The Lost Pack (Paige) novel Chapter 164

Chapter 164

Warmth. That’s the first thing I feel. It rolls through my chest like a slow tide, heavy and consuming. For a second, I don’t even remember what pain feels like.

Then air rushes into my lungs in a violent gasp. The sound tears through the silence, followed by a cough, and the sharp taste of blood that shouldn’t be there. My heart hammers in my chest.

I’m alive. But I shouldn’t be.

The last thing I remember is Remy’s body going limp beneath my hands, then her… my mate, standing a few feet away, haloed in moonlight and fury. The air around her shimmered, alive with threads of gold and silver light that spread across her skin like fire desperate to be set free. Her eyes locked on mine, and for one impossible heartbeat, everything stopped. I saw it; the storm gathering inside her, power vast enough to burn the world clean. She wasn’t afraid. She was glowing with fury, our very own avenging angel.

Then came the crack of gunfire, and the burn that tore straight through my chest. Death was already taking hold when the world exploded in light.

Now, the clearing glows faintly gold and silver, shimmering like a dream that hasn’t faded yet. For a heartbeat, I don’t move.

Maybe I’m not alive. Maybe this is what comes after… the space between worlds that people talk about, where lost wolves walk before the moon calls them home. The air feels too soft, too still. No pain, no breath, just light.

I press my hand to the ground, expecting it to pass through air, through nothing at all. But the ground is solid beneath me. The scent of damp earth fills my lungs when I drag in a shaky breath, and the cold breeze against my skin cuts through the haze. I’m alive. Somehow, impossibly… alive.

The ground glows faintly in a perfect circle. The trees bend away; the grass flattened… and then I catch her

scent.

Paige.

I force my body upright, every muscle trembling from the effort. My skin feels stiff with dried blood, but underneath, my skin is smooth, whole. No wound. No scar. Nothing but the faint hum of foreign energy still buzzing through me and making it hard to think straight.

A groan pulls my attention sideways.

“Rem,” I rasp, crawling toward him.

He’s lying a few feet away, pale but breathing. His chest rises evenly; his side, the one that had been ripped open, is whole again. I inhale, and not even a trace of the toxin remains.

“Remy,” I say, shaking his shoulder.

He stirs, blinking his eyes into focus. “What the…? I thought…”

“I know.” My throat tightens. “Me too.”

A faint glow catches my eye then. A body slumped in the grass… Paige.

She’s crumpled in the dirt, her hand stretched out towards us as if reaching for us. Every instinct I have roars to life. I stumble toward her and drop to my knees, hands shaking as I brush her hair back.

Her skin is warm, too warm, but her pulse beats steady under my fingers.

“Paige,” I whisper. “Come on, Tink. Open your eyes.”

Nothing.

Behind me, Remy’s voice cracks. “Rye… what the hell happened?”

I glance up at him, then back to her. “She happened.”

He drags himself closer, still weak. “She saved us.”

“Yeah.” My voice breaks. “I just don’t know at what cost.”

Branches snap behind us, heavy footsteps pounding through the undergrowth. I’m halfway to shifting

before familiar voices cut through the tension.

“Ryder!”

Callen bursts into the clearing first, mud streaked across his face, eyes wild. Parker’s right behind him,

half-shifted, his wolf’s glow still fading under his skin. Both of them look wrecked. They stop dead when

they see Paige.

“Oh, thank the Goddess,” Parker breathes, dropping to his knees beside me. His hand trembles as he

touches her wrist, searching for a pulse. “She’s alive?”

“She’s alive, but drained,” I answer.

Callen’s chest heaves as he takes in the scene. “We saw the light from the ridge; it was like the whole

forest was on fire, then it threw us backwards.” His voice falters as his gaze lands on Remy. “You’re all

alive. I thought…”

“We should be dead,” Remy breathes with disbelief in his tone. “But she… fixed it. Somehow.”

I nod once, my throat too tight for words. Then a thought slams into me so hard I almost fall back.

“Where’s Jaxon?”

Callen meets my eyes instantly. “Safe,” he says quickly. “Leo and Poppy took him. They’re heading with Jake and the first evac group toward the ridge. He was scared, but he’s okay. I swear it.”

The tension in my chest loosens, just enough to breathe again. “Good,” I rasp. “Let’s keep it that way.”

Parker’s gaze flicks between us. “We need to move. That blast stunned them, but I could hear the hunters

regrouping on the way here. They might be retreating, or coming back.”

Remy’s head snaps up, senses sharpening. “How many?”

“Too many,” Callen answers grimly.

I glance down at Paige again. The faint glow under her skin is fading, but she’s still warm. Still breathing.

“Let’s not wait around to find out,” I say. “We have to move her now.”

Callen kneels opposite me. “I’ll carry her…”

“No,” I growl. “I’ve got her.”

He opens his mouth to argue, but one look from me shuts him up. Carefully, I slide my arms beneath her and lift her against my chest. She feels weightless, fragile, and that terrifies me more than any bullet ever

could.

“Ryder…” Remy starts.

“I’m fine,” I cut him off, though my voice shakes. “You’re not. Stay close and cover us. If they get within sight, you run interference.”

Remy nods once. Parker shifts fully, fur bursting through his skin. Callen’s eyes flick gold, his own wolf

pacing just beneath the surface.

The forest isn’t quiet anymore. It’s moving, alive with distant shouts and the crunch of boots.

“Let’s go,” I say, and we run.

The trees close in around us, shadows twisting, the air thick with smoke. My body moves on instinct,

ducking under branches, leaping over roots, every sense locked on the heartbeat pressed against my chest. Paige’s.

She’s still there. Still fighting.

Behind us, the others move as one, Parker flanking left, Callen ahead, Remy’s wolf silent and deadly on the

right. The faint glow from the blast still flickers in the distance behind us. I’ve got no idea how we are

going to explain this.

When the ridge comes into view, relief slams through me. The faint scent of our pack lingers… wolves,

fear, blood. Survivors.

Callen slows, opening the link. “We’re incoming. Paige is unconscious but stable.”

Jake’s voice answers instantly, clipped but steady. “Understood. We’re almost at the meeting point with

the Midnight Pack.”

“Good. We might still make it.”

The ground levels out into the open space where the remaining pack is gathered. Wolves move everywhere, some limping, others carrying the wounded. I can see Poppy ahead, pale but determined,

clutching a trembling Jaxon against her chest. Murmurs sound through the pack as they see us… see her.

The second Jaxon’s eyes find me, his face lights up. “Daddy!”

I can barely manage a smile as Callen jogs ahead to take him. “He’s okay,” he murmurs, meeting my eyes. Everyone is okay.”

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify