Chapter123
**Callen’s POV **
My heart swells with pride as we leave the meeting with Josh and Marcus.
Since I took my place as Alpha, I’ve never been able to negotiate a deal with those two. They’ve always been polite enough, in an arrogant alpha werewolf sort of way, but they’ve been distant, never offering real cooperation, never seeing us as equals. I thought it was me they didn’t respect, that they saw me as too inexperienced or too easygoing to lead. When Ronnie found Ryder and brought him back here, I thought maybe they’d change their minds if they saw someone more serious beside me. They didn’t. But today was different.
Today, they listened. They didn’t talk down to us. They didn’t laugh when we discussed uniting the packs to work together. It still feels unreal.
The other packs have never been hostile toward us, but they’ve kept their distance. We were the misfits, the half–formed pack of orphans and strays that Ronnie had pulled together when he first arrived here. He’d refused every offer to merge, determined to rebuild what was once the Emerald Ash Pack, to honour the memory of those who’d died that horrible night.
They called us the Lost Pack back then, just a handful of kids living on bare land. Until I came home and claimed my birthright. Until the Phoenix rose from the ashes.
I can still remember the first time I said it out loud. I’d spent days trying to find the perfect name that reflected the history of what our pack had been through. Phoenix Pack had felt right, like we were something reborn, something stronger than what came before. But today, for the first time, it feels like everyone else finally sees that too.
Beside me, Paige walks with her head high and her shoulders straight, that calm confidence radiating from her like sunlight. The moment they called her Luna, my chest nearly burst. She didn’t flinch, didn’t shy away despite their scrutiny. She smiled, thanked him, and spoke for us all as though she’d been born to it.
She catches me looking at her now, that soft smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. “You look proud of yourself,” she teases.
“I am,” I admit, reaching for her hand again. “But not of myself. Of you.”
Her cheeks flush in the way I love, and she squeezes my fingers. “We did it together.”
“Maybe. But you carried the room, Paige. You had every Alpha in there listening like waiting for their next command.”
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She laughs, the sound warming something in me as we make our way across the grounds toward the school group. The late afternoon sun glows gold over the trees, and I can feel the hum of the mate bond thrumming beneath my skin.
Jaxon spots us first, sprinting through the trees. “Mum!”
Paige crouches just in time for him to throw himself into her arms. I ruffle his hair, my heart twisting with that familiar rush of affection. Every time I look at him, I’m reminded of what we’re fighting for, why we’re rebuilding, why this pack matters.
“Did you have fun today?” I ask.
“Yeah! We went track spotting, and I found all the footprints on my list!”
“That’s my boy,” Ryder grins.
Parker asks him which tracks he was looking for, and Jax starts to recount each animal track and the shape and size of each one. While he chatters about his day, I open the mind link to Ryder, Remy and Parker.
“I think we should do something special for Paige tonight,” I say.
“Like what?” Remy responds first.
“She deserves to relax, maybe with a massage and a candlelit bath?” Parker suggests.
“A nice dinner too,” Ryder adds. Thᴇ link to the origɪn of this information rᴇsts ɪn FіndNovel.net
“Good,” I say. “Here’s the plan. Home–cooked dinner. Ryder, can you handle steaks? Parker, you and Remy make the sides and dessert. I’ll set the table and make sure the patrols are rearranged so all of us have the whole night free with her.”
“Got it,” Ryder replies immediately. “What about Jax?”
“You put him to bed after dinner,” I say, glancing at Paige as she tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. “Then we make sure his mum forgets all about meetings, hunters and pack politics for one night.”
“Understood. I take it we are giving her the full experience, then?” Remy asks.
I can’t hide my grin when I respond. “That’s exactly what I’m thinking.”
Paige looks up at me curiously, sensing the flicker of energy from the bond. “You’re plotting something,” she says.
I grin wider, unbothered by being caught. “Maybe. But you’ll have to wait and see.”
Her eyes narrow playfully. “If this involves another training surprise, I swear”
“It doesn’t. I promise”
When we reach the house, Paige runs upstairs to get changed, and we jump straight into action By the time she comes back down wearing one of Parker’s hoodies and her usual leggings, Ryder’s already out the back frying steaks on the barbecue with Jazon. The scent of the cooking meat floats through the open door. Parker is at the counter chopping vegetables, while Remy moves around the kitchen putting the potatoes in the oven and gathering ingredients for a vanilla cheesecake.
Paige stops in the doorway, blinking at them all. “What is this?”
Parker looks up at her and smiles. “Dinner. For our Luna.”
Her eyes widen in surprise, and she smiles warmly. “You guys didn’t have to.”
“We wanted to,” I cut in. “You earned it today.”
By the time we sit down, the table looks like something out of a magazine, with perfectly cooked steaks, roasted potatoes, buttery vegetables, and a bottle of prosecco in a makeshift ice bucket. Laughter fills the house as we eat. Jaxon keeps us entertained with his usual chatter, and I crack jokes just to watch Paige laugh, which is rapidly becoming my favourite addiction. Seeing her so carefree and being surrounded by so much love just does something to me I can’t describe.
After dinner, Parker shoos Paige away from the dishes while Ryder takes Jax to bed and Remy starts running a bath. I rub her shoulders until Remy calls that her bath is ready
The bathroom smells faintly of lavender and vanilla, and candles flicker along the edges.
She takes in the scene and then looks up at me, her eyes full of love. “You planned all this?
“We all did,” I say, stroking my thumb along her jaw. “You deserve everything we can give you, Paige. Tonight’s for you.”noveldrama
She steps closer, her body pressing against mine, her voice barely above a whisper. “What about you?”
“I’ll be right here,” I promise, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “Just relax. Let us spoil you.” Ryder appears in the doorway a few minutes later, leaning casually against the frame. “Jax is out like a light,” he says. “Parker’s picking a movie.”
Paige sinks into the water, sighing as the warmth surrounds her. I stay beside the tub, watching her eyes flutter closed. Every curve, every breath of her is a reminder of what we
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were missing before she came here, and what she’s given us since.
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When she finally joins us in the living room, wrapped in a bathrobe, the others are sprawled across the couch, waiting. Parker pats the space between him and Remy. Ryder hands her a mug of hot chocolate with a mountain of marshmallows.
The movie plays softly in the background, but none of us are really watching it. Paige’s head rests on Remy’s shoulder, her legs draped over Parker’s lap. My arm is around Remy’s shoulders, and I stroke her hair while Parker massages her thighs. Ryder sits on the floor in front of her, with her hand resting on his shoulder. The bond hums with that quiet, unspoken trust and love of bonded souls, but there’s also a heat simmering just beneath the surface.
By the time the movie ends, Paige’s breathing is slow and even, completely relaxed.
“Bedtime,” Remy says softly.
She hums in agreement, a sleepy little sound that makes me wonder if we should cancel the rest of the plans and let her sleep. I stand and scoop her up before she can protest, her laughter soft against my neck as I carry her upstairs.
“Callen, I can walk,” she says, though she doesn’t actually try to move.
“I know, but I like this better.”
Ryder follows us, his hand brushing her back as I set her down on the bed. Parker and Remy are right behind him, the air shifting the moment the door closes.
Paige looks up at the four of us, her cheeks flushed and her eyes warm and trusting. “You really didn’t have to do all this, but thank you. It’s exactly what I needed,” she whispers.
Remy kneels in front of her, taking her hand and kissing her palm. “We wanted to remind you of what you are,” he says. “Our Luna.”
Parker leans in from behind, pressing his lips to her shoulder. “And our peace,” he adds softly.
Ryder meets my gaze, a silent understanding passing between us as always. Tonight is about connection; we can’t rush this.
I move closer, cupping her cheek, my thumb brushing her bottom lip. “You held yourself like royalty in that room today,” I tell her. “You made them see us differently. You made me see us differently.”
She sucks in a shaky breath. “Callen…”
”
“Shhh,” I murmur, leaning in to kiss her slowly. Her hand curls in my shirt, pulling me closer.
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When Ryder’s hand slides along her thigh, she doesn’t pull away. She just leans back, trusting him. Her breath catches when Parker’s lips find the curve of her neck. Remy stands, pressing a kiss to her temple, his eyes dark but gentle.
The four of us move around her carefully, every touch deliberate. There’s no rush, no need to prove anything. Just warmth and the quiet hum of bond thrumming between us.
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