Chapter 293 Book 2 ~ Chapter 58

Chapter 293 Book 2 ~ Chapter 58
Leo’s POV

“It’s not staying silent anymore.”

The words have been stuck in my head for the last two fucking hours since Jake explained what happened at the clinic.

I tighten my grip on the strap of the knife sheath sitting across my chest harder than necessary, checking it for the third time since walking into the cabin. We don’t usually rely on weapons because our wolves are our own built-in weapons, but when travelling through human territory where shifting isn’t an option, it’s better to have a backup plan.

“You’re pacing,” Jake says from the kitchen.

I glance down at my feet. He’s right, apparently I do that now. I stop moving long enough to drag a hand over the back of my neck before immediately starting again.

“I know.”

The cabin is quiet tonight. Not normal quiet either; it’s the kind where no one dares breathe too loudly, listening too carefully for the next thing to go wrong.

Rain taps softly against the windows, and every time it does, Poppy flinches slightly. That alone is enough to make my jaw ache from how tightly I’m clenching my teeth.

I hate this. Not the danger, or the mystery. I can handle those. I hate not understanding what we’re dealing with and that there is nothing I can do to stop it making her feel this way. 

My mate is terrified, and there’s nothing for me to tear apart to fix it. There’s no enemy to track, no throat to rip out, no blood to spill.

This is happening inside her, and all I can do is stand there and hold her fucking hand while she fights something none of us fully understand, and that is killing me.

I’m a warrior. I know how to eliminate threats. Give me something physical, something I can hunt, and I’ll end it. But this thing?… This thing lives behind her eyes and whispers in her mind.

I also hate that Ronnie looked genuinely shaken for the first time since I was a child, and I really fucking hate the fact that both he and Jake heard that thing answer her.

My wolf has been restless ever since. He’s protective, aggressive, and alert. Like it’s waiting for something to try to touch what’s ours.

Poppy sits curled in the corner of the couch beneath a blanket, her legs tucked under her. She looks exhausted and pale. But every few minutes her eyes drift toward me, tracking my movements around the room as if she’s checking I’m still here.

Jake steps into the living room holding a mug, his eyes flicking between us before settling on me.

“You’re going to wear a hole in the floor.”

“I said I know.”

Poppy’s mouth twitches slightly. Good, at least one of us still remembers how to act like a normal person.

Jake hands her the mug carefully before sitting beside her. Not too close at first. Giving her space to decide, but she closes that distance almost immediately.

My chest eases slightly watching her lean into him. Jake notices too; his hand settles against her thigh as if it’s already the easiest and most natural thing. They may not have completed the mating yet, but you’d never guess that from observing them together.

“You don’t have to go,” Poppy says quietly.

The words stop me mid-step, and I turn toward her slowly. She’s looking down into the mug instead of at me, her hands wrapped tightly around it.

“I know you have the Alpha meeting,” she continues softly, “but if you’re worried…”

“I am worried.”

The honesty leaves my mouth before I can stop it. Her eyes lift to mine immediately.

“I don’t want to leave you right now,” I admit, and the room falls silent for a moment.

Jake leans back slightly against the couch, watching us both carefully but not interrupting.

Poppy swallows hard enough that I see it from across the room.

“But the pack still needs you,” she says.

I almost laugh, because of course she’d say that. Even now, even after today, she’s still trying to make everyone else comfortable first.

I cross the room before I can think too hard about it and crouch in front of her, pushing the blanket aside enough to wrap my hands around her calves gently. 

The connection is instant, like a warm grounding current passing between us, soothing something deep in my soul.

“I’d stay if I could.”

Something flickers across her face at that, surprise maybe, or the realisation that I mean it. If it were up to me, I’d lock every damn door in this cabin and keep her and Jake here where I can see them until we understand what the hell is happening.

Poppy sets the mug down carefully before reaching for me. The second her fingers touch my face, even my wolf calms. Her thumb brushes lightly across my cheekbone, her expression softens in a way that nearly undoes me.

“I’ll be okay,” she whispers.

I wish I believed that.

Instead of answering, I lean forward until our foreheads touch, and for a second, everything else fades away. It’s just her breathing against me and the warmth of her hands on my face.

“What if this thing isn’t new?” she asks quietly. “What if it’s always been there?”

I pull back just enough to look at her properly.

“You are not whatever that voice is.”

“But what if it’s part of me?”

The fear in her voice nearly guts me.

Jake moves in before I can answer. One of his hands slides into her hair, his head resting against the side of hers.

“It changes nothing,” he says firmly. “We’ll deal with it together.”

Poppy looks between us slowly, her eyes welling with emotion.

Goddess, I hate seeing her cry. Not because it makes her weak, but because every tear feels like proof that we failed to protect her from something. Jake must know exactly where my head goes because his eyes flick to mine briefly.

“I’ll keep her safe,” he says quietly.

“I know you will,” I nod without hesitation.

Because I believe him. Jake may not be a fighter, but if anyone on this planet would tear himself apart to protect her, it’s him. That’s not the problem. The problem is that I am leaving. I’m putting distance between us when every instinct I have is screaming not to.

Jake studies me for another second before his expression softens slightly in understanding.

“That’s not why you don’t want to go,” he says.

No, it’s not, and fuck, maybe that’s the scariest part of all this. The voice, her powers, and the shadows in her blood are worrying, but how fast she’s become essential is terrifying.

A sharp ache suddenly twists low in my chest, and I freeze. Poppy gasps at the exact same moment.

“What’s wrong?” Jake’s head snaps toward her instantly.

Her hand flies to her chest. “I… don’t know.”

The ache pulses again. It’s not pain exactly, more like something pulling as if something is being stretched too far. My stomach drops.

Poppy looks up at me slowly. “You felt that too?”

I nod, and Jake’s frown deepens as his eyes flick between us.

I stand too quickly, every protective instinct roaring awake all over again as something tugs at me as if it somehow knows I’m about to leave her.

“Maybe I shouldn’t…”

“No.” Poppy rises immediately, the blanket falling around her feet. “We are in control here, not the bond, or the voice.”

The pride that hits me is immediate. Even terrified, she’s still fighting.

I move toward her automatically, gripping the sides of her face gently before kissing her hard enough to steal the rest of my thoughts for a second. When I pull back, her breathing is uneven. Mine probably is too.

“I’ll be back as soon as I can,” I murmur against her forehead, placing another kiss there.

“You better be,” she says, tilting her head up to look at me with a small smile.

I force myself to step away before my instincts completely override common sense. Jake walks me to the door in silence, and the second we step outside, the cold air hits me hard.

“Do you think this is connected to the bond?” I ask him through the mind-link.

Jake exhales slowly. “I think whatever’s inside her is reacting to emotional stress, attachment, fear… maybe all of it.”

Well, that’s not reassuring at all.

“You mind-link me the second anything changes,” I tell him.

“I will.”

I hesitate, and Jake notices immediately.

“She’ll be okay,” he says again.

I nod once. Then, finally, force myself toward the Alpha’s cabin. Every step feels wrong.

By the time we’re on the road and out of pack territory, the pressure in my chest still hasn’t eased. If anything, it’s getting worse.

Rain lashes against the windshield as I drive, dark trees blurring past outside. My wolf paces violently beneath my skin.

“Turn around.”

“Go back.”

“Protect.”

I tighten my grip on the steering wheel harder.

“She’s safe,” I soothe, but it doesn’t help either of us.

The mind-link remains silent. There’s no panic from Jake, no fear from Poppy, just a quiet longing through the bond.

I glance at Ryder and Callen, who are quieter than usual. Both of them wear the same tense expression as they stare out of the windows. Do they feel the same pull to Paige? Is this a mate bond thing? Or a goddess thing?

“Don’t leave her for too long.”

My entire body locks because that voice isn’t my wolf, and it sure as hell isn’t Jake’s.