<b>Chapter </b><b>103 </b>
** Paige’s POV **
+25 <b>Points </b>
When I turn, Ryder is already crouched naked on the floor. He reaches for the pair of shorts draped over a chair and pulls them on, then pushes to his feet, rolling his shoulders as if they ache.
His eyes meet mine, still alert even through the exhaustion I can feeling from him. “Sit,” he says simply, nodding toward the chair at the kitchen ind.
My legs feel unsteady, but I obey. Ryder drags a chair out and drops into it, his posture still rigid with tension that tells me the fight hasn’t fully left his body. A few secondster, Parker reappears, sliding into the seat beside me. His thigh presses against mine under the table.
The three of us sit in silence for a long moment. The fridge hums softly, and my pulse thuds in my ears.
Finally, Ryder speaks. “The hunters knew what they were doing tonight. They came in coordinated waves, tried to pull our enforcers beyond the tree line where they’d set traps, but we didn’t give chase. They underestimated us again.”
“So you… won?” The word feels wrong, like I’m discussing a game on the Xbox.
Ryder exhales. “We held them back. They didn’t breach our borders. That’s what matters.”
“But?” Parker pushes.
Ryder’s jaw tightens. “But I don’t think they were here to win tonight. They were testing us, measuring our strength, counting numbers. Seeing how fast we respond.”
“Casualties?” I whisper, even though I almost don’t want to hear the answer.
His eyes darken. “Three injured, but stable.”
I squeeze my eyes shut, guilt pressing down like a weight. I brought them here; they followed me. I feel Parker’s hand slip over mine under the table, his thumb brushing slow circles against my skin. It doesn’t erase the guilt, but it keeps me from drowning in it.
Ryder continues. “We fought them off, but there weren’t enough of them. Not for what they wanted us to believe. They pulled back too soon and left their wounded behind.”
“They’lle back,” Parker says.
Ryder nods. “And next time, they’ll hit harder. They’ve learned how close they can get before
< Chapter 103
we react.”
“So what now?”
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“Now, we tighten our defences. No one goes anywhere alone. Enforcers triple patrol, shifts rotate every two hours, and we push our trail cams further out. We are also contacting neighbouring packs. They’re usually reluctant to get involved, but we need to approach them differently. We need to let them know that if the hunters take us out, they’lle after them next. We need to unite on this to end the hunters for good. It’s that or we need to pack up and move the whole pack.” Ryder exins.
“Pack up and move?” The words leave me before I can stop them, and my chest tightens at the thought of Jaxon being uprooted again, at all of us scattering to some new hiding ce.
Ryder’s gaze flicks to me. “It’s a huge operation, which makes it thest option, but it’s on the table.”
My throat feels dry. I straighten a little in the chair, ignoring the way my hands tremble in myp. “What about me? What can I do?”
Two sets of eyesnd on me, and the weight of them makes my pulse race.
“You don’t need to…<i>” </i>Ryder starts, but I cut him off.
“No,” I say firmly. “I don’t want to just sit here while everyone else fights and bleeds to keep us safe. I need to do something. Train me, give me a role, anything. I can help.”
The silence that follows is heavy. Ryder looks like he wants to argue, but Parker’s fingers squeeze mine beneath the table.
“You’re already helping,” Parker says quietly. “You give us even more of a reason to make it home and fight to keep this ce safe. We know we can face anything if it means we get toe home to you and Jaxon. We will die to protect this pack, but we will fight to survive for you.”
The words hit me like a punch, knocking the breath from my lungs. In an instant, I’m back to being that 18–year–old girl again, helplessly whispering prayers into the dark and begging my parents to survive, toe back to me, even when some part of me already knew they wouldn’t. Grief had been tearing me apart from the inside, and anger was the only thing that kept me standing. I’d med them for leaving, for not fighting harder to stay. And now here I am, sitting in a kitchen, covered in blood, with my mate telling me I’m worth surviving for. I wish it were that simple.
My chest aches with the grief I never allowed myself to fully process. I couldn’t back then, not when I had a newborn baby and a sister to carry. I bottled everything up and poured
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<Chapter 103
everything I had into them.
425 Points
Now though… A part of me wants to believe Parker so badly it hurts, to let that promise sink in. But another part, hardened by loss, keeps whispering that promises like that are fragile, that people still die, no matter how fiercely they swear to stay.
I blink, swallowing around the lump in my throat. My fingers curl tight around Parker’s hand, wishing I could hold him and never let go.
I don’t tell them any of this, though. After tonight, hope feels like a dangerous thing. Yet, I let myself picture a future where theye back to me every time. Where I’m <i>not </i>left behind.
As usual, Ryder doesn’t miss much. The bond giving him enough clues to work out where my mind had gone.
“Paige,” he says quietly. “Don’t carry that grief alone. Not anymore. You don’t have to be the one holding everything together all the time.”
The old scar inside of me burns, the one that never healed properly, and for a second, I can’t breathe.
Ryder reaches across the table, his big hand covering mine while Parker still holds the other. “I know what it feels like to lose, to carry guilt for things you couldn’t stop. But you will not lose us the same way. I made you a promise that I’d never leave you again. I intend to keep it.
<i>” </i>
His certainty is almost unbearable. My throat burns with emotion, and all I can do is nod, because if I try to speak, I’ll shatter.
Parker shifts closer, pressing a kiss to my temple, his hand never leaving mine. Between the two of them, I feel love and safety. They might not be able to keep their promise forever, but that just means I have to love them harder now. I need to love everyone I care about harder; Jaxon, my mates, my sister.
“Does Leo have a twin?” I ask, needing something else to focus on.
“No,” Ryder shakes his head. “I heard what happened. How are you feeling about it all?”
I shrug, wondering how much to tell them. Would they judge me for feeling relieved that I get to keep my sister close?
“I’m not sure. A part of me is happy to know she is entering this new world with me, and I’m pleased she will have someone to love her as fiercely as she deserves if she epts the bond. But another part is terrified of bringing her into this mess. There’s just a lot to process.” I admit.
<Chapter 103
+25 Points
“Paige,” Parker murmurs. “Your sister is stronger than you give her credit for. She’s smart, careful, and now she’s got a whole pack watching her back.”
“If it eases your mind, I’ll have her brought here. We’ll make space for her, keep her under our protection until the hunters are dealt with,” Ryder offers.
I want to say yes, to demand he makes that happen, but I know Poppy won’t like it. She is so determined to finish university, to be a vet and one day open her own clinic. I hate to take that dream away from her, but the thought of her out there without the pack’s shield is <fn82a8> This update is avable on find?novel</fn82a8>
worse.
I nod slowly, gripping Parker’s hand tighter while Ryder keeps his warm palm over mine. “Yes,” I whisper. “Please. I need her safe. At least until we can figure something out for her.”
I rey the scene from earlier. Seeing my sister handle the situation so professionally filled me with pride. After her initial hesitation, she had pushed all her fears aside to save the life of an animal she thought she had no connection to. Then the trauma of what we actually witnessed tonight hits me. I look down at my arms and then shudder. It’s one thing to remember the blood, but it’s another to see it caked on me, clinging to my skin, seeped into my clothes.
My breath hitches, and I pull my hand from Parker’s, rubbing at a spot on my wrist, but it only kes onto the table.
“Paige.” Ryder’s voice is steady andmanding. I drag my gaze up. His eyes have softened.
with go “Go clean up. Parker will
I’ll make you some tea.” you.
I nod too quickly, because suddenly all I can think about is soap and water and scrubbing until I don’t feel like I’m wearing someone else’s pain.
Parker’s hand presses to the small of my back as he guides me out of the kitchen. I keep my eyes down, refusing to look at the red stains darkening my clothes again, afraid if I look too long the bile in my throat will win. I just hope Poppy is holding up better than me.
“You’re still worried about Poppy?” Parker asks softly as he flicks on the shower.
“I’ll always worry about her, that’s my job,” I smile weakly.
Parker takes my hand and squeezes it. “She’ll find her footing. Just like
you
did.”
I nce at him, my throat tight. I remember those first nights, the terror, the disbelief, the way I felt my whole life was being torn apart. He’s right. I found my way through it. Maybe she can
too.
The steam begins to fill the small bathroom. I stand there, staring at the fogged mirror, my
$25 Points
reflection hazy and fractured, and for once I don’t feel the need to hold myself together. Not here. Not with him.
Parker doesn’t push any further. Instead, he peels the stained fabric from my shoulders with gentle hands, as though he’s afraid I might break.
I step under the spray, tilting my face up as warmth crashes over me. The rush of water streaks pink where it mixes with blood. My throat burns, but then Parker is there, stepping in behind me, his hands moving slowly as he washes away the night.
By the time I turn back to him, my skin is flushed from the heat, but I feel lighter somehow, as though I’ve shed something more than just dirt and blood. Parker presses a kiss to my forehead, soft. “You’re stronger than you think, and your sister is too. She’ll get through this. You both will.”
I close my eyes, letting his words soak in the way the water does. He’s right. I have to believe he’s right.
N.O Darling
Sorry, only one chapter today as I’ve been in meetings all day. I’m curious to hear your guesses on what you think Paige may be, or if you think she is just human?
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