The Lost Pack (Paige) novel Chapter 173

** Paige’s POV **

The front door clicks shut behind them, and the silence left in its wake is thick enough to choke on. Outside, the cold wind whistles through the gaps in the trees, making the walls seem thinner than they were ten minutes ago.

Parker’s arm tightens around my shoulders like he can feel the tremor climbing up my spine. Jaxon shifts in his hold, wrapping his small arms around Parker’s neck. His chin rests on Parker’s shoulder, eyes locked on the door that Ryder and Callen just disappeared through.

We stand there, three bodies pressed together, breathing in the same unsteady rhythm, until the thud of boots fades into nothing.

Only then does Parker speak, voice low. “Hey… come on.” He presses a gentle kiss to the top of Jaxon’s head. “Let’s go sit down. They’re going to be okay.”

He means it. I feel the truth of it through the bond. But underneath… there’s worry. Deep and sharp, like a wound he’s trying to hide from me.

I let him guide me toward the sofa, but my eyes don’t leave the door until I’m physically pulled away from it. It feels wrong to sit, wrong to rest. My whole body is vibrating with something restless and electric, like the air before a storm.The power inside me hums, warm and steady, pressing against my ribs like a heartbeat that isn’t mine. They’re in danger. The unwelcome thought rises, but it’s true. I feel it.

Parker settles onto the couch with Jaxon tucked against him. I sit close, pulling one of the blankets over my knees even though I’m not cold. Jaxon Leans sideways and crawls straight into my lap.

I wrap my arms around him and press my cheek to his damp hair. “I’ve got you, baby,” I whisper. “I’m right here.”

He nods, small and silent. His fear sits like a weight on my chest. Too heavy for him. Too heavy for me. He shouldn’t have to know what any of this feels like. He shouldn’t have to sense danger or carry memories of fleeing from monsters in the dark.

He should be playing with toys, worrying about beatime stories, asking a thousand questions about everything.

Not this, never this.

Guilt burns through me, hot and bright. It mixes with the restless energy humming through my veins until it feels like electricity sparking under my skin.

Parker watches me quietly, eyes flickering with concern.” You’re shaking.”

I look down. He’s right. My fingers tremble where they rest on Jaxon’s back.

“It’s just adrenaline,” I whisper. “TIl be fine.”Parker doesn’t argue. He knows better than to try. But he shifts closer, his thigh touching mine, grounding me with Sitent presence. A crackle of warmth spreads through the bond. His warmth and steadiness. It helps, but not enough.

Something is wrong. The power inside me feels it. It paces like an animal just beneath my skin, not panicked… but alert. Focused and waiting.

Ten minutes pass. Then twenty. The small clock on the wall ticks with each second, too loud in the quiet house.

Jaxon drifts to sleep against me, his breath soft and warm, his fingers clinging to my shirt even in dreams. I stroke his back slowly, using the motion to keep myself calm. But every part of me is tuned outward, listening for them. For the faintest brush of emotion through the bond, that might mean danger.

Parker stands suddenly, tension rolling off him. “I’ll make some coffee,” he mutters, running a hand through his hair.

“Or… something.”

He needs to move. I understand it. The stillness is unbearable. The waiting is worse. I watch him walk into the tiny kitchen. He fumbles with the kettle like he’s forgotten how it works. His hands shake.

The sight alone makes my throat close. Parker is the calm one. The mediator. The one who steadies everyone else. If he’s shaking… then the fear is worse than I realised.

“Parker,” I say softly.He doesn’t turn around. His fingers curl tightly over the counter’s edge until the tendons in his hands stand out beneath his skin.

“They’ll be fine,” he says, voice too thick. “They always are.”

“But you don’t believe that.”

He exhales long and shaky, and lets his head drop forward. “I’m trying.”

I Shift Jaxon gently to the cushions, tucking a blanket under his cheek, and walk toward Parker. The second I touch his arm, he flinches. Like he’s been holding everything in so tightly that the smallest touch cracks him open.

He looks at me then, eyes bright with fear he doesn’t want me to see. “I can’t lose them,” he whispers. “Not after last night. Not ever.”

“You won’t,” I say, wrapping my arms around him. “We won’t.”

He presses his face into my shoulder and holds me like he’s drowning. The power inside me responds instantly, flaring warm and steady. Protective… claiming.

My vision swims with a soft glow around the edges. I feel the energy thrumming through me, not dangerous or wild, but awake.

Parker pulls back slightly, brows pulling together. “Paige ..your eyes…”I blink. The glow dims, but doesn’t disappear. I’m not afraid of it this time. I’m not fighting it. It feels… right.

“Something’s wrong,” I whisper. “They haven’t been gone long, but I can feet it. The closer they get to home… the more the bond feels…” I swallow hard.”…wrong.”

Parker stiffens. “Wrong how?”

“Like… every emotion on their end is covered in barbed wire. They’re hiding it, pushing it down, but it’s there.”

The kettle clicks off, but neither of us moves to pour the water.

Parker nods slowly, jaw tightening. His eyes go distant, the way they do when he’s communicating through the mind-link and not trying to hide it.

I hold my breath, waiting for him to say something, anything. His shoulders relax, and I finally let out a breath.

“They’re okay, just observing from a distance right now.”

I nod, and we sit again, closer than before. The room is warm, but the fear underneath my skin makes it hard to breathe.

Minutes stretch into an uncomfortable eternity, and then finally I feel a pulse through the bond… Ryder, Callen and Remy.

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