The Lost Pack (Paige) novel Chapter 114

Chapter 113

**Paige’s POV **

+25 Points

For a long while, neither of us speak. The only sounds are Jaxon’s laughter and the soft breeze rustling through the trees. Parker keeps looking over at us like it’s a struggle for him to stay away when he can feel how much I need him. But he knows I need Jaxon distracted more right now. I don’t want him to see me upset.

“I don’t know what scares me more,” I admit finally. “The idea that I’m not human, which makes me a target for a whole new reason, or that I am human and this is all a crazy coincidence.”

Ryder kisses the top of my head. “You’re safe here,” he says. “No one touches you or your sister without going through me first.”

I lean into him, breathing in his familiar scent. “I don’t know how much of all this I should tell Poppy.”

He’s quiet for a moment before answering. “She deserves the truth, even if it’s hard to hear. But I think we should wait until we know more. Remy’s reaching out to a contact who might be able to decrypt the clinic’s records. Once we have that, we’ll know more.”

I nod slowly, watching Jaxon as he kneels in the grass, holding a flower out for a passing butterfly to land on. My sweet little boy, part wolf, part human… and maybe something more.

“I just want him to have a normal life,” I whisper.

Ryder looks down at me, eyes soft. “He will. Whatever blood runs through your veins, it doesn’t change who you are. Or who he is. You’ve already given him more love and stability than most kids ever get.”

I smile faintly, though my chest still aches. “You’re annoyingly good at saying the right thing.”

He grins. “Comes with being the Alpha.”

I roll my eyes, but before I can reply, Jaxon comes bounding up the porch steps, holding out his fist. “Look, Mum! I found a feather!”

I take it gently, running my fingers along its soft edge. “It’s beautiful, baby.”

He beams and turns to Ryder. “Can we go to the pond later? I want to look for frog eggs.”

Ryder ruffles his hair. “We’ll see, pup. Maybe after lunch.”

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I hear voices then and turn towards the side of the house, just in time to see Callen, Remy and Poppy. My eyes fix on my sister, and her easy smile is contagious. There’s colour in her cheeks again, and the haunted look that had shadowed her eyes yesterday has gone. She even laughs at something Callen says, swatting at him playfully.

Jaxon lets out a delighted squeal and bolts toward her, feather still clutched in his hand.” Auntie Poppy!”

She crouches down to scoop him into a hug, her smile radiant. “Hey, little man! Did me?”

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“Yep,” he nods eagerly. “I caught a butterfly! But I let it go because Parker said it had places to be.”

Poppy laughs, pressing a kiss to his head. “That was very kind of you.”

Remy and Callen both give me gentle smiles before heading inside with Ryder, Parker and Jax, leaving me and Poppy alone on the porch. She drops her bag by the bench and sits beside me, exhaling softly.

“You look better,” I say, studying her face.

She smiles, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “I feel better. I needed time to think, to… process everything.”

“I get that,” I nod. “You’ve had a lot thrown at you.”

She lets out a quiet laugh. “That’s one way to put it. I went from university classes to finding out werewolves are real, and I’m fated to two of them. My brain’s still trying to reboot.”

I chuckle softly, nodding. “So… have you decided what you’re going to do about them?”

Her expression softens. “Yeah. I told them I’m not ready to commit to anything yet. I want to take things slow, to get to know them properly, not just jump into something because fate says I should. I think they understood. Jake especially. He’s been patient, kind in a way I didn’t expect. And Leo is quieter, more watchful, but there’s this… gentleness there. I think he’s scared of pushing too hard.”

“I can’t imagine any of them wanting to risk losing your trust,” I say softly. “You’ve been through enough without more chaos.”

Her eyes flick to mine. “I did agree to stay here for a while. The hunter threat isn’t gone yet, and I don’t want to be caught off–guard or bring the threat to my roommates.”

Relief floods through me, and I reach over to squeeze her hand. “I’m really glad you’re staying. It’ll be safer here, and me and Jax would love to have you around. We miss you.”

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She smiles, squeezing back. “I’ve missed both of you too.” Her voice softens. “I was thinking about asking the university if I can complete the rest of the term remotely. There’s no point pretending I can just go back to lectures like nothing’s changed, and commuting to and from uni every day from here feels risky.”

I nod. “That’s a good idea. You’ll have time to adjust, and you won’t have to keep pretending everything’s normal.”

She grins. “And Jake’s offered to teach me more about healing. Real healing. He said I can shadow him at the healer’s cabin, learn how to treat injuries for wolves. Apparently, I’ve got a natural instinct for it.”

“That doesn’t surprise me, you really made me proud when you helped Leo,” I say with a smile. “You’ve always been the one to fix people. Even when we were little, you’d patch up your teddies with bandages and plasters.”

“Some things never change,” Poppy laughs. “You know how I struggled to decide between becoming a vet or a doctor? Here I could do both.”

“Seems like you’re already considering staying here long term,” I smirk, nudging her playfully with my elbow.

For a while, we just sit together, watching the sunlight filter through the trees.

After a moment, she turns to me. “You seem… different today. Quieter.”

I hesitate, unsure of how much to tell her. She’s already processing so much, and the last thing I want to do is add more weight for her to carry. She definitely doesn’t need to know about our parents yet, not until we know for sure. I don’t think telling her she’s likely not human yet will help either.

“I’m just tired,” I lie.

Poppy studies me for a beat, then nods. “Okay, well I know you’re lying. I’m not going to push you to tell me if you’re not ready, but don’t shut me out, Paige. Whatever it is, we’ll figure it out together.”

“I know,” I say softly, pulling her into a hug. “I promise I’ll tell you everything when I’m ready. I just have so much I need to tell you. I’m not even sure where to start.”

“How about at the beginning? Tell me how you found Ryder, how he told you what he was.” I blow out a breath and laugh. “Let’s get coffee first, this is going to be a long one.” We spend the next hour catching up on everything I’d had to hide from her, starting with meeting Callen first and thinking he was Ryder. Then how the guys introduced me to their

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world in a desperate attempt to stop me leaving because I thought they were on drugs.

“Oh my God! I swear, men have no brains when it comes to women. It’s like all rational thoughts leave their minds when a female is involved,” she laughs.

When I tell her about Greg and his connection to the hunters, she is furious, pacing up and down the porch, calling Greg a full range of every insulting name she can muster.

“I never liked that asshole! I knew he was a creep. He just gave me some weird vibes the moment you married him,” she seethes.

“It gets worse, he’s taking me to court for access to Jaxon. He’s claiming to be his father.”

“Over my dead body!” She hisses. “If he so much as looks at you or Jaxon again, I swear to all the gods I will castrate him, and don’t think I won’t. Jake has surgical tools, Paige.”

I can’t help it, I burst out laughing, the image too vivid. “You’re completely unhinged.”

“Protective,” she corrects with a huff. “There’s a difference.”

“I appreciate it,” I say, still chuckling, “but trust me, we are dealing with it. Ryder took a DNA test, and we’ve amended Jaxon’s birth certificate to list Rye as his father. Plus, none of us will let him near Jax, no matter what any courts say. If I have to run with Jaxon, I will, and I can run pretty damn fast.”

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