The Lost Pack (Paige) novel Chapter 2

** Poppy’s POV **

I wake up slowly. For a moment, I don’t know where I am. Warmth surrounds me, the steady weight of a blanket pulled up to my shoulders, and the faint scent of smoke.

Then I realise two things at once. First… I’m not alone. Second… I didn’t run. My heart stutters as memory rushes back in a wave. The cabin, the couch, Jake, Leo.

Carefully, I open my eyes. My head is in Jake’s lap as he sits on the couch. He’s still asleep, his head tilted awkwardly against the couch cushion. I bet he will have a stiff neck today. Do werewolves even get stiff necks?… probably not. One of his hands is still loosely tangled with mine, never letting go, even in his sleep.

On the other side of the couch, Leo is awake, watching me. His gaze softens when he sees my eyes open.

“Morning,” he says quietly.

“Morning,” I answer, my voice still thick with sleep.

For a second, I just lie there, letting the reality settle around me. I didn’t run, and neither did they. I didn’t wake up alone.

My legs rest on Leo’s lap, and his hands rest gently on my shins. Did he stay awake all night watching over me?

Without really thinking about it, my fingers tighten around Jake’s, and he stirs almost immediately. His brow furrows slightly before his eyes open, confusion flashing across his face for half a second. Then he sees me, and the relief that floods his expression is so raw it nearly breaks my heart.

“You’re still here,” he breathes.

I smile softly. “I told you I would be.”

Jake exhales slowly, as if he’s been holding that breath all night. Across the couch, Leo watches us quietly. I’m sure he noticed the way I reached for Jake first, and the way Jake relaxed the second he realised I hadn’t disappeared. His eyes flash with his wolf, but it’s not jealousy I see there; it looks more like approval.

None of us speak for a moment, each lost in our own thoughts and the realisation that we are all here together, something I don’t think any of us expected after so long apart. My body aches in that way it does after a deep sleep after too long of broken sleep.

I shouldn’t have slept so well, not like this. Not when I didn’t even make it into a real bed, but I did. I slept better than I have in months.

“It’s because of them,” the voice says suddenly, making me flinch in surprise.

Leo and Jake don’t miss it; their gazes shoot to me instantly, and the concern in their eyes almost melts me.

“Almost got a cramp,” I lie, forcing a smile.

They don’t ask where; they just act. Leo’s hands wrap around my legs, massaging my calves, whilst Jake works on my shoulders and neck. My eyes close in bliss, and I start questioning why I ever ran from this.

“You ran because this isn’t the whole truth.” The voice is quiet, but it cuts through the warmth like a cold blast.

My eyes snap open.

“They deserve to know,” it continues, calm and patient in a way that makes my stomach twist.

Know what? The question forms automatically in my mind, but I don’t ask it out loud. I don’t even let my face react. The last thing I want right now is for Jake or Leo to realise that I’m hearing voices, or they may be the ones to run this time.

“You’re hiding from it,” the voice adds.

A chill crawls up my spine despite Leo’s warm hands still working the tension from my legs.

No… I’m not doing this right now. Not when they’re touching me like I’m something precious. Not when this moment feels so normal. I force the thought away and sit up slowly.

“Okay,” I say quickly, stretching my arms above my head like that’s all the flinch was about. “I think the cramp’s gone.”

Jake’s hands linger on my shoulders for a second longer before he lets go.

“Good,” he says, though his eyes linger on my face as if he’s trying to read something there.

Leo releases my legs and leans back slightly.

“You slept like the dead,” he says.

I laugh softly. “Is that a compliment?”

“Once you finished talking in your sleep, you were snoring like a grizzly bear,” Jake grins.

My stomach flips slightly at that.

“Why did I say?” I ask carefully, trying not to show my panic.

Jake and Leo exchange a brief look.

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