The Lost Pack (Paige) novel Chapter 246

Book 2 – Chapter 11

Book 2 ~ Chapter 11

** Poppy’s POV **

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I can feel them on either side of me. Jake’s hand in mine, warm, steady, and ever so careful. Les

palm at my waist, restrained, barely there, as if he’s afraid that even that is too much, and my heart

is beating like it’s trying to escape my chest.

This is what I wanted, what I needed. Slow and steady, no pushing, no dominance. So why does it

feel like it’s too much and not enough at the same time?

My head is loud with thoughts. You don’t know what you’re doing… You could lose yourself in this…

You left once. You can leave again.

My body is quieter. It remembers their touch; it remembers what we almost had, and it craves

them.

Jake is trying so hard not to grip me like I’ll disappear. His fingers are careful, too careful, like I’m fragile glass. He thinks I’ll break, or I’ll pull away, and that realisation twists something inside me. He’s afraid of losing me again.

My gaze lifts slowly to his face, and I really look at him this time. His

eyes flicker over my expression as if he’s searching for cracks. For any hint of hesitation or regret. He’s bracing for the worst, and that snaps something in me into place.

My head is still arguing. Don’t rush… Don’t get trapped… Don’t make this about instinct. But my heart is tired of running from this, from them. It’s time to let go of the space between us.

I turn fully toward Jake. Leo’s hand stays at my waist, but he doesn’t stop me. Jake freezes, and I see a flicker of uncertainty in his eyes, like he doesn’t quite believe I’m choosing this direction.

“Jake,” I whisper.

Flis throat works as he swallows. “Yeah?”

The vulnerability in that single word nearly undoes me. I step closer. Close enough that our chests almost touch. He doesn’t move, and I know he won’t unless I do.

My head is still screaming. If you do this, you know what comes next… If you do this, it changes everything.

Maybe that’s the point. I can run, I can hide, but I’ll never be whole. I’ll always feel the parts of me that are missing, and not just the parts that are waiting to awaken, but them, my mates. These men who have already proved they’re loyal, patient, and everything I’d want in someone I plan to spend the rest of my life with.

I lift my free hand slowly, letting my fingers brush along Jake’s jaw. He inhales sharply, stunned.

Book 2 – Chapter 11

425 points

“I missed you,” he says suddenly, as if he can’t hold in anymore. “But I’d wait a lifetime for you if

that’s what you need.”

That’s what breaks me. It’s not about the bond, or fate, or destiny. It’s about him. The insecurity

beneath his strength. The way he’d rather let me go than hold me too tightly. My chest aches when

I think of what I’ve put him through.

“I know,” I whisper, and before my head can interfere again, I rise onto my toes.

My lips press against his, and for half a second, he’s completely still, like he doesn’t trust himself,

Then he exhales and kisses me back, slow and careful.

The kiss isn’t hungry or desperate. It’s soft and tentative, just like him. He doesn’t grab me or try to deepen it; he lets me set the pace, following my lead.

Heat spreads low in my stomach, unexpected and sharp. My body leans into him before my mind has time to protest. My head is still whispering warnings, but my heart is louder now.

Jake’s hand tightens around mine, just slightly, anchoring me. Behind me, I feel Leo move a little closer. He keeps his hand on my waist, but he’s still restraining himself.

I place a hand over Leo’s and I deepen the kiss, which is no longer innocent. My fingers slide over Jake’s shirt, gripping the fabric at his chest. He makes a low, almost pained sound, and that does something dangerous to my pulse.

I break the kiss first, not because I want to, but because I need to breathe.

Jake’s forehead drops to mine.

“Are you sure about this?” he asks softly.

He’s still asking, still giving me a way out, and that makes my chest swell painfully.

I turn my head slightly and find Leo watching us. He doesn’t look angry or jealous, just hopeful. His wolf is closer to the surface now. I can see it in the lash in his eyes, and I realise something important.

My body isn’t confused, and my heart isn’t divided. Only my head is, and maybe it’s time my head caught up.

I look back at Jake to answer his question.

“I’m not running,” I repeat, but this time it isn’t just words; it’s action.

I move my hand from Jake’s chest and turn toward Leo.

“I’m not running,” I repeat to him.

Leo doesn’t move. He’s so still he looks as if he could be carved from stone, except for his eyes.

There’s too much in them now. Control stretched thin, want buried under restraint.

© Bock 2 – Chapter 11

I can feel the difference between them even more clearly now. Jake steadies me whilst Leo challenges me, and my head is still trying to catch up to what my body has already decided.

I suddenly feel too exposed out here. The porch light is too bright, and the clearing too open for such an intimate moment. My pulse is still racing from kissing Jake. My lips are still tingling, and my thoughts are a mess of warning and want.

“I don’t want to do this out here,” I say quietly.

Jake’s fingers tighten around mine for half a second before he forces himself to loosen them. Leo’s

eyes widen a fraction.

“Inside?” he asks, his voice lower now, rougher.

I nod.

It’s not because I’m ashamed, because I’m not. I just don’t want any of the pack watching the

moment I stop fighting this, and this is a moment only meant for the three of us.

Leo steps back first, giving me space to move, and Jake’s hand slips back into mine slowly, as if he

can’t bear to let me go for even a few seconds.

“I’m still here,” I whisper to him.

“I know.” He swallows.

We walk up the steps together. Leo opens the door, but he doesn’t touch me as I pass him. Inside, the cabin is warm. The scent of wood and clean cotton and something distinctly them wraps around me. It feels like home, something I haven’t truly felt for what feels like an eternity.

The door closes softly behind us, and the atmosphere shifts; it suddenly feels intimate. Jake releases me and moves to stand near the small kitchen table. Leo remains by the door for a moment longer, watching.

I turn slowly, taking in the space. The kitchen is open plan, with a sitting area on the other side of it.

A fire glows softly, casting flickering shadows over the large leather sofa. The kitchen table holds a

vase of purple wildflowers, which I bet was Jake’s doing.

I feel their eyes on me as I take in every detail. They really thought of everything. There are fluffy blankets draped over the back of the couch, with matching cushions in a burnt orange colour, In the corner, by the window, there’s a chaise lounge chair with what looks like a fully stacked

bookshelf beside it.

“This place is beautiful,” I say softly.

Jake clears his throat before he speaks. “If there’s anything you don’t like, or that we missed, we

can fix it. We want you to feel at home here.”

< Book 2 – Chapter 11

I already do. I did the moment I stepped through the door, and that scares me.

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My heart is pounding again. I came in here. No one dragged me; no one pushed me. I chose this. I want this, but my head is still whispering. What happens next?

Leo steps forward, just close enough that I feel him 1 look up, and his eyes hold mine steadily.

“Before I kiss you,” he says quietly, making my breath stutter, but he doesn’t look away. “Tell me

something.”

My stomach flips. “Like what?”

His gaze softens, not much, but enough.

“Are you here because you want us,” he asks, his voice rough but controlled, “or because you’re

afraid not to be?”

The question lands hard. He’s not asking about fate, he’s asking about me.

My head scrambles for something safe to say, but my heart answers first.

“I’m here because when I left, I felt like I was losing myself,” I admit. “And when I stayed away… I

realised I was losing you instead.”

The room goes very still. Jake’s breath catches quietly behind me.

Leo doesn’t move. “Is that enough?” he asks softly.

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