The Lost Pack (Paige) novel Chapter 154

C

Chapter 154

** Paige’s POV **

I can’t stop staring at my hands. They look the same as they always have… the faint freckles, the small scar near my thumb from when I sliced it open cooking years ago, but I can still feel what they did. The warmth that had pulsed beneath my skin is still a low pulsing hum, a heartbeat that doesn’t belong to me.

Ronnie’s words won’t leave my head.

“Not Moon Child magic… then what in the Goddess’s name are you?”

I keep hearing them over and over, like the words have sunk into my bones. The question doesn’t scare me exactly, not the way it should. It just feels… heavy. Like I’ve been walking through life without realising I’ve been carrying something so powerful, and now it’s awake, it’s constantly waiting, stirring when I least expect it.

The air around me shifts subtly, and I realise I’m not alone. My mates have drifted back toward me, instinctively forming a loose circle. Ryder on one side, calm but watchful. Callen and Parker hover close enough that I can feel their concern through the bond. Remy stands just behind me, silent but solid, a wall of quiet strength.

They don’t say anything, but I can feel it through every link between us, their worry, their confusion, their fierce need to protect. And it hits me that my silence is only making it worse.

I take a slow breath and force myself to stop spiralling. I’ve been here before, too many times, lost in questions I can’t answer, tearing myself apart trying to make sense of the unknown. It never helps.

“Okay,” I whisper under my breath, barely loud enough for anyone to hear. “Enough.”

I have a word with myself, the way I used to when Jaxon was little and I had to remind myself that fear doesn’t fix anything. This changes nothing. I’m still me. Still the same woman who woke up this morning with bed hair and a crick in her neck and coffee on her mind.

Whatever’s happening inside me doesn’t erase that. The unknown doesn’t get to take away

who I am.

I lift my head, meeting Ryder’s gaze first. “Has there been any update on the fertility clinic?”

His brows draw together slightly, surprised by the sudden change of topic, but he doesn’t hesitate. “My contact’s still working on decrypting the full file,” he says. “But he’s already sent over a partial report. It looks like your mother received donated eggs. There were three rounds of IVF in total… only two were successful.”

125

< Chapter 154

+25 Points

Two successful rounds, me and Poppy. I nod slowly, the pieces in my head shifting in ways that make my stomach tighten.

Ryder’s expression softens. “We’ll know more soon. I promise.”

“Thanks.” My voice comes out quieter than I mean it to. I glance toward the cabin, where Poppy is sitting by the window with a mug in her hands, watching us through the glass.

“I need to talk to her,” I say finally. “Alone.”

Parker’s brow furrows, but he doesn’t argue. “You sure?”

“Yeah.” I force a small smile. “It’s time.”

Callen looks like he wants to say something. His bond thrums faintly with protective energy, but he catches Ryder’s nod and steps back. They all do. One by one, they give me space, even though I can feel their reluctance like a physical weight.

“I’ll be fine,” I promise, my voice steadier now. “Just… give me a little while.”

Ryder brushes his thumb over my cheek, a soft, grounding touch that says more than words. “We’ll be right outside,” he murmurs.

“I know.”

I watch them go, my mates, my anchors, as they move toward the tree line to give me privacy. The unease at their absence feels heavier somehow, but it’s also necessary. This part at least, is mine to face.

I turn toward the cabin, exhaling slowly as I head for the door. My pulse is steady, but beneath it all, I can still feel that strange hum. It’s not fear, not magic exactly, but something alive. I push it aside and focus on what I have to do next. Poppy deserves the truth, and maybe this is where I finally start finding some of my own answers, too.

The cabin feels different when I step inside. The air smells faintly of coffee and wood, but underneath it is something warmer, almost like sunlight on old pages. She’s at the kitchen island now, a cup in her hand and a book in front of her, but I doubt she’s read a single word.

When she looks up, there’s no surprise in her eyes. “Hey,” she says softly, setting the book aside. “You look like someone jut dropped the weight of the world on your shoulders.”

I let out a weak laugh and sink onto the chair opposite her. “Something like that.”

“Jax is still sleeping.”

I nod, glancing at the clock. It’s barely 8 AM, and so much has happened already.

215

<Chapter 154

+25 Points >

Poppy studies me quietly for a moment. She’s never needed words to see through me; she just knows. It’s both comforting and infuriating sometimes.

“What happened out there?” she asks finally. “Ronnie wouldn’t tell me much, just that you did something none of us can explain, and he ran out the front muttering something about tests and contacting someone.”

“That’s one way to put it.” I rub my hands together, staring down at them again. “The creek was still tainted. I could feel it, and when I touched it… it changed. The water cleared. There was light, silver and gold, like both the sun and moon were shining through it.”

Poppy leans forward, eyes wide, breath catching. “Paige…”

“I know.” I give her a small, humourless smile. “Ronnie said it wasn’t Moon Child magic. He doesn’t know what it is. Neither do I.”

For a moment, neither of us speaks. The silence stretches, filled only by the low hum of the fridge and the tick of the clock on the far wall.

Then I take a slow breath. “There’s something else I need to tell you.”

Her brow furrows. “What is it?”

I glance toward the window, where I can see Ryder and the others in the distance, shadows moving through the trees. “It’s about Mum and Dad.”

Her brows draw together. “You sound serious.”

“I am.”

“When we found out I was something more than human, Ryder had someone look into our family tree, trying to find clues as to what I… we, could be. He found out that Mum and Dad used a fertility clinic,” I begin.

That gets her attention instantly. She sets her cup down, her eyes going wide. “And?”

“He’s had someone working on decrypting the files. He finally got a partial report.” I pause, my throat dry. “Poppy… our mum didn’t conceive naturally. She had IVF.”

Her eyes widen, confusion flickering across her face. “IVF? Are you sure?”

I nod. “Three rounds. Only two were successful.”

For a long moment, she just stares at me. I can almost hear the cogs turning in her head, the denial, the disbelief, the slow, inevitable acceptance.

“Two successful,” she repeats softly. “That would be us.”

3/5

< Chapter 154

“Yeah.” I swallow hard. “But there’s more. The report mentioned donor eggs.”

+25 Points >

Poppy’s lips part, but no sound comes out. She leans back in her chair, her eyes distant, like she’s trying to piece together a life that suddenly doesn’t fit the way it used to.

“So Mum wasn’t…” she trails off.

“Our biological mother,” I finish for her. “Not completely, at least, but she was still our mum in every way that really matters.”

Verify captcha to read the contentVerify