The Lost Pack (Paige) novel Chapter 159

Chapter 159

It’s been a nice, slow morning at the clinic, no one bleeding, no one screaming, and no one trying to leave this world before their time. Just peace, coffee, and the large delivery of medical supplies to sort through.

I’m halfway through stocking the herb cupboard when the door creaks open.

“Hey,” Jake says, and I swear the man doesn’t just walk into a room… he glides.

I turn, trying to be all calm and professional on the outside, while the inside of me turns into a flustered

mess.

“Hey,” I manage, way too bright. “You’re back quick. I thought you would be stuck in the lab with Ronnie all day.”

He pushes his sleeves up, and oh gods, why is that so hot?

“I was. But I need to run a few tests here, if that’s all right. On you, actually.”

My brain short-circuits for a solid three seconds. A scary number of inappropriate responses running through my mind.

“On… me?” I repeat.

He nods. “We’ve been analysing Paige’s DNA data. Since you and Paige share the same parentage, I’d like to compare your DNA to hers. Just a simple cheek swab.”

Right. Cheek swab. Not romantic. Totally scientific.

I swallow hard. “Sure. You need it now?”

“If you’ve got five minutes.”

Oh, I’ve got five minutes. I’ve got five years, Jake. Take your time.

I nod and watch as he gathers his kit, a sterile swab, gloves, test tube. He looks every bit a professional, and that makes me want to fan myself.

“Just relax,” he says, his tone gentle.

Relax, he says. While he’s standing close enough that I feel his warmth. Sure, Jake. Let me just go ahead

and relax.

He lifts the swab, eyes flicking to mine for permission. “Open.”

Oh, gods. Wrong command, Jake. So wrong.

I do, though. My lips part, and his hand cradles my chin to steady me. The touch sends a shiver down my spine. He probably thinks I’m cold; I’m not. I’m a human furnace about to combust.

He rolls the swab along the inside of my cheek, his brow furrowed in concentration. He has no idea the kind of damage that look does to my self-control.

“Hold still,” he murmurs.

You could hold still inside me, my brain supplies helpfully.

I choke on air instead of words.

He pulls back, looking at me with a concerned crease between his brows. “Are you okay?”

“Fine,” I croak.

His eyes search mine for a moment, hand still on my chin, before he nods and continues. Goodness, if only he knew the mental images running through my mind right now.

He finishes, carefully sealing the swab into a vial and labelling it with a series of numbers and letters in his

tidy handwriting.

“Thank you,” he says softly, still close. “This might help us pinpoint what you and Paige are.”

“Happy to contribute to science,” I manage. “Always wanted to be part of a groundbreaking discovery. I

was just hoping it’d involve fewer swabs.”

He actually smiles, a small, crooked thing that makes my stomach somersault. “I’ll try to keep that in mind

next time.”

Next time. Oh, don’t make promises you can’t keep, doc.

Before I can make an even bigger fool of myself, the door opens again, and Leo steps in. The air shifts

immediately. He’s shirtless, of course, and his hair is damp, and he looks unfairly good for someone who’s

probably been running miles around the perimeter for the past couple of hours.

“Everything okay?” he asks, gaze flicking between us.

Jake straightens instantly, his professionalism snapping back into place. “All fine. Just collecting samples

for comparison.”

Leo’s eyes land on me. “Are you good, Pop?”

Oh, I’m great. Just caught between a sexy scientist doctor and a six-foot wall of protective muscle who

looks at me like I hung the moon.

“Peachy,” I say, forcing a grin. “Just saving the world with my saliva. No big deal.”

Leo’s mouth twitches, amusement softening his features. “Sounds like dangerous work.”

“It is,” I

”

say,

hand over my heart. “One wrong move, and Jake here might have to take my temperature next.

Jake blinks, startled, and Leo actually laughs. The sound wraps around me, warm and deep, and my insides do a happy little twirl.

Gods, I’m hopeless. Two men, one brain cell, and it’s occupied entirely with inappropriate thoughts.

Jake clears his throat, his mask back in place. “I’ll, uh, get this processed. Thank you, Poppy. You’ve been incredibly helpful.”

“Anytime,” I say way too fast.

He smiles again and heads toward the back room, vial in hand. I watch him go, and when the door shuts, Leo chuckles quietly.

“What?” I demand, crossing my arms.

“Nothing,” he says, still smiling. “Just… you’re easy to read, Pop.”

“I am not,” I protest. “I’m a vault.”

He steps closer, eyes glinting with amusement. “A vault that blushes every time he says your name.”

I glare up at him, but it’s hard to stay angry when he looks at me like that… like he already knows every secret I haven’t admitted to myself.

“Whatever,” I mumble, turning away before he can see my grin. “Go shower or something. You smell like wolf.”

He leans down, voice low, teasing. “You like the way I smell.”

Unfortunately, he’s not wrong.

I throw a towel at him. “Get out before I medically sedate you.”

He laughs and leaves, and I finally sag against the counter, pressing a hand to my chest.

Two men. Both completely unaware that I’m one flustered heartbeat away from self-combusting. This mate bond pull is no joke.

Jake and his quiet, careful hands. Leo, and his watchful eyes and easy smile.

If this is what working at the clinic is going to be like, I might need to start keeping smelling salts and a Bible in my pocket.

By the time I finally pull myself together, the hum of the machines in the lab has changed pitch, and my

curiosity wins out. I push the door open and step inside, hoping I look more composed than I feel.

Jake is in full geek mode as he watches the monitors, and somehow he even makes that look sexy. I

perch on the edge of the counter, swinging my legs like a kid trying to look casual while internally

screaming. Leo leans against the wall opposite me, arms folded.

The silence is not awkward at all, and I’m sure it’s not the reason that Ronnie decides now is the perfect time to leave for a shower, which leaves me alone with both of them. Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. If this were a movie, the dramatic music would start playing right about now.

Jake is typing on one of the computers, muttering to himself. “Sample three-A processing…”

“You always talk to yourself like that?” I tease, mostly to stop my brain from replaying the moment he’d swabbed my cheek earlier.

He glances up, that half-smile doing unspeakable things to my blood pressure. “Only when the equipment listens better than people do.”

Leo chuckles from the corner. “So, all the time, then?”

Jake laughs, sounding a little embarrassed. I can’t help but grin. He looks good laughing. Too good. I immediately look away before my thoughts turn impure again.

Focus, Poppy. Science. You’re here for science.

“So…” I clear my throat, swinging my legs a bit harder. “When you say you’re testing for similarities between me and Paige, what exactly are you looking for? Like… genes? Ancient alien DNA?”

Jake’s lips twitch. “Mostly the patterns in your mitochondrial energy markers. Paige’s results were… unique.

“Unique how?” Leo asks, stepping closer. His voice has a low, protective note that always makes me feel weirdly safe… and slightly feral.

Jake hesitates, clearly choosing his words. “Her cells emit dual resonance when exposed to both solar and lunar frequencies. That shouldn’t be possible. I want to see if you share the same pattern, since you share parentage.”

“Right,” I nod, pretending I totally understand that. “So basically, you’re checking if I glow in the dark?”

Jake smiles again. “Something like that.”

Leo grins. “I’d pay to see that.”

“Of course you would,” I shoot back.

Jake adjusts something on the machine, then glances at me again. “There’s… another factor I’m curious

about,” he admits.

“Oh?” I raise an eyebrow.

He clears his throat, suddenly awkward in the most endearing way. “Purely from a scientific perspective, it

would be interesting to see if your power signature changes after…” He stops, the words catching like he

just realised what he’s saying. “…after, um… you complete the mate bond.”

I blink. “Wow. Straight to pillow talk in the name of science. Didn’t see that coming.”

His ears actually turn pink. “I didn’t mean…’

Leo’s grin is pure mischief. “Careful, Doc. You’re gonna give her ideas.”

“Oh, please.” I snort, mostly to cover my own fluster. “He’s lucky I didn’t spontaneously combust when he swabbed my cheek earlier. I’m not sure my power signature’s the problem here.”

Jake lets out a nervous laugh and shakes his head, still smiling as he turns back to the monitor. The machine beeps, instantly killing the playfulness. His brow furrows.

“What is it?” I ask, sliding off the counter and moving beside him.

“Results are in,” Jake murmurs, leaning closer to the screen. I look at the lines of data and graphs that look like gibberish to me. I can read his face, though, and his frown deepens the longer he stares.

Leo straightens. “Something wrong?”

Jake doesn’t answer right away. He pulls up a side-by-side comparison between the charts.

Finally, he exhales. “It’s not what I expected.”

My stomach flips. “That sounds… ominous.”

He shakes his head, still studying the display. “No, it’s… actually clearer than I thought it would be. You and Paige share about 27% percent of your DNA. You’re definitely sisters. Half-sisters, genetically speaking.”

“Half?” I repeat. “As in, one parent in common?”

“Yes.” He scrolls further, highlighting two distinct energy patterns. “Paige’s sequence shows both lunar and solar frequencies. Yours only shows the lunar signature.”

I blink. “So… what does that mean? In normal people terms?”

Jake looks up at me, a little cautious. “It means Paige inherited something more. A dual frequency. You didn’t. Your energy pattern is consistent with lunar ancestry, a Moon Child.”

I open my mouth, then close it again. “So I’m… what, a regular Moon Child? And she’s…”

“Something else,” Jake finishes softly. “I’ll let Ronnie explain that to you both.”

Leo’s hand finds my shoulder. “That doesn’t make you any less extraordinary, Pop.”

I nod slowly, forcing a smile. “Guess that means I’m just not the shiny kind.”

Leo squeezes my shoulder. “You’re shiny enough.”

“Smooth,” I mutter, even as my heart does a ridiculous flip.

Jake’s lips twitch again. “He’s not wrong.”

And just like that, I’m caught between two smiles again, trying not to melt into a puddle of moon-blessed

goo.