The Lost Pack (Paige) novel Chapter 179

** Parker’s POV **

The moment Ryder, Remy, and Callen head out for the night patrol, the cabin feels too big. Too hollow.

Paige stands by the window, her arms wrapped around herself as she watches the silhouettes of the rest of her mates disappear into the tree line, Ryder leading, Remy already shifted, and Callen stalking the rear like a silent shadow.

Her shoulders don’t drop when they vanish. If anything, they go tighter. She watches the darkness as if it might swallow them whole.

“Hey,” I say softly, placing a hand on her back. “They’ll be okay.”

She doesn’t look at me. “I know.”

But I know she doesn’t believe it, not fully.

I can feel the anxiety humming under her skin like a live wire. She’s exhausted, but her power buzzes beneath the surface… overworked and coiled so tight I’m amazed she’s still standing.

“Come on,” I murmur. “Let’s get you to bed.”

Her lips press together. You should sleep.”

“I will, but only with you.”She glances at me then, her eyes softening but still full of that fear she tries so damn hard to hide.

“I don’t think I can sleep,” she admits quietly. “Not with everything going on. Not with them out there.”

“I know,” I say honestly. “But you can rest.”

She hesitates, glancing once more out the window, then finally lets me guide her toward the bedroom.

The bedroom is dim, lit only by a low lamp and the faint glow coming from the ensuite. I close the door quietly behind us.

Paige sits on the edge of the bed, running her fingers over the blanket.

I step in front of her and tilt her chin up gently. “Talk to me.”

She blinks, and I swear her eyes shine too bright again, that sun-moon shimmer threading through them.

“I’m scared,” she whispers. “Not just for me. For Jaxon, for you, for the pack, for them. And earlier…” Her voice breaks. “I drained you, Parker. I hurt you. I didn’t even feel myself doing it.”

“You didn’t hurt me,” I say immediately.

“I did,” she insists. “If Leo hadn’t stopped me…”

“You would’ve stopped,” I counter gently. “And if youdidn’t, Ryder would’ve stepped in. Or Callen, or Remy, o hell… Ronnie would’ve appeared out of nowhere like he always does. You weren’t alone, Paige.”

“But I scared you,” she whispers.

“Yeah,” I admit softly. “But not because I thought you d hurt me. I was scared because you were scared. You were spiralling and pushing yourself so hard you couldn’t breathe.”

She swallows hard.

I sit beside her, brushing her hair back behind her ear. ” Look at me.”

She does, and I see everything she is trying so desperately to hide.

“You can take anything you need from me,” I say quietly.”

Anything. If your power reaches for me again, I will give you whatever it wants. Whatever you want.”

She sucks in a small, sharp breath. “Parker..”

“I mean it,” I take her hand, bringing it to my chest. “This is all yours. All of it. I’m yours in every way that matters. I trust you and your gifts. You won’t take more than I can handle or hurt me.”

Her fingers grip my shirt like she’s holding on for balance whilst her eyes search mine.

“It didn’t feel like you were taking from me,” I add softly.”It felt like you were pulling me closer.”

Her lip trembles. “But you almost collapsed.”

I let out a quiet laugh. “But I didn’t. I know you would have stopped before it got to that point. To be honest, I’m more embarrassed that I couldn’t give you more. The lack of sleep in the past few days didn’t help. But look on the bright side… it means I get to stay here with you again tonight whilst I recuperate.”

That gets a small smile from her.

I press a kiss to the back of her hand. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”

– She leans in, her forehead resting against mine. “I’m tired, Parker.”

“I know,” I breathe. “Let me take care of you.”

She hesitates. “I’m not sure that I can sleep until I know they’re safe.

“That’s okay,” I soothe, stroking her cheek. “Rest doesn’t always mean sleep.”

Her eyes flutter at my touch, her breath softening. The bond pulls between us, warm and familiar, like a steady heartbeat.

Still, she shakes her head faintly. “When they’re out there, I feel… stretched. Like a part of me is following them.”1 brush my thumb over her soft lips. “Then let me help you come back.”

Her gaze lifts to mine, and I move closer until her knees brush my thigh.

“You’re safe,” I whisper. “They’re safe, and I’m here. I’m right here.”

She sucks in a breath, something loosening just a little.

Her breath hitches as I trail kisses along her jaw and down her neck.

“Parker…” she breathes.

“Shhh.” I press a kiss to the hollow of her throat. “It’s okay.

Whatever you need, ‘ll give it to you; just tell me if you want to stop.*

My lips trace a slow path to her collarbone, and she melts under my touch, her fingers pressing harder into my skin as the rest of her body relaxes under my hands.

“This feels so wrong, but so right at the same time,” she admits, making me pause.

I lift my head, stroking her cheek. “Then let me give you something else to focus on.”She swallows. “Like what?”

I smile gently. “Like the fact that you’re safe. That your mates are some of the strongest wolves alive and have a literal army out there with them. That you’re not alone, and that I’m here, keeping you warm, keeping you grounded, keeping you distracted so that you’ll be rested if they need you through the night.”

I kiss her again, slower this time, deeper, letting the world outside the cabin fade.

She arches slightly when my hand brushes her hip again, and her breath stutters against my mouth.

“It’s not wrong to let me help you relax.”

I feel the pulse of trust through the bond before she speaks.

“Okay,” she whispers.

I pull off my shirt and lean in to kiss her again, and something in her loosens. Her body presses closer, and then… something happens.

At first, I think it’s just the bathroom light flickering. But no… the light is coming from her.

A soft shimmer spreads beneath her hand where it rests on my chest, warm and steady, and then sinks slowly into my skin with a strange tingling sensation.

Paige gasps. “Parker… your chest.”I look down, and everything inside me stops.

Right over my heart, where her palm was pressed moments ago, a faint symbol begins to take shape, delicate lines of soft gold. It’s like the mark is made of light itself, shifting subtly as if it’s alive.

The shape is abstract, almost impossible to describe, two intertwined circles with similar angular symbols in each.

A Lunarae mark.

Her mark.

My breath stutters. “Paige… you marked me.”