Chapter 278

** Poppy’s POV **

The room feels too heavy after my outburst. Like my mates and even the walls themselves are waiting to see what I’ll do next. My stomach is still in knots, heat and shame twisting together so tightly I can’t tell where one ends and the other begins.

Jake is staring at me like he’s trying to hold ten thoughts in his head at once, and Leo’s hand is still locked around my wrist. Not hurting, but not letting go either.

“You don’t deal with it alone anymore,” Leo says, his voice low and steady.

I let out a humourless breath. “I wasn’t planning to.”

The lie sits there between us, obvious and ugly. I’ve never been one to rely on others, not since I lost my parents. I had to learn very quickly to deal with my own problems, not because I had no one to lean on, but because Paige was going through enough without me adding to her load.

“We need to understand your limits before this happens again,” Jake says, all calm logic now, like that somehow makes this less terrifying.