Page 108 of Pack Fever

My heart hammers against my ribcage, a frantic beat that drowns out everything but the sound of crunching metal and shattering glass of the rearview window.

A frantic fear beats inside me, and I’m having flashbacks of me and Dad in our car that rainy night, of the other car hitting us, sending us into a wild spin. I’m gripping the door handle with a death grip, a yelp on my lips.

Reed has his arm thrown across my middle, holding me in place, but he’s not stopping and races forward.

“Hold on,” he tells me.

He turns sharply left, but it’s the precise moment a silver SUV rushes out from an adjacent street, right in front of us.

I scream as the SUV comes to a sudden halt. Reed’s reflexes kick in, his hands wrestling with the steering wheel in a desperate attempt to avoid a collision, but the closeness of the SUV leaves us no escape.

I’m frantically gripping the door as we slam into its side with a sickening crunch, the impact sending shockwaves through me. Reed and I are jolted by the brutal force.

“Danica, are you hurt?” Reed pleads, worry in his voice. His hand is back on my leg as his eyes scan me.

“I-I’m fine.”

Abruptly, Reed’s door is wrenched open, and before I can even process what’s happening, he’s yanked out of the car by a man wearing a face covering.

My sharp, piercing scream is cut short when my door flies open. A man, shrouded in black from head to toe with a matching balaclava covering his face, grabs me by the arm with an iron grip. With one flick of the blade in his other hand, he cuts my seatbelt and yanks me out with such force I can barely keep up.

I fight back, thrashing and kicking, trying to break free from his hold, crying out, hoping that someone on the street will help me.

His hand moves to my neck with the speed of a striking viper, and I feel an instant, sharp prick of a needle on my skin.

I cry out, and with desperation, I lash out, my fists pounding against his chest, but he doesn’t even respond to my attempt.

“Reed!” I call out desperately, my gaze searching for him, even as the edges of my vision darken as the world starts to blur.

I can’t see him as my world slips away, and I’m consumed, fading into nothingness as I pass out.

Chapter

Twenty-Seven

SETH

I’m on the phone again, desperation clawing at me as Reed’s voicemail kicks in for the umpteenth time. The penthouse phone rings endlessly, with no answer. Panic tightens its grip as I call the reception from the stadium, urging them to check the room. The news comes back like a punch to the gut—the room’s empty, no sign of Reed or Danica.

Two hours ago, Reed had left our meeting at the stadium and said he’d be back in a flash, that he was just grabbing something from the hotel. But now, silence. Danica’s unreachable, and I’m pacing a trench into the floor, the phone feeling like a boulder weight in my hand.

Jasper’s in my face, his expression mirroring the storm growing inside me. “Well?” he presses, his voice tight with concern.

“Nothing,” I bark out, the frustration boiling over. “Where the hell is he?”

“Did she go into heat again? And they’re going at it?” His question hangs heavy, and there’s not a smirk on his face.

“If they are, it’s not in the penthouse. So, where did he take her?” The words leave me in a rush.

Jasper pauses, a thoughtful look crossing his face. His gaze drifts to the backstage lot, lost in thought. When he turns back, his jaw is set, determination etched in every line of his face.

Grabbing his phone, Jasper dials Reed, leaving a message that’s more a barrage of frustration and worry than words. “You better answer, Reed, and not be pulling some fucking prank, or I swear I’ll kick you so hard, you’ll never see the sun again,” he growls into the phone.

With no response and time ticking away, I declare, “We leave… now.”

Jasper doesn’t hesitate, his movements swift as we navigate the backstage, a blur of guards helping fans out of our path before us as we make our way to the car.

Behind the wheel, my fingers drum in an anxious rhythm. Jasper’s on the phone again, his voice a constant in the background as he pleads with the hotel to check the room again and to ask around for any sign of Danica or Reed.

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