The Lost Pack (Paige) novel Chapter 251

Beck 2 – Chapter 16

Book 2~ Chapter 16

**Poppy’s POV **

$125 Points?

I close the bedroom door behind Leo and walk into the bathroom. I push open the door and stop. Because they really did think of everything.

Fresh towels are folded neatly on the rack. The counter is stocked with tolletries: shampoo, conditioner, body wash, a fancy-looking razor, and even a small box of tampons tucked discreetly

into the drawer.

My throat tightens unexpectedly. They didn’t just make space for me; they prepared for me.

I step back into the bedroom just to take it all in. The quiet of the room settles around me again, broken only by the faint sound of Jake moving around downstairs. My hand slips into the front pocket of the hoodie I borrowed from Paige after Lora spat up on my jacket. A small smile tugs at my lips.

I have the sweetest nephew, a sister who loves me fiercely, and a brand-new niece to adore. I have a place that finally feels like home, and two incredible men who have shown more patience and grace than I probably deserve.

Even after everything… they still want me here. Everything I thought I’d lost is suddenly within reach. again, and yet something inside me still feels incomplete.

It doesn’t feel wrong exactly, just unfinished. Like I’m standing in the right place, surrounded by everything I should want, but there’s still a quiet space somewhere inside me that none of it quite reaches. A missing piece I can’t quite name.

The feeling lingers just long enough to make my chest tighten before I shake it off. Maybe it’s just nerves. Maybe it’s the aftermath of everything that’s happened. Or maybe I’m just not used to feeling this settled yet.

The voice stirs softly at the edge of my thoughts. “You are not finished yet.”

A chill runs down my spine.

My hand wraps around the phone in my pocket. The one I’ve been ignoring since I arrived last night. I pick it up and unlock the screen, and several notifications pop up immediately.

Two from Paige, one from Annie, which I plan to ignore, and one from the unknown number that had texted me on the bus yesterday.

My lips twitch… Alaric. Of course he didn’t let that go. For a moment, I consider ignoring it again. Then curiosity wins, and I open the message thread. There’s another message waiting.

Unknown: You can’t get away that easily.

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Book 2 Chapter 16

I snort quietly and type back before I can talk myself out of it.

Me: You were given a perfectly good number.

The reply comes almost immediately.

Unknown: Perfectly good for avoiding mo.

Okay… fair. I sit on the edge of the bed, tucking my gs underneath me.

Me: How did you even get this number?

Three little dots appear, then disappear, then reappear again.

Unknown: I have my ways.

My eyes narrow slightly as I type my response.

Me: That’s not an answer.

Unknown: Sure it is. You just don’t like it.

I laugh quietly under my breath. Yep, definitely Alari. The arrogance alone gives him away.

Me: Did you bribe someone?

Unknown: Maybe.

Me: Threaten someone?

Unknown: Also possible.

$25 Points

I think of the few people who he could have got my number from. There are only four possibilities. The obvious one is my coworker, Erika. Then there’s my employer, my landlord, or Paul, the guy

who worked alternate shifts to me. I really hope he didn’t threaten any of them.

Me: You’re ridiculous.

Unknown: You’re the one who started it.

I lean back slightly on the bed, smiling to myself.

Me: Started what?

The reply comes slower this time, I’m just about to toss my phone onto the bed and head into the shower when the three dots appear again.

Unknown: The game.

My smile fades slightly at that. Game? For a moment, I picture Alaric leaning casually against the

bus station wall, that smug grin on his face,

Typical cocky werewolf behaviour,

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Book 2 – Chapter 16

Me: You’re assuming I’m playing.

The typing bubble appears again.

Unknown: You gave out the wrong number.

My lips twitch. Okay, he has a point.

Me: Maybe I just didn’t want you to find me.

The reply comes instantly.

Unknown: And yet, here we are.

I stare at the screen for a second. Fair point.

Me: You’re persistent.

Unknown: Thanks for noticing.

I shake my head, amused. I grab the T-shirt Leo gave me as I stand up.

Me: I’m busy.

Unknown: That sounds suspicious.

Me: It’s called having a life.

Unknown: I’ll believe that when I see it.

I roll my eyes.

Me: You’re insufferable.

Unknown: And yet you’re still texting me.

I pause; he’s not wrong.

Me: Don’t read into it.

Unknown: Too late, trouble.

+25 Points

I huff quietly and set the phone on the nightstand. Trouble?… He’s the damn trouble, not me. I’m not getting dragged into whatever game Alaric thinks we’re playing.

The bathroom door clicks shut behind me as I head back toward the shower. I turn it on and shed

my clothes before stepping under the warm water, letting it wash away the last traces of the coffee shop.

For a few minutes, I just stand there, breathing, listening, waiting, but the voice stays quiet. Which

somehow makes it feel even more present, as if it’s simply watching.

I finish my shower, taking advantage of the new toiletries and razors, and dry off, pulling Leo’s

III

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Book 2~ Chapter 15

oversized T-shirt over my head. It hangs halfway down my thighs.

+25 Points

I glance at myself in the mirror, bare legs, messy hair, Leo’s shirt, and the faintest smile on my face. Maybe the voice is right. Maybe I am exactly where I’m supposed to be, even if I still don’t

understand why.

The smell hits me halfway down the stairs. Eggs, toast, something sweet… maybe cinnamon. My

stomach growls instantly.

“Well,” I mutter to myself as I reach the bottom step, “someone’s trying very hard.”

Jake stands at the stove, focused on a frying pan. His hair is slightly messy, and the sleeves of his shirt are rolled up to his elbows. He looks up the second he hears me and freezes.

For a split second, he just stares; then his ears turn red.

“That’s my shirt,” he says.

I glance down at myself.

“Oh, Leo gave it to me.”

He blinks once, twice, clearly trying to decide if he should look away or keep looking. He fails and keeps looking. I lean casually against the kitchen table.

“You’re staring,” I tease.

“I am not.”

“You absolutely are.”

Jake clears his throat and turns back to the stove with the intense focus of someone who is very

aware he’s losing this battle.

“I was just making sure it fit okay.”

“It’s a T-shirt, Jake.”

“That doesn’t mean it fits.”

Across the kitchen, the back door opens quietly, and Leo steps inside. His gaze sweeps the room.

automatically, taking in everything in a single glance. It lands on me, then the shirt, then Jake. His

mouth twitches.

“His shirt suits you,” he says,

“You did it on purpose, didn’t you?” Jake groans,

“She needed something to wear, and it was the first one I found,” Leo shrugs. “It’s not my fault you

have more clothes than what can fit in your own wardrobe, Do you want to guess what she’s wearing underneath?”

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Book 2 Chapter 16

Jake flips something in the pan a little more aggressively than necessary. “You’re both very

distracting.”

+25 Points

I slide onto one of the stools at the table, unable to keep the grin from my face. I love seeing this new dynamic between them.

Leo drops my bags on the couch and then sits at the table opposite me, close, but still giving me

space.

“We’re just sitting here,” he says with a mischievous smirk. I like this side of him; it suits him. “And

you’re cooking,” he adds.

“Yes,” Jake answers without turning away from the stove.

“So technically, you’re distracting yourself.”

Jake pauses, then sighs. “Please stop talking.”

I laugh softly. The normalcy of this moment settles around us like a blanket. The clatter of pans,

the smell of breakfast, sunlight spilling through the windows. It almost feels as if I never left.

Jake slides a huge plate onto the tabletop in front of me. It’s loaded with eggs and toast. Then a

second plate follows; this one has pancakes, berries, and what looks like syrup or honey.

My eyebrows lift. “You cooked all of this?”

Jake shrugs as if it’s nothing. “I’ve been practicing.”

Leo leans forward, resting his elbows on the table. “He’s been preparing for this moment for eight

months.”

Jake shoots him a glare. “It takes time to perfect things.”

I pick up a fork, giving Jake an appreciative smile before I tuck in, going straight for the pancakes.

“Well,” I say after the first bite, “whatever you perfected… it worked.”

Jake’s shoulders relax slightly, and he takes the seat beside Leo. We eat quietly for a minute. The peaceful silence lasts just long enough that my guard drops.

Then Leo speaks. “You flinched earlier,”

The fork pauses halfway to my mouth, and I glance up. Jake is watching me carefully now, too. My stomach tightens.

“When?” I ask lightly, even though I know exactly what he’s referring to.

“On the couch,” Leo says.

“Did you really have a cramp?” Jake asks gently,

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Book 2 Chapter 16

+25 Points

I set the fork down slowly. They noticed, of course they did. They’re wolves, and I’m a terrible liar.

“It was nothing,” I say quickly. “Just a muscle twitch”

Leo studies me. Jake doesn’t; he drops his gaze to his plate instead, which somehow feels worse.

“We’re not asking because we think you’re lying,” Jake says quietly. “We’re asking because you flinched as if something scared you.”

“And if there’s something bothering you, we need to address it. The last thing we want is you getting overwhelmed and taking off again.

My stomach drops. For a second, I don’t know what to say. Then I force a small shrug.

“It was just a muscle twitch.”

Neither of them responds immediately. Leo leans back slightly in his chair, and I know he’s not buying it.

Jake nods once. “Okay.”

Then they both start eating again. They don’t push or interrogate; they don’t stare at me with suspicion. Which somehow makes guilt twist deeper in my gut. They trust me enough not to force it, and I’m already keeping secrets.

The voice stirs faintly in the back of my mind.

“Not secrets.”

”

‘Helpful… Thanks.’

I think back at it before I pick my fork back up. Across the table, Leo watches me for a long

moment, his eyes flashing with concern before finally looking away. Jake reaches for the coffee

pot and pours three mugs without asking.

The moment passes, but something quiet has shifted. They know something is happening, and

they’re waiting for me to decide when to tell them. just wish I understood it myself.

One thing is clear… I need to find a way to reassure them, and fast. I can’t leave them living in fear

that I might disappear again; they don’t deserve that.

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