Chapter 194

** Ryder’s POV ** By the time Paige finishes gathering the crayons and Jaxon is wrapped up warm in his coat and boots, the sun has dipped low. The air outside is still, expectant, heavy, waiting. This is the moment I promised the pack, and I can feel Paige bracing for it even before she steps outside. Callen, Remy, Parker and I flank her automatically. Walking behind us are Ronnie, Jake and Leo, with Poppy, whose shoulders are still tight. Around us, moving with natural silence through the trees are the Twiceborn. I can’t say I’m completely comfortable with them, not the way I used to be, but she is. I can’t see them as pack the way they once were; they feel different now. They’re no longer mine; they’re hers. We walk toward the clearing together, a slow procession. The kind that feels like it should be marked by drums or bagpipes, maybe. Instead, it’s just the wind, whispering through the trees as if it knows what’s coming. Every step feels more and more like a funeral. Not because an