The Lost Pack (Paige) novel Chapter 2

** Poppy’s POV **

Spending my first night after completing the mate bond back in the clinic was not on my bingo card, but here we are.

I wake up stiff. Like I slept too heavy for too long. Jake and Leo insisted we spend the night here, which makes no sense. Yes, I had a bit of a funny turn, but I recovered quickly. And how is being here any better than being home with the best healer I know sleeping beside me?

I’m sure it was just some delayed reaction to bonding myself to Leo. Those wolfy powers I was supposed to get are just settling in. Of course that’s going to cause some strange symptoms.

Leo is asleep in the chair beside my bed. His arms folded and his chin resting on his chest. I don’t dare move for fear I’ll wake him. I know he’s barely slept; I can feel his tiredness through the bond.

I lay there watching him for a moment, unable to keep the smile from my face. That big guy in the chair, who’s guarded me all night… he’s mine. I get to keep him forever. That thought makes warmth spread through my chest.

The bond is strong, and it’s nothing like I imagined. I thought it would feel restrictive, like I’d been shackled. Trapped in a world I was dropped into. But it doesn’t. It feels steady. Safe in a way I don’t think I’ve ever truly known. It’s not a cage, it’s a home.

Something shifts beneath that thought. Not enough to break it, just enough to disturb it. A whisper I almost don’t catch. “Safe… for now.”

I frown slightly, my gaze drifting toward the window. The early morning light filters in softly, pale and hazy, but something about it feels off. It’s duller than it should be, as if the world outside hasn’t quite caught up yet.

The door opens quietly, breaking the stillness. Leo’s head lifts instantly. It’s subtle, but I feel it through the bond before I even see it. He’s alert, focused, and fully awake in a split second.

Jake steps inside. He looks exhausted. Not just the usual kind of tired that comes from a lack of sleep. There’s something heavier in the way he carries himself, in the tight set of his shoulders, the way his eyes flick immediately to me like he’s checking I’m still here, still breathing. Still okay.

“Morning,” I say, pushing myself up slightly.

His gaze softens just a fraction.

“Morning,” he replies, but it’s distracted.

Leo straightens in his chair, running a hand over his face. “Everything okay?”

Jake hesitates, just for a second, and that’s all it takes. The warmth from earlier dims slightly, unease slipping back in as if it never really left.

“There’s something you need to see,” he says finally.

I frown. “Well, that doesn’t sound ominous at all. This better involve caffeine, or I’m not interested.”

He huffs out a breath that might almost be a laugh, but it doesn’t quite land.

“Ronnie’s here,” he adds, glancing back toward the door. “He wants to see you.”

My stomach twists slightly at that. Ronnie doesn’t just show up for no reason. “Okay…” I say slowly. “Why?”

Jake’s gaze flicks to Leo, then back to me.

“Come outside first,” he says. “Something weird happened.”

Well, that’s reassuring.

Leo is already on his feet, looking ready for anything.

“Let’s go,” he says, offering me a hand.

I take it, letting him pull me to my feet. For a second, the world tilts slightly. Not enough to knock me off balance, but enough to make my stomach dip. Leo’s grip tightens instantly.

“You okay?”

“Yeah,” I say quickly. “Just stood up too fast.”

Jake watches me closely.

“I’m fine,” I insist, before he can say anything.

I know he doesn’t fully believe me, but he doesn’t argue.

We step out into the corridor together, and I hear a few voices drift in the distance.

“Jake,” Leo says quietly beside me. “What’s going on?”

Jake exhales slowly as we push through the main doors and step outside.

“Look for yourself.”

There’s a small crowd formed a few feet from the clinic. Everyone is staring at a very dead tree. It shouldn’t bother me. Trees die all the time; it’s normal. Just a natural part of life. Except nothing about this feels natural. The air is too still, as if the forest is holding its breath. Even the usual sounds of the pack feel muted, voices low and uncertain as they gather around it.

I stand near the edge of the group, my arms folded loosely across my chest, pretending I’m just here out of curiosity like everyone else, but something pulls at me, soft but persistent.

“Have you ever seen anything like it?” someone asks.

“No,” another voice answers. “Not this fast.”

“It was fine yesterday.”

I swallow, my gaze flicking toward the tree again. The breath catches in my throat. It’s empty; that’s the only way I can describe it.

Not just dead, dried out, or decaying. Empty. Like the life has literally been sucked out of it. And it’s not just the tree, but everything that was living in it. A strange, hollow ache settles in my chest. Guilt.

I look away quickly. Nope, I’m not doing that. It’s just a tree, and not even one that holds any meaning.

“You feel it too.” The voice slips through my mind.

I stiffen slightly, forcing my expression to stay neutral.

“Feel what?” I whisper under my breath.

“The absence.”

A chill crawls down my spine. That’s not comforting at all. I shift my weight, stepping back half a pace without thinking. Distance, I need distance.

“Poppy?” Leo’s voice cuts through the noise around me, grounding me just enough to stop my thoughts from spiralling completely.

I glance at him. He’s watching me, of course he is.

“Are you okay?” he asks.

I nod too quickly. “Yeah. Just… weird, right?”

His gaze lingers on me for a second longer than I like.

“Yeah,” he agrees, but he doesn’t look convinced.

I blink, trying to focus.

“I… no… I don’t think…” My voice sounds distant. Not quite mine.

Leo shifts slightly, just enough to look down at me, his eyes scanning my face, my shoulders, my arms.

“You’re sure?”

I nod, still dazed.

He exhales, relief crashing through the bond so hard it almost knocks the breath out of me again.

“Move,” Jake’s voice snaps from somewhere close.

Hands are on Leo instantly, pulling him back just enough so Jake can get to me.

“Let me see her.”

Leo resists for half a second before moving for Jake. He hovers close, unwilling to go far.

Jake drops to his knees in front of me, his hands already moving. My wrist. My face. My shoulders. “Talk to me,” he says, his voice tight despite how controlled it sounds. “Anything hurt?”

“I’m fine,” I say, even though my pulse is still racing.

“Poppy,” he warns.

“I’m fine,” I repeat, softer this time.

His jaw tightens, but he keeps checking.

Behind him, I register movement. Ryder is there, scanning the tree, the ground, the space around us like he’s expecting something else to follow. Remy stands just off to the side, tense and ready, his gaze flicking between me and the fallen trunk, his wolf close to the surface.

“What the hell was that?” Remy mutters.

“The tree was dead,” someone answers. “Probably just gave way.”

Jake finally stills, his hands lingering for a second longer than necessary before he leans back slightly, searching my face.

“You’re sure?” he asks again.

“Yeah,” I nod.

Leo’s hand settles on my back again, steady and grounding, like he needs to feel me there. Slowly, he helps me get up.

My gaze drifts past him, back to where I was standing. The tree is down. Not just fallen, but collapsed. Split and shattered across the ground exactly where I had been standing. If Leo had got to me half a second later… my stomach twists violently.

Leo’s arm tightens around me.

“You’re shaking,” he says, his voice low.

“I’m fine,” I lie automatically.

None of them seem convinced, and Remy is watching the tree like it might get back up again.