The Lost Pack (Paige) novel Chapter 228

** Paige’s POV **

Morning comes softly. Not with alarms or panic or the edge of fear that’s lived under my skin for days, but with light filtering through the curtains and the quiet sound of breathing around me. The cabin smells like coffee and earth and clean air, like the forest itself has forgiven us for the violence brought into it last night.

I wake up tangled in warmth. Callen is behind me, solid and steady, one arm draped over my waist like he archored me there in his sleep. Parker is on my other side, his presence gentle and calm even when he’s unconscious, one hand resting loosely over my hip. Remy is stretched out at the foot of the bed, still in the wolf form that he’s favoured over the past few days. Ryder is already downstairs; I can hear the clattering of pots in the kitchen.

The bond hums. Not loud or demanding. Just… alive.

I lie there for a moment longer than necessary, breathing them in, grounding myself in skin and warmth and the simple fact that I am still here. Still Paige. Still me. Still safe.

The weight of yesterday presses in gently now instead of crushing. The battle feels distant, like a dream that left behind bruises and echoes but no longer has a hold over me. Whatever came for us didn’t win. The land knows it. I can feel that much even without reaching. I don’t need to.

The forest is quiet in a way that feels earned.Callen stirs behind me, his breath warm against my neck.” Morning, little luna,” he murmurs, voice still rough with steep.

I smile softly. “Morning.”

Parker hums, shifting closer. “You finally slept,” he says quietly, tike it matters.

“I did,” I whisper. “And now I’m ready to start the rest of our lives.”

The bond warms in response, curling tighter around us.

We don’t rush the morning. There’s no need. By the time we make it downstairs, the cabin is already alive with activity. Leo’s voice carries from outside, calm and authoritative as he coordinates the last of the pack’s movements. Enforcers rotate out, healers check in with tired smiles, wolves stretch and shift back into skin still marked with blood and dirt, but no one looks broken. They look relieved.

Coffee is everywhere. Someone has made stacks of pancakes to feed everyone, and our home turns into a hub for what remains of the pack.

Then I feel it. A familiar spark at the edge of my awareness, bright and unmistakable. My heart stutters.

“He’s here,” I breathe.

Callen doesn’t ask who. Ryder is already moving. Remy’s head snaps up, eyes sharp and soft all at once.The door opens, and suddenty Jaxon is there.

He’s as energetic as ever, his backpack bouncing against his shoutders as he runs inside, eyes wide and searching… and then they land an me.

“Mummy!”

I’m on my knees before even realise I’ve moved, arms open, heartbreaking and healing all at once as he crashes into me with the full force of his joy. His arms wrap tight around my neck, his face burying into my shoulder like he’s afraid I might disappear if he lets go.

I hold him like it’s been years, rather than just a few hours.

“I missed you so much,” he says, voice muffled and shaky.

I press my face into his hair, breathing him in. Clean.

Bright. Untouched. Safe. “I missed you too, baby. Every second.”

He pulls back just enough to look at me, his eyes searching my face the way they always do when he needs réassurance. “Is it over?”

The room goes still.

I cup his cheeks gently, making sure he sees me. Really sees me. “Yes,” I say softly. “It’s over. The bad men are gone. They can’t hurt us anymore.”

His shoulders sag in relief. “Promise?””I promise,” I say, and the bond hums in agreement behind me.

Ryder kneels beside us, one hand resting on Jaxon’s back. ” You’re safe,” he adds, voice steady and sure. “All of us are.”

Jaxon nods, swallowing hard before launching himself into Ryder’s arms. Then he turns, his eyes lighting up as he takes in the rest of the room, checking that everyone he loves is in one piece.

My mates are on him instantly, Callen scooping him up and spinning him once before setting him back down, Parker ruffling his hair with a soft laugh and Remy nuzzling him with his giant wolf snout. The sound of it, the normalcy, the joy… it fills something hollow in my chest I didn’t even realise was still empty.

Poppy hums in agreement.

That earns me the smallest smile. Barely there, but real.”He’s been talking about frogs all morning,” | add. “I’m sure ice cream will blow his mind.”

She exhales softly, as if she’s almost amused. “You’d spoil him.”

I shrug. “It’s my job, and he deserves it.”

1 glance at her then, just briefly. She’s leaning against the porch railing, arms folded, gaze fixed somewhere beyond the trees. She looks tired.

“Do you want to come with us?” I ask gently. “No pressure.

Just… us. Normal.”

Her fingers tighten around her arms.

For a long moment, I think she’s not going to answer at all.

Then she inhales, sharp and sudden, like she’s made a decision she can’t undo.

“I can’t,” she says quickly.

I turn fully toward her now. “Why?”

She doesn’t look at me. Her words tumble out instead, rushed and blunt. “Because I’m leaving, Paige.”