The Lost Pack (Paige) novel Chapter 275

Chapter 40

+25 Points

Book 2 ~ Chapter 40

**Jake’s POV **

She seems calmer now. At least on the surface. Leo still has an arm around her waist, holding her close, and Poppy hasn’t pulled away from him yet, which tells me more than her words ever could. But calm isn’t the same as okay, and after everything she’s just admitted, I don’t trust the quiet settling over the room.

Not when I can still feel the wrongness of it pressing at the back of my mind. The baby. The tree. The voice. A pattern is starting to form, and I don’t like the shape of it.

“I want to try something,” I say.

Poppy’s head snaps up. “No.”

Leo’s eyes flick to mine. “Depends on what it is.”

“Nothing dangerous,” I say, keeping my voice level. I just need to test a theory that could lead us to

answers.”

Her arms fold tightly across her chest as she steps out from between us at last, putting a little

space between her body and ours.

“I’m not a lab experiment.”

I nod once. “I know.”

“No, I don’t think you do,” she shoots back. “Because I just told you there’s some weird voice in my

head, I nearly lost it in the corridor, and now you want me to what? Perform?”

Leo’s hand drops from her waist, but he stays close enough that if she sways even slightly, he’ll

catch her.

“He’s asking,” Leo says quietly. “You can say no.”

Poppy glances at him, irritation flashing across her face. “That didn’t sound like asking.”

“You’re right, I’m sorry,” I say. “I’m asking.”

She raises a brow, clearly unimpressed.

I cover my eyes with a hand for a moment, forcing myself not to rush this, “If I’m wrong, nothing happens. If I’m right, we need to know.”

That quiets her, because deep down she knows I’m right.

Her gaze drifts toward the window for a second, as if she’s searching for an exit that isn’t there.

“One thing,” she says finally. “That’s it.”

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< Book 2~ Chapter 40

I blow out a breath.

“One thing,” I agree quickly.

Leo looks between us. “What exactly are we testing?”

+25 Points

I glance around the office, my eyes catching on the small potted plant sitting on the shelf by the window. It’s nothing special, just something green one of the nurses probably thought would make the place feel less clinical. One side of it is starting to yellow, the leaves curling in at the edges

from neglect.

I point to it. “That.”

Poppy follows my gaze and then looks back at me like I’ve lost my mind.

“No.”

“I didn’t even tell you what to do yet,” I say.

“You don’t need to,” she replies flatly. “Whatever you’re thinking, the answer’s still no.”

Leo huffs out a quiet breath, sounding equally amused and concerned.

“It’s a plant,” he says.

“That’s worse,” she shoots back. “If I somehow manage to kill it, I’m never going to hear the end of

it.”

“I’m not asking you to do anything,” I say. “I just want to see if anything happens.”

“That sounds exactly like asking me to do something.”

“He’s not great at selling these ideas,” Leo scoffs.

I ignore him. “You said the room changed. That the babies reacted. Leo felt it too. I need to know if that was a coincidence or not.”

Poppy stares at the plant as if it has personally offended her.

“And how exactly do you expect me to make a houseplant react?” she asks.

“Don’t force anything,” I say. “Just… focus on it.”

Her expression goes completely blank. “Right. Brilliant. Focus on the plant. Why didn’t I think of that?”

Leo’s mouth twitches. “Honestly, I’m impressed you’re still standing here.”

She shoots him a look, then sighs, dragging a hand through her hair.

“One thing,” she mutters. “Then we’re done.”

2/4

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< Book 2~ Chapter 40

I nod. “One thing.”

+25 Points

She turns toward the plant, clearly expecting nothing. We all fall silent, waiting for something to happen. For a moment, nothing does. Poppy stands there, staring at a half-dead plant with a look that says she regrets every life choice that led her here.

Then Leo goes still beside me as the room temperature drops suddenly.

“Jake,” he says, low.

Movement catches my eye in the same second. The plants leaves tremble. Just slightly at first, a faint shiver running through the stems as if a breeze has touched them, even though the windows are closed and the air in the room is dead still.

Poppy frowns and wraps her arms around herself to fend off the chill.

“I’m not doing anything.”

One of the yellowing leaves slowly lifts a little. Just enough to make my pulse kick. The green deepens. Colour bleeding back in where there shouldn’t be any and the scent of damp earth fills the earth.

Leo swears under his breath.

Poppy takes a half-step back. “Jake…”

“Don’t stop,” I say too quickly.

Her head snaps toward me. “I’m not doing anything”

The lights overhead flicker, and all three of us go still. The plant straightens further, leaves

uncurling one by one.

My gaze drops to the other shelf. To another plant that’s smaller and healthier. It starts to wilt, and

my stomach tightens as the faint musty scent hits my nostrils.

“Stop,” I say immediately.

Poppy jerks like I’ve shouted.

“I didn’t…”

“Poppy” Leo cuts in, sharper now. “Stop.”

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