The Lost Pack (Paige) novel Chapter 196

** Paige’s POV **

I move toward the kitchen, not waiting for anyone to guide me or usher me. I want to get this over with, to feel like we are actively taking steps to put an end to this rather than waiting for the hunters to make their next move.

As we enter, Ronnie steps through the back door. Behind him, Nina hovers with Blaine, both looking calm but alert.

We settle in the kitchen. Ryder on my left, Remy on my right.

Callen leans against the counter behind me, and Parker slides into the seat beside Jake.

Poppy claims the place across from me as if she wants to stare dewn the problem herself, and stands behind her.

Ronnie’s eyes find mine. “Well. Dawn mother.”

“Paige,” I warn softly.

“Paige,” he corrects with a teasing smile.

I clear my throat and cut straight to it.

“Nina,” I say. “You said a human girl was involved.

Someone the hunters called the university girl.

Nina nods. Yes”Do you know exactly what she was feeding them?”

“Not everything. I only heard snippets.” Her voice shakes. ” She mentiened schedules. Your movements and something about delivering pizza to the house.”

The room goes still. Leo swears softly, and Poppy’s knuckles go white on the table.

“The night we were ambushed at my rental,” I breathe.”

She told them we would be there.”

Ronnie nods. “It fits. Hunters got close to you, Paige. But when you left with Jax, they lost their biggest prize. They must have already had Annie in place in case this ever happened. They knew the only person Paige would give her location to was Poppy, so they had an asset planted there already. She gave them access to you.”

A cold, poisonous feeling spreads through my chest. I grit my teeth.

Callen growls under his breath. “This is bigger than Annie being stupid. I think she was planted there, rather than them recruiting her after she became Poppy’s friend. She was the backup plan from the start.”

Poppy flinches, but then she straightens, looking furious, not hurt. “Annie isn’t stupid. She’s naïve; she believes the best in people. If someone approached her pretending to be from the authorities needing her help, she’d trust it.”

“Whether she was planted or recruited doesn’t matter; shestill passed information about people who trusted her.

Remy mutters. “She put all of you in danger.”

“And I’m sure she was the one sleeping with Greg, even if she thought she was doing this for a good cause, how can that be helping the authorities?” l add.

Poppy squeezes her eyes shut. “I know, and when we confront her, I’m going to need one of you to stop me from punching her.”

Callen raises a brow. “You can punch her,”

“Callen,” Ryder snaps.

“What?” Callen throws up his hands. “She betrayed our Luna and our pack. She put all three of them in danger.

That earns at least one punch.”

“Maybe three,” Remy mutters.

Poppy actually snorts, tension breaking for a second.

Ryder cuts in. “Focus. What did the hunters want from Greg? And why Annie?”

Ronnie flips open a notebook, reading something written there.

“We know the hunters have been experimenting,” he begins. “New toxins, stronger weapons.”

“Greg must really be in their bad books for messing up their grand plan. I don’t think they planned to attack usopenly like this, at least not yet. They were going to wait for Jaxon to do it for them,” Callen mutters.

I nod. “They were never targeting me directly, they didn’t know what I was. They were only interested in Jax, and as far as we know, he’s still their target.”

The words make my stomach churn. Even though we’d already worked this out, it doesn’t make it any easier to speak about.

Ryder’s eyes flash dangerously. “They won’t touch him,” he growls.

“They won’t get near him,” Remy echoes.

“They’d have to get through all of us first,” Parker says, voice low.

“And me,” Poppy adds fiercely.

Jake grips her hand. “And me.”

“Over my dead body,” Callen spits, and Leo and Ronnie make sounds of agreement.

The room feels like it crackles with fury, but beneath the fury is something else… strategy and fierce determination.

“Fine,” I lift my chin. “Then we use that. We use what they want against them.”

Ryder turns slowly toward me. “Paige…””No,” I say firmly. “Listen. They think we’re unprepared.

That we’re afraid. That we’re scrambling.” I lean forward.” So we let them think that.”

Callen frowns. “Explain.”

“We let Greg believe he has the upper hand,” I say. “We let Annie think she’s still undercover. Meanwhile, we track their movements. We feed them carefully chosen information, enough to keep them complacent and predictable.”

Ronnie looks proud. “Controlled misinformation.”

“Exactly.”

Parker leans back, eyes widening. “Damn.”

“We take control of the board,” I continue. “We choose the battleground. We choose the timing, and when the hunters make their move…”

“We teach them what the Dawn Goddess can do,” Remy finishes.

Heat surges through my blood at the sound of that. I stand slowly. I’m not a pawn or a victim; I’m a damn Goddess, and the next time they threaten what’s mine, they’ll feel my wrath.

“They wanted leverage,” I say. “They wanted fear.”

I look each of my mates in the eye.”So let’s give them the opposite.”

Ryder rises too, stepping into my space with a mixture of awe and something far more primal.

“Paige,” he murmurs, “we have another idea, but I’m not sure how you’d feel about it.”.

“Then tell me.”

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