** Paige’s POV **

I wake to the sound of footsteps. Heavy, quick, and urgent.

For a moment I think I’m dreaming it, but then I hear the whisper of voices from downstairs. They’re low and serious, definitely not the usual morning chatter. My stomach tightens. Something’s wrong.

Sliding out of bed, I grab Ryder’s hoodie from the chair and pull it over my head, padding barefoot to the landing. The air feels charged, the way it does before a storm. Down below, I catch parts of their ...