Carry 23_The Lost Pack

** Ryder’s POV **

 I knew this moment wasing, but I didn’t expect the full force of it to hit me like this. Poppy stares me down like she’s the parent here, like she’s preparing to rip every secret from my chest with her bare hands.

 I shift my weight, leaning against the counter and trying to look casual, but there’s no hiding from her stare. I have to remind myself she is a young human girl, and I am a powerful alpha of an entire pack of

 werewolves

 Paige stands nearby, watching me nervously, and Callen looks like he’s one poorly timedment away

 from bursting intoughter.

 “Ryder Madden,” Poppy says again, chastising me like a child. “You better have a damn good exnation for where you’ve been thest seven years. You disappeared. No calls. No texts. Just gone without a trace. You just left her, left them without a word. Who does that?”

 I inhale deeply and nod, holding up my hands. “I know. I deserve your anger. I do.”

 “Damn right you do,” she says, crossing her arms over her chest.

 “It’s a long story,” I begin, keeping my voice as steady as possible. “But the short version… I didn’t know what I was. What we were. I was adopted, raised with no clue about my biological family or what I was capable of. I’d started having some health issues, ckouts and mood swings. I thought I was going

 crazy.”

 Poppy narrows her eyes at me, but doesn’t interrupt, so I continue, trying to stick close to the truth without

 telling her the full story.

 1 thought it was something serious, like neurologically serious. So I left. I panicked. I went looking for

 answers, and I found them. They just weren’t the kind I was expecting.”

 “That’s your excuse?” She snaps. “You just left her because you were having a bad time? She was

 pregnant!”

 “I didn’t know,” I say quickly. “I swear to you Poppy, I didn’t know she was pregnant. If I had..” My voice cracks, and I have to force myself to meet her eyes. “If I had, I never would have left. Nothing would have made me walk away from her if I’d known about Jaxon”

 Poppy’s eyes soften the tiniest amount, just enough to give me hope and encourage me to keep going.

 “I didn’te back because I was still trying to understand what was happening to me. I was in a dark ce, and I thought Paige was better off without me. I didn’t think I could be the man she deserved.”

 “You’re still not,” Poppy huffs.

 “Probably not,” I admit. “No one will ever be good enough for Paige, but I’m trying it’s only been a few hours, and I know I don’t deserve forgiveness… which is why I won’t ask for it.”

 “Then what do you want?”

 I nce towards Paige, and everything inside me pulls toward her like gravity.

 undo

 “I want to do right by her, and by my son. I know I can’t the past, but I’m here now, and I’m staying. No

 more running.”

 The kitchen falls into a heavy silence, broken only by the soft clink as Paige sets down the mugs on the counter. Poppy watches me like she’s trying to detect even the slightest lie, but I keep my expression calm

 and open.

 After what feels like forever, she finally exhales, shaking her head. “You’re lucky I’m too tired to punch you

 in the throat.”

 Callen snorts, and then quickly coughs to cover it. “I’d pay money to see that,” he says into the mind link.

 “But I swear to god,” Poppy continues, pointing a finger at me. “If you break her heart again, if you hurt my precious nephew, I will make you regret it. I don’t care how buff you are or how many martial arts you know or whatever it is you do to look like that. I’ll find a way.”

 “Fair enough, I’d expect nothing less,” I say with a smile that I hope doesn’te off as cocky.

 Poppy turns her gaze to Callen now, her eyes narrowing. “And you? Do you have some tragic, mysterious

 lost twin story too?”

 He raises both hands and shes her his most charming smile. “Yen al

 for another time. No offence, little firecracker, but you look exhausted.”

 that and more, but that’s a story

 I brace for her temper to re, but to my absolute amazement, Poppy lets out a shortugh. I have no ideal how my brother does that..

 “You two are exhausting,” she snorts, shaking her head.

 Paige smiles for the first time since we got here, and something in me warms. She looks like herself again.

 A little less guarded and more like the Paige I knew all those years ago.

 “Fine. I’m going to get off. I have sses in the morning, and it’ste,” Poppy says, barely suppressing a 

 yawn.

 “How are you getting back?” Paige asks, sounding every bit the concerned parent.

 “Annie’s new boyfriend drove us here,” Poppy exins, pulling out her phone and typing something on the screen. “They went to find a shop whilst I stayed here to speak to you. I’ve just text her to pick me up.”

 “You could have stayed here and gone back in the morning.” Paige says.

 “I’d rather not have to wake up earlier to <bmute. Here, keep this on you at all times. Next time you go MIA on me… I will be calling the police,” she says, handing a phone to Palge before casting a warning nce at me and Cal.

 “It was good to see you again, Poppy” I call after her as Palge walks her to the door.

 “Yeah, I just wish it had been seven years sooner,” she huffs, and I wince.

 “Well, that wasn’t too bad, was it? You did good, brother,” Callen says to me through the mind link as the girls say their goodbyes at the door.

 “As well as it could have, I guess.

 I turn to the cupboard I’d seen Paige take tea from earlier and grab a handful of tea bags, shoving them in My for her to have at our house. I’m desperate to explore her house, to see Jaxon’s bedroom, and

 hers. I want to know everything about them, but I know not to push my luck, not yet.

 We wait in the kitchen while Paige runs upstairs to grab Jax’s teddy and a change of clothes for them both

 before we head back to our cabin in the woods.

 The walk back is quiet, and I can sense how tired Paige is. I want to offer to carry her, to let her rest, but I

 know she won’t appreciate it.

 “I’m going to bed,” she says the moment we step through the door.

 “Good night, Paige, you know where we are if you need anything,” I say, suddenly feeling like an awkward

 teen again.

 I’d kissed her earlier, made progress with her. Now though, after the visit with Poppy, I feel like we’ve taken

 another step back.

 “Good night,” Callen calls after her as she heads up the stairs.

 She doesn’t respond, just waves a hand at us without even turning to give us a backward nce. I stand at the bottom of the stairs with my brother, both of us looking at the now empty staircase.

 “Well…” Callen sighs, running a hand through his hair.

 “I don’t know what changed. She was like apletely different personing back, wasn’t she?”

 “She sure was. Is this just a woman thing? A Paige thing? Or did we do something else to upset her?” Cal says, more to himself than me, as we walk towards the kitchen.

 “What happened?” Parker asks as hees to join us.

 Callen tells Parker what happened with Poppy and about Paige’s sudden shift in mood.

 “Maybe she’s just exhausted?” Parker offers.

 I nod “I hope it’s just that.”

 I’m not sure how much time passes, but it’ste. Parker went up to bed hours ago and Callen and I have sat in the living room in silence. I feel lost. I can’t go upstairs. I can’t bear to be so close to her and not sneak in and check on her, which she would hate. So instead, I sit here, wallowing in self–doubt and

 drowning in unanswered questions.

 Eventually, I sprawl out on the couch. One leg hanging off as I stare up at the ceiling. Callen has spread out

 on the floor, his arm under his head, eyes half closed. We still haven’t spoken, but the silence between us is not ufortable. It’s the silence of two men, fighting an internal battle. Trying to resist our mate until

 she is ready for us.

 I hear movement upstairs and strain my ears. I think it’s Paige. Maybe she is looking for a bathroom. Would I seem too desperate if I went out to meet her? Callen sits up, reminding me of a meerkat, and we share a look, both of us undecided on what we should do.

 Before we can decide, Paige appears in the doorway. She is barefoot and wearing an oversized T–shirt that falls to her mid–thigh. Her hair is a mess of waves, and she looks as exhausted as I feel.

 She hesitates in the doorway like she’s not sure if she should be here. Then her eyes lock with mine and something in her expression softens.

 “Couldn’t sleep?” I ask in a hushed voice.

 She shakes her head and pads across the room towards us. “Too many thoughts. Too much change.

 She stops between us and then does something I don’t expect. She drops to sit on the floor, settling

 wrap around between us like she needs to be close to us both. Pulling her knees up to her chest, her arms wrap them as she leans her head back against the edge of the couch. She’s so close to my legs I could touch

 her with the smallest movement.

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Carry 23