The Lost Pack (Paige) novel Chapter 160

Chapter 160

After two stories, Jax is asleep. He’s peaceful, content and safe. The way it should be.

I press a kiss to his forehead before slipping out, easing the door closed behind me. The sound of low voices drifts up from downstairs, the kind that makes my stomach twist even before I know what they’re

about.

Ryder’s standing near the bottom of the stairs when I appear, arms folded, the look on his face making it clear he’s been waiting for me.

“Hey,” he says quietly. “Did he settle okay?”

“Yeah,” I nod, stepping off the last step. “Out cold. What’s going on?”

“Ronnie’s on his way,” he says, glancing toward the front door. “With Jake, Leo, and Poppy. They’ve got the

results from the DNA tests.”

Something in his tone makes my heart dip. “Results,” I repeat slowly. “So… they found something.”

Ryder hesitates just long enough for me to notice, then nods. “They did.”

Before I can ask anything else, the sound of footsteps on the porch announces their arrival. My heart skips

a beat. Ryder reaches for my hand, a grounding touch that only half works.

The door opens, and Poppy’s the first through; her expression is soft and strained all at once. Something is

wrong. She doesn’t even speak, just steps straight into me, wrapping me in a hug so tight it almost knocks

the breath out of me.

“Hey,” I whisper, hugging her back. “What’s this for?”

She doesn’t answer right away. Just holds on a second longer than usual before pulling back, her eyes shining with unshed tears. Something cold churns in my stomach.

Leo follows behind her, quiet as always but watchful, and Jake’s next, carrying his tablet tucked under one arm. Ronnie brings up the rear, his face unreadable but his jaw tight.

Ryder gestures toward the kitchen. “Come on in. We’ll talk in there.”

The kitchen feels smaller than usual once everyone settles around the kitchen island. Poppy sits beside me, sliding her hand into mine. On my other side, Parker takes the stool, his knee brushing mine, steady

and reassuring.

Ryder leans against the counter opposite, arms folded again, eyes never leaving me. Ronnie and Jake

stand across from us, side by side.

For a moment, no one speaks. Then Ronnie clears his throat. “We’ve finished running the tests. We also did a comparative analysis between your DNA and Poppy’s.”

I nod, gripping Poppy’s hand tighter. “And?”

Jake glances at Ronnie, then back to me. “You and Poppy share about a quarter of your genetic markers,” he says carefully. “That means you’re related, definitely sisters, but you don’t share both biological parents, making you half-sisters.”

My breath catches. “Half-sisters,” I whisper.

Poppy’s fingers tremble in mine.

Jake gives a small nod. “Your DNA carries both lunar and solar energy patterns. Poppy’s only carries lunar. The results are clear.”

For a second, it feels like the room fades. I stare at the marbled pattern of the island top, tracing the lines. with my eyes.

Half-sisters… The word shouldn’t hurt as much as it does. But what does it change?… Nothing. If I was to have a child with any of my other mates, I wouldn’t refer to my second child as a half sibling to Jax. They’d be siblings, it’s as simple as that, and it’s the same for me and Poppy. Even if it came out we were not genetically related at all, she’d still be my sister.

Poppy shifts, her voice unusually small. “I didn’t know how to tell you,” she admits, her thumb brushing my hand. “Jake thought I should be here when you found out.”

I look up at her then, my sister, the person who’s been with me through everything, and the fear in her eyes breaks something in me.

“Hey,” I say softly. “Look at me.”

She does, reluctantly.

“It doesn’t matter,” I tell her, and my voice steadies as I say it. “You’re my sister. You’ve always been my sister. I don’t care what a test says or what some file shows. You’re still you, and I’m still me. That’s never going to change.”

Her eyes fill, and before I can blink, she’s hugging me again, tighter this time.

“I was so worried,” she breathes against my shoulder. “I didn’t want you to feel…”

“Different?” I pull back enough to meet her gaze. “Pops, you could have three heads and blue skin, and I’d still claim you. We’ve been through too much for a word like ‘half’ to mean anything.”

Her laugh breaks through the tears, shaky but real, and the sound loosens the knot in my chest.

Ronnie exhales softly, the tension easing from his shoulders. “That’s good to hear. Because there’s more

we need to discuss.”

I nod, still keeping Poppy’s hand in mine. “Okay. What’s next?”

“I was able to translate enough of an old manuscript to find something that could fit for what you are. It should be impossible, but I think we have enough evidence to prove that’s not a word you respect,” Ronnie

says, pulling out a piece of paper from his bag.

He slides the paper over to me, and I lean in to look at it. It’s a printed picture of what looks to be an ancient book. The writing is handwritten and faded in places. It’s also in a language that I don’t recognise. Under some of the words, someone, Ronnie, I assume, has written on the paper in English. I feel my mates. close in as my eyes scan the words.

“Light, child, sun, moon, balance, creation,” Ryder lists out loud as I read.

Under that is a short passage. “When sun and moon find harmony within one vessel, the veil shall tremble and be remade,” I read aloud with a frown.

“Lunarae,” Parker whispers the double underlined word at the bottom of the page, and a shiver runs through me before something warm settles inside of me.

“What is it all supposed to mean?” Remy asks.

“Honestly, I’m not sure,” Ronnie admits, tapping on the part about the veil trembling. “Some of the words I can translate, others I’ve guessed based on what fits. The main thing is, I think we have a name, and now we know this isn’t completely unheard of; it’s just extinct.”

Callen scoffs a half laugh. “Well, not anymore.”

Poppy squeezes my hand again, but my focus stays locked on the text. The words blur, pressing against something deep inside me that doesn’t want to wake. Harmony within one vessel. The veil shall tremble. It feels too big, too ancient, too final. I’m not part of a prophecy. I’m just me… Paige. A mother, a mate, a woman who still forgets to take the laundry from the dryer more often than not. Whatever this Lunarae is,

it’s too much for me to carry. I push the paper away and stand, the air suddenly too thick to breathe.

The night air hits me the moment I step outside, cool, a little damp. It cuts through the heaviness sitting in

my chest, but only just.

The porch light glows gold across the steps, glinting off the dew on the grass. Everything looks peaceful,

as if the world hasn’t just tilted sideways. Like my mother isn’t suddenly half a mystery and my bloodline

something out of a legend.

I wrap my arms around myself and take a deep breath. The scent of pine is heavy in the air; it’s familiar

and grounding. I focus on that… on the small, ordinary things.

Behind me, the door creaks softly. I don’t need to turn to know who it is. Poppy’s footsteps are soft and

slow. “Are you okay?” she asks quietly.

I think for a moment, really think. Am I okay? I have my son, my heart, my reason. Four men who’d walk

through fire for me. My sister, fierce and loyal. A pack that feels like home. My life isn’t perfect, but it’s

mine. And I won’t let an ancient legend tell me who I am.

I let out a breath and turn to her with a smile. “I’m fine, just needed a minute to remember who I am, despite what some ancient text says.”

She nods, looping her arm through mine. “Good. Because I think the world’s about to find out who that really is.”

We stand there in the quiet, side by side, as the night moves softly around us, and above us, the moon peeks out from behind the clouds; its light feels comforting, like it’s watching over us.

Then the air splits as a shrill alarm pierces the night, echoing through the trees.