, he goes.”
Parker shakes his head. “You know that’s a risk. The registry office isn’t secure. There are too many unknowns. If hunters have been watching, if they catch wind of the appointment…” He doesn’t finish the thought. He doesn’t have to; we all know what could happen.
“You won’t protect him by putting him in a kill box,” Remy adds. “One lucky shot, one good. Hit and everyone in the car is dead or injured. In fact, we should travel there separately in two or three cars.”
The tension in the room spikes, and Jaxon looks up from his truck, frowning at the raised voices. My heart twists.
“Enough,” I say sharply, louder than I meant to. All four of them turn to me, startled. I square my shoulders, swallowing down my own fear. “Take your emotions out of it. If this weren’t me and Jax, how would you handle this?”
Ryder closes his eyes, taking slow deep breaths. His wolf is pacing close to the surface; I can feel how restless it is.
After a long moment, he opens his eyes again and nods once. “We split up. Two of you stay here with Jax and the pack; the rest of us go to the registry office with a couple of enforcers.”
Callen nods in agreement. “Which means now we decide who goes, and who stays.”
The room goes quiet again.
“Well, I’m going obviously, I need to sign the new birth certificate,” Ryder says immediately.
:
< Chapter 90
No surprise there.
“I’m going with you,” Remy says firmly.
“What about me?” Callen asks. “I want to be there.”
“You stay,” Ryder says.
Callen’s jaw tightens. “The hell I do.”
More Rewards >
“Yes, you do,” Ryder growls. “If anything happens to us, you are Jaxon’s guardian and Alpha of the pack. You will be needed here.” His gaze flicks to Jaxon, who’s now humming to himself, oblivious. “And there’s no one I trust more than you to protect our son.”
“Well, s**t,” Callen sighs, a mix of honour and disappointmenting from him through the
bond.
“I’ll stay too,” Parker says, his voice calm but certain. “We can handle things here. Between me, Callen, and the pack enforcers, nothing touches him.”
For once, there’s no argument. We all know Parker’s steady presence is exactly what Jaxon will need if something goes wrong.
I exhale slowly, letting the n settle into ce. “So… me, Ryder, and Remy go to the appointment. Callen and Parker stay with Jaxon. We take two enforcers with us, maybe
three.”
“Four,” Ryder says.
I arch a brow. “We’ll draw too much attention if we turn up with an army.”
“Three,” Remy cuts in. “I will go inside with you, and the enforcers will be stationed outside the building.”
Ryder res at him again, but this time he doesn’t say anything.
Parker leans forward, folding his arms on the table. “We’ll run drills with the pack before you go, Make sure everyone knows the n if things get ugly. Jaxon won’t be left unguarded for a second.”
The others nod, and I almostugh at the situation. Not because it’s funny, but because it’s so unbelievable. Who would have thought that a simple trip into the city would be a dangerous mission that needs military–level nning? What has my life be?
Jaxon suddenly looks up from his truck. “What’s happening?”
I swallow, forcing a smile. “Daddy’s going to put his name on your birth certificate next week,
< Chapter 90
<b>so </b>everyone knows he’s your dad.”
Jaxon’s eyes go wide. “Like… forever?<b>” </b>
“Forever,” Ryder says, his eyes shining.
More Rewards <b>> </b>
Jaxon grins so wide that it melts me. Then he goes right back to his truck, ying a little more loudly than before.
We sit there in the messy kitchen that we’ve not cleaned from breakfast yet, making ns like generals before a battle, but under the tension, there’s something stronger thrumming through us too. Hope. Because in one week, my son will no longer be just mine. He’ll be ours in the eyes of thew.
The rest of the week passes in a haze. Ryder had arranged for Jaxon to start going to the little makeshift school that he asked Regina to run for the pack kids until it is safe for them to attend their usual school. He came home the first day with grass in his hair, mud on his shoes, and a huge smile on his face, chattering nonstop about his day.
Seeing him so happy and carefree fills me with a joy I can’t even begin to describe. He’s making friends, learning in a way I couldn’t give him on my own, and it’s all I’ve ever wanted for him. But at the same time, it gnaws at me. The thought of him out there without me watching, without me close enough to snatch him up if something went wrong. I find myself constantly fighting the urge to go and check on him.
My heat ws at me in unpredictable waves, dragging me under until I can barely remember my own name. But I’m never left to face it alone. Ryder, Callen, Parker, and Remy keep me sated, each of them taking their turn with a kind of tenderness that makes me ache in ways that have nothing to do with heat.
They’re attentive to the smallest details too. Ryder always has water waiting for me after, Callen massages my legs when they cramp, Remy makes sure I eat something even when I’m too exhausted to lift a fork, and Parker keeps my pillows perfectly arranged, so I never have to wake up sore. It’s overwhelming, being cared for like this, being loved like this. It’s not something I’ve ever had before. When the heat’sst mes finally fade, I feel as though I’ve rebuilt myself from the inside out. Like I’m a different version of myself, and maybe my
mates are too.
The heat seems to have bound us tighter. In the quiet moments between the waves, I felt something shift between us all. Ryder’s steady strength, Callen’s quiet care, Remy’s protectiveness<b>, </b>and Parker’s endless patience… they all seem more certain now, like they’ve all found their role in this rtionship. I’m just not sure what mine is yet.
One thing I am sure of though, is that what was once fragile and new, now feels steady and
< Chapter 90
More Rewards >
unshakable. This is love, fierce and undeniable, and it’s only growing stronger each day.