The Lost Pack (Paige) novel Chapter 48

Chapter 48

**Paige’s POV **

The grip

ip on me is like iron restraints. One arm bands across my ribs, pinning my arms, other pressing a warm hand over my mouth so tightly I can barely breathe.

the

I kick and twist, but whoever’s holding me is bigger and stronger. Unnaturally strong. A wolf

for sure. Hopefully, one with good intentions. I don’t think it’s any of my mates. I’m not

getting that safe feeling they bring, but then it’s hard to feel safe at all right now. I try to force calm, but my heart is slamming like it’s trying to break out of my chest. The ditch swallows us in darkness, the cold earth seeping into my feet, a stark contrast to the warm body behind

1. me.

Above us, twigs snap under the weight of heavy boots. Multiple sets. The thud and crunch of men moving fast… Hunters?

My breath hitches against the palm covering my mouth.

“Where the hell did she go?” a rough voice mutters impatiently from above.

“Keep moving, she can’t have got far,” another snaps.

They’re so close I can hear their heavy breathing, the faint clinking of metal gear, the click of

a safety being flicked off a gun. My body goes rigid with terror.

The arm around me tightens. My captor lowers us both until my back is flush to his chest

and his chin hovers just over my shoulder, keeping us completely still.

Every second stretches into an eternity. The smell of damp earth fills my lungs, mingling with the sharp tang of something familiar from the arm holding me. I can hear my own pulse in my ears, pounding so loud I’m certain they’ll hear it too.

One set of footsteps stops. “You hear that?”

My stomach flips. I don’t know what they heard. Me, my captor, or something else, but my

every instinct screams at me to bolt.

The man holding me doesn’t move. His breathing is steady, controlled, his chest solid

against my spine. I can feel the tension in him, though, like a predator waiting for the exact

moment to strike. Slowly, the hunters above move again, their voices fading deeper into the

woods.

< Chapter 48

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I count their steps until they go too far out of range for me to hear. Only then does the man

shift. He twists me in his grip until I can see his face.

Moonlight filters through the branches, highlighting blonde hair, a strong jawline, and eyes 1

know.

Remy.

My whole body sags with a messy mix of relief and confusion.

He presses a finger to his lips, his gaze burning into mine. I nod, my chest still heaving with

panic. Then he removes his hand, and I gasp, about to whisper his name, but his head jerks to the side, eyes scanning the darkness above us. His focus is sharp, every muscle tense, his

wolf’s senses obviously tracking the hunters still moving nearby.

When he looks back at me, something changes. His jaw tightens. His eyes darken, but not

with anger. It’s something far more intense, something that makes the hair on the back of my

neck rise.

ok over my

Before I can process it, before I can even tell him Jaxon is missing, his hand is back over my

mouth. With his free hand, he yanks at the collar of the T–shirt I borrowed from Parker until I hear the soft rip of fabric. His eyes bore into mine for a second, and then his head dips low

and his teeth sink into the curve of my neck.

A muffled cry bursts from me, silenced by his palm. The initial bite is a sharp, tearing sting that sends a shockwave down my spine, but then… oh God…. it shifts. The pain dissolves into a molten rush of heat exploding under my skin and spreading outward in waves.

My nails dig into his forearm as the burn transforms into something else entirely… fierce pleasure. It rolls through me, overwhelming in its intensity, making it impossible to think of anything but him, his teeth, the primal claim he’s making on me.

The world melts

Until there’s just the press of his naked body, the steady strength in his hold, and the pull threading into

my very soul. Then I feel it. I feel him.

Not just his body pressed to mine, but his presence, his heartbeat, his steadiness sliding into place inside me like he was always meant to be there. The mate bond snaps into place with

a jolt, like a bullet buried deep in my chest.

When he pulls back, his breath is ragged, and his lips graze my jaw, almost like a kiss. Hist voice is inside my head now. It’s strange but oddly reassuring to know I’ll never have to be

truly alone again.

2/5

© Clupter 4

“Paige, listen to me. If you can hear me, just nod.”

I blink, dazed by the rush of heat and connection still flooding my veins, but I nod.

“Good. Parker has Jaxon, He’s safe.”

Relief hits me so hard I almost sob.

“I’m going to draw the hunters away from here.”

Panic flares in my chest. He’s going toward danger, just like the others.

ice continues, rant but le

Mare Rewards. }

“You should be faster now,” his “Run back to the house. and hide there. Don’t stop for anything. Do you understand?”

I nod, still

still not sure if I can speak back to him through the mind link or even how to try. The bond hums between us, carrying his emotions, his unspoken apology for doing this now, like

this.

His gaze softens, just for a second, before he pokes his head up, out of the ditch. He freezes,

listening, then moves, silent and sure. The next heartbeat, he’s gone, vanishing into the

darkness.

“Go now, Paige,” his voice rings in my mind, making me flinch in surprise.

I move, scrambling up, out of the small ditch. I turn back the way I’d come and I run.

Remy was right… my god, was he right.

I’m fast. Faster than I’ve ever been. My bare feet barely make a sound against the forest floor as I run over branches and rocks like they’re not even there. The wind is cool against my flushed skin.

Every sound is clearer too, the rustle of leaves to my left, the creak of a branch overhead, and faint howls in the distance. Somewhere behind me, a twig snaps. I push harder. My legs o don’t ache. My lungs don’t burn. It’s as if the bond has flipped a switch inside me, unlocking something primal and wild. I might not have a wolf of my own, but I have his. Remy’s wolf, lending me his strength.

I leap over a fallen log without breaking stride. I almost ran into a low branch, but I duck without thinking, my body reacting before my brain could even process. It feels right. As if I was always supposed to be this way.

The porch light of the house appears through the trees faster than should have been

15

possible. My heart stutters, my legs pumping harder until I’m bursting out of the treeline and

across the yard in a blur. I don’t slow until I’m inside, slamming the door shut behind me and locking it. My breath comes in heavy gasps, yet my body feels alive and wired, as if every sense is heightened.

The air inside the house feels warmer, safer somehow. I lean back against the door, pressing a trembling hand to my neck. It still throbs lightly where he bit me, but the heat in my veins hasn’t cooled. The bond hums, a living thing, tethering me to him even across the growing distance.

Somewhere out there, Remy is fighting to keep them away from me. I feel him. His fierce.

protectiveness. His desire for love, for me. He can’t hide it behind unfriendly looks or hurtful

comments anymore.

Remy claimed me. I’m his, but it’s more than that, because he’s mine, too.

I don’t realise I’m clutching the door handle until my fingers ache. I force them to loosen, but I don’t move away from the door.

The house is too quiet without Jax or my mates. My stomach knots with a need to hold my

son, to protect him, but then I remember Remy’s words. Parker has Jaxon. He’s safe.

Probably safer than he was with me.

I close my eyes and reach for that new thread in my mind. Trying to work out this mind–link

stuff. The bond is strange. It’s too new for me to fully understand, but it’s there, pulsing

faintly like a second heartbeat that isn’t mine.

When I focus, I can feel him more intensely. Not clearly, not like a conversation, but in

flashes. A rush of wind against fur. The dull pound of paws against the ground. His warning.

growl. Then an impact.

It jolts through me like static. Not pain, but the ghost of it, enough to make me gasp. My

hand clutches the door again for balance. I get a faint rush of adrenaline that isn’t mine, and

then I feel his determination.

He’s not running for his life. He’s leading them. Pulling them away from me.

I press my palm to the bite mark on my neck again, the throb a steady reminder of what just happened. What he just made us, and I know with certainty, that when this night is over,

nothing between us will ever be the same.

Outside, the soft creak of the porch floorboards breaks the silence. My head snaps up, every

Chapter 48

muscle locking, but a second later a familiar voice whispers from behind the door.

More Rewards a

“It’s me,” Parker says, and I almost collapse as relief sweeps through me so hard my knees.

buckle.

I fumble trying to unlock the door, and I yank it open to see Jaxon’s pale face. He runs at me, and I drop to the floor, wrapping him in my arms as all the emotions flood out in

uncontrollable sobs.

“I’m sorry, Mummy,” he cries.

“It’s okay, baby. You’re okay. We are both okay,” I soothe, breathing him in.

Parker follows him in, closing the door behind him. He disappears into the house and then returns a moment later with a blanket. He crouches beside us, wrapping us in the blanket.

“Thank you,” I breathe.

“Mum,” Jax whispers quietly in my ear. “Did you know Parker can turn into a wolf?”

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