The Lost Pack (Paige) novel Chapter 266

Book 2~ Chapter 31

**Poppy’s POV **

After the tree of death tried to kill me, we head back into the clinic for breakfast. Jake leaves to check on his patients, promising to catch up with us soon. I want to tell him no, that I need him with me, but that will only worry him and Leo.

1 feel fine; the chill I had last night has gone, and I’m steady on my feet now. But there’s this unease crawling under my skin that I can’t explain. All I know is it seems to be calmer when I have both Leo and Jake nearby. I guess this is the pull of the mate bond at work.

I pop bread into the toaster whilst Leo prepares coffee. He’s been quiet since we came back inside. He’s not usually a man of many words, but this feels different. I can see the tension he’s carrying in his

shoulders and feel the wariness through the bond.

“Are you okay?” I ask leaning against the counter.

He doesn’t answer straight away; instead, he lets out a slow breath before turning to face me, his arms crossing over his chest. His gaze slides over me, lingering a second too long on the fresh mark on my

neck.

“I thought…” he trails off, running a hand over his face. “I thought once we were officially mated that things would be different. That I’d worry less, but it’s been the opposite.”

His admission hits hard, and my eyes threaten to fill. This is such a huge thing for him, a moment he’s been waiting for his whole life, and I’m ruining it. I’m failing him.

“Leo, I’m sor…”

“No,” he cuts me off. “Don’t you dare apologise.”

The words are firm, but not harsh. His gaze softens as he steps closer, uncrossing his arms as if he’s making a conscious choice to reach for me instead of shutting down.

“This isn’t you failing anything,” he says quietly. “It’s just me… adjusting.”

I frown slightly. “Adjusting to what?”

“To having something to lose.”

That lands somewhere deep in my chest,

Leo exhales slowly, his hand lifting before he seems to think better of it, then he doesn’t. He cups my jaw gently, his thumb brushing along my cheek in a way that feels grounding rather than possessive.

“I’ve spent my whole life knowing what I am, what I’m meant to do. Protect, Fight. Survive,” he says. “I’d meet my mate, have a pup or two, and it would be simple, I didn’t prepare for this.”

“This?” I echo softly.

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< Book 2 – Chapter 31

“You,” he corrects.

My breath catches.

+25 Points

“You matter,” he continues, his voice quieter now. “More than anything I’ve ever had. So yeah, I’m going to worry. Probably more now than before.”

My throat tightens.

“That doesn’t mean I regret it,” he adds quickly, his eyes hardening as if he needs me to understand this part. “Not for a second. I’d choose you every time, Poppy. Even knowing I’d be standing there again, watching a tree nearly take you out.”

A small, shaky laugh escapes me.

“Good,” I murmur, because it’s all I can manage without my voice completely giving out.

His thumb brushes under my eye, catching the moisture there before it can fall.

“You’re not breaking anything,” he says softly. “You’re just changing things, and we’ll figure it out. Together.”

The words settle into me, warm and steady. I nod, leaning into his touch for a second before pulling back,

needing to move before I get completely overwhelmed.

“Right,” I say, clearing my throat. “Food. Before I pass out, and you panic.”

His mouth twitches slightly. “I don’t panic.”

I raise a brow at him. “You tackled me to the ground.”

“That was tactical.”

“Sure it was,”

The tension eases, just a little. I turn back to the counter, pulling the toast out as it pops up. My appetite

isn’t great, but I force myself to butter a slice, taking a small bite just to prove a point.

It tastes like cardboard, but I chew it anyway. Leo watches me for a second, like he’s making sure I’m

actually eating, before turning back to pour the coffee. We fall into a quiet rhythm after that. After a few

minutes, I glance toward the door.

“Where’s Jake?” I ask.

“He said he’d join us,” he shrugs.

“He said that ten minutes ago.”

Leo doesn’t answer, but I feel the shift through the bond. He’s concerned. Which is kind of sweet.

“Come on,” I say, setting the toast down. “Let’s go find him before he decides to adopt another patient.”

We step out into the corridor together, heading towards the room we’d seen him go into.

“Hey,” I call as we spot Jake’s assistant leaving the room opposite. “Have you seen Jake?”

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< Book 2~ Chapter 31

She looks up, relief flickering across her face as if she’s glad it’s not another emergency.

“Yeah,” she says. “He stepped outside a few minutes ago.”

“Outside?” Leo repeats.

She nods. “Needed some air, I think. We had a close call last night. This one got to him.”

+25 Points

I instantly feel terrible. I’d never even thought to ask how the birth went. I’d been too wrapped up in my own crisis to even spare a thought for what he might have been dealing with.

I exchange a look with Leo, and we don’t need to say anything else. We head straight for the doors.

I purposely ignore what remains of the tree, scanning the area for Jake instead. He’s easy to spot, standing just at the edge of the trees, his back to us, talking to Ronnie. Of course, because if something weird is happening, those two are going to find each other and have a cryptic conversation about it.

“Figures,” I mutter.

Leo huffs quietly beside me.

“Let’s wait for them. I know Ronnie still wants to see you.”

“You mean he wants to study me, to see if I’m as impressive as my sister,” I huff. “I can save everyone’s

time… I’m nothing like Paige.”

Leo looks like he’s about to argue, but then his eyes flick to something behind me.

“Poppy!”

I turn at the sound of my name, just in time to see Paige heading toward us, Jaxon practically bouncing at

her side. Callen and Parker follow behind, Parker holding the baby securely against his chest.

Paige’s eyes land on me, and immediately drop to my neck. Her whole face lights up.

“Oh my…” she laughs, closing the distance between us in seconds. “You did it!”

Before I can react, she’s pulling me into a tight hug. It’s warm and familiar, but there’s something off. Almost like when you try to push two small magnets together the wrong way and there’s that small resistance. It’s subtle, barely there, but I feel it. A strange pressure in my chest. Not painful, just wrong.

Like something is out of sync.

Paige stiffens for the smallest fraction of a second. Then it’s gone, as if it never happened. She pulls back,

smiling like she didn’t feel that, but I know she did.

“I’m so happy for you,” she says, squeezing my hands. “Both of you.”

“About time,” Callen adds from behind her, grinning. “We were starting to think Leo didn’t know how…”

“Careful,” Leo cuts him off.

Callen just laughs.

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< Book 2~ Chapter 31

Parker smiles softly, adjusting the baby slightly. “Congratulations.”

“Thanks,” I say, a little breathless, still trying to shake that strange flicker from the hug.

+25 Points 2

Paige’s attention shifts then, her smile fading slightly as she looks past us, toward the tree. Her expression changes, looking both focused and confused.

She steps closer to it slowly, her gaze scanning the bark, the branches, and the ground around it.

“That’s weird,” she frowns.

Jake and Ronnie are both looking over at us now, no doubt waiting for Paige to do something amazing, like bring the tree back to life.

“What is it?” Leo asks.

Paige tilts her head slightly, as if she’s listening for something only she can hear.

“I didn’t feel it,” she says.

Leo’s brow furrows. “Feel what?”

“The tree,” she replies, her voice quieter now. “When it died.”

Silence settles.

“I feel everything connected to the land,” she continues, glancing between us. “Every shift. Every change.

It’s constant.”

She looks back at the tree.

“You just gave birth, you’re not exactly running at 100% right now,” Parker says softly.

“No, that’s not it,” she shakes her head slightly. “It’s like it just… stopped. No warning. No transition. Just

gone.”

A chill slips down my spine because that doesn’t sound natural.

Paige steps closer, reaching out slightly, her hand hovering just above the bark without touching it.

“There’s nothing,” she breathes. “No trace. No energy left behind. It was alive and thriving one second, and

gone the next.”

I take a small step back without meaning to, and Leo’s hand brushes against mine instantly. Grounding me,

but it doesn’t stop the feeling creeping in.

Because as Paige stands there, confused by the absence, I can still feel it. That hollow pull. That quiet,

lingering emptiness, and now I’m starting to wonder if it’s not coming from the tree at all.

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