The Lost Pack (Paige) novel Chapter 2

** Alaric’s POV **

I’m not thinking about her. That’s the first lie. The second is that I’ve stopped checking my phone.

I don’t pick it up this time. Don’t look at the screen; don’t open the message thread that hasn’t changed in hours. Instead, I stand at the window, watching the treeline as if it’s going to give me answers. It doesn’t.

The forest is still, too still. Bastian notices before I have a chance to say anything.

“You feel that?” he asks quietly.

I nod once. Something is off. It doesn’t feel like danger exactly, but it’s the kind of subtle shift that wakes up your instincts, whether you want them to or not.

My wolf is already pacing, alert and waiting.

“For what?” I ask out loud.

Bastian doesn’t answer, and neither does my wolf.

The air feels charged. Like the moment before a storm breaks, but the skies are clear. I hate not knowing why.

A knock hits the door, hard and urgent. We both turn instantly.

“Come in.”

The door opens, and one of our wolves, Shay, steps inside, tension rolling off him in waves.

“Callie just sent word.”

That gets my full attention.

“What kind of word?”

Shay hesitates, as if he’s choosing how to say it. “River Pack is calling a meeting.”

Bastian straightens. “All Alphas?”

“Yes.”

My jaw tightens slightly. Some packs have been trying to arrange a meeting like this for months, but until now, almost every alpha has refused. Just days ago, they dismissed the idea again, so the fact that the majority have changed their minds so quickly is not a good sign.

“Why?” I ask.

“There’s been movement along the borders reported by multiple packs last night.”

That alone would be enough, but something in his tone says there’s more.

“What kind of movement?” I press.

“They thought it was hunters.”

Thought… I don’t like that word.

“And now?”

“Whoever or whatever it is, it has no scent.”

Bastian frowns. “That’s not possible.”

“I know.”

Humans always leave something, always. Even the careful and trained ones. They leave a trail.

“What else?” I ask.

Shay shifts his weight, looking uneasy.

“It’s fast.”

“How fast?”

“I’m not sure exactly, but they said it’s faster than a human for sure.”

My wolf bares its teeth beneath my skin, pushing at its confines. Now that’s a problem.

“How many packs?” Bastian asks.

“Three so far.”

“Same pattern?”

“Yes.”

I glance at Bastian; I know he’s already thinking the same thing I am.

“This isn’t hunters,” he says with a frown.

“No,” I agree.

Not human, not wolf, not anything we’ve dealt with before. My mind immediately goes to a certain female, but I know this is not her. She had a scent, and unless she was hiding it very well, she was certainly lacking in the speed department.

Shay nods once. “Meeting’s in three days to give everyone time to make arrangements and travel.”

“Tell Callie we’ll be there,” I say. “Double our patrols and prepare a rota for when we are away.”

He dips his head and leaves. The door shuts behind him and silence settles again, but it’s different now, heavier.

Bastian exhales slowly. “This is not ideal.”

“That’s one way to put it,” I scoff.

Three packs targeted in one night. No scent. Something faster than a human moving through territories as if it belongs there, and underneath it all, that same strange feeling is still there. Still pulling, faint but insistent.

Bastian watches me. “You feel it again.”

“Yes,”

“It’s not coming from the pack,” he says, nodding towards the window.

I know. That’s the problem. It’s not the forest or our people, and it’s not the threat. It’s something else. My gaze drifts to the window, toward the distance. To the North. Toward her.

“No,” I snap at myself before I have time to stop it.

Bastian’s eyes sharpen immediately.

“What?”

“Nothing.”

“You’re lying,” he says, narrowing his eyes at me the way he always does when he’s suspicious.

I ignore him.

“She didn’t smell right,” I say instead.

Bastian goes still.

“You’re still thinking about that?”

Because now we have two problems. Something moving around the border of our territory, and a girl who doesn’t belong to any known species, both triggering the same instinct at the same time.

My wolf doesn’t see that as a coincidence, and neither do I.

“We need to find her,” Bastian says.

I turn to face him slowly, wondering if I heard him right.

“You’ve changed your tune.”

His mouth twitches slightly. “Have I?”

Something clicks, and I narrow my eyes at him.

“You’ve been feeling it too, haven’t you?” I say slowly, watching him.

Bastian rubs a hand over his face, letting out a sigh before his eyes meet mine again.

“From the moment I saw her.”

The admission lands between us, heavy and undeniable.

“Then why hide it?” I snap.

Something almost like frustration flickers across his face, and his eyes dart to the side.

“Because I wanted to be wrong,” he admits.

That wasn’t the answer I was expecting.

Silence stretches for a few tense seconds.

“But you’ve not exactly been forthcoming,” he adds, stepping closer, his eyes locking onto mine. “Say it.”

My wolf surges forward at the demand, pressing hard against the edge of control, meeting his challenge. I don’t look away because I can’t.

I already know what this is. I’ve known since the moment we walked into that coffee shop, and she turned the entire room into something charged. Since the moment she looked at me and didn’t flinch. From the moment she walked away… and took a piece of me with her.

My fists clench. “She’s not just some strange girl I need to understand,” I say, my voice low.

Bastian doesn’t respond; he just waits. I exhale slowly, and then I stop fighting it.

“She’s ours,” I say with absolute certainty. “She’s our mate.”

The words feel final. My wolf goes still, no longer restless. He’s certain about this too; his approval running through me in a warm wave.

Bastian’s head drops slightly, like something inside him has finally clicked into place, and a breath leaves him, rough and unsteady.

“Yeah,” he sighs. “I know.”

For a moment, neither of us moves, because this changes everything. Our future, our pack, the mate we were supposed to accept. All of it is gone. Rewritten in a single breath.

Bastian lifts his head again, and this time there’s no hesitation in his expression. No doubt, just intent.

“So we stop pretending,” he says.

I nod once. “Yeah.”

A slow, dangerous grin spreads across his face. “Then let’s go find her.”

My wolf surges in agreement, a low, satisfied rumble building in my chest. Because wherever she is, whatever she is… she’s ours, and she’s not getting away from us again.