Chapter139

** Ryder’s POV ** Dinner feels almost normal. The sound of laughter, the warmth of the kitchen, the way Paige’s smile makes everything else bearable. For a while, we pretend everything’s fine, but even as I laugh at Jaxon’s terrible joke, a part of me stays on alert. The scent of worry clings to Remy, faint but unmistakable. Callen feels it too. I can see it in the way his jaw ticks, in the glances he keeps throwing at the window. By the time we finish eating, the sun’s dipped behind the trees and the air outside is cooling. We clean up fast. Jaxon helps stack dishes while Callen checks his phone, waiting for Jake’s update on the water tests. When the message comes through, he exhales hard. “Clear,” he says. “No trace of toxin this time.” Relief floods through the room like a breath we’ve all been holding. “Well, that’s something at least,” Paige smiles softly, brushing a damp curl from her cheek. “It’s good news,” I say, though I can’t bring myself to relax completely. “But we’re not