Page 12 of The Pack

Maybe. But maybe not.

The wind shifted. I caught her scent once again, and something inside me shifted.

I’d always thought of myself as unshakable. The one who kept the pack grounded when the chaos threatened to tear us apart. But the first time her scent hit me, it was like the ground beneath my feet disappeared. And now it was happening again.

It wasn’t just the sweetness of it—though there was a soft, honeyed note that lingered in the air like a promise. And it wasn’t just the sweet tang of her fear, or the fire of her heat. It was the way her scent spoke to something deeper, something I’d long since stopped hoping for.

It spoke tome.

I’d been the first to shift back, the first to approach her after the fight with the ferals. My wolf had been pacing beneath the surface, restless and alert, but the moment her wide, dark eyes met mine, everything stilled.

The world narrowed, the noise of the forest fading into a dull hum. All I could hear was the sound of her breathing, quick and shallow, and the pounding of my own heart as her scent curled around me, wrapping me in something I couldn’t name.

Mate.

The word whispered through me, soft but insistent.

“Thorne, what do you think?” I asked, glancing over my shoulder at the white wolf standing slightly apart from the others. He was the quietest of the group, but he was calm, calculating. If anyone would have an unbiased opinion, it was him.

Thorne stepped forward, his white fur gleaming like snow in the soft morning light. His voice slid into my mind, as cold and calculated as the man himself.“She’s an anomaly. England doesn’t send humans here. Either this is a mistake, or they want us to think it is.”

I turned back to the girl, narrowing my eyes. A mistake? Somehow, I doubted that. England didn’t make mistakes like this. If they’d sent her here, there had to be a reason.

And I intended to find out what it was.

Her eyes darted to the other wolves now, as if she were trying to figure out her odds against them. I could practically see her thoughts spinning behind those fire-filled eyes. She was looking for an opening, a way to run.Escape.

I sighed, taking a step closer. “Don’t even think about it.”

“Think about what?” she asked, feigning innocence.

“Running,” I said. “Because trust me, lass, you won’t make it far. And you won’t enjoy what happens after I catch you.”

Zara took a step back, her expression hardening again. “Whatever this is, I don’t want any part of it,” she said. “I’m not sticking around to?—”

“To die?” I interrupted, cutting her off. “Because that’s what’ll happen if you leave. Those ferals are gone, but they’re not the only danger out here.”

She hesitated, her eyes flicking between me and the wolves behind me. “Why do you care?”

The question caught me off guard. WhydidI care? A part of me was drawn to her, regardless of why she was here.

I knew why.

Because she’s your mate.

So I didn’t answer right away. She stiffened, her hands balling into fists, but she didn’t back down. I cocked my head in her direction and cleared my throat.

“Look,” I said, softer now. “You’re out here, alone, in a place where humans don’t survive. That makes you one of two things: really lucky, or really dangerous. Either way, you’re not leaving until I figure out which one it is.”

Her glare returned, sharper than before. “You don’t get to decide that.”

I leaned in slightly, letting my voice drop to a whisper. “Oh, I really think I do.”

She stared at me, her chest rising and falling rapidly, her fire battling against her fear. Honestly, it was fucking delicious to watch.

“Magnus,”Callum said, his voice hesitant in my mind.“What are we doing here?”

“I don’t know,”I shot back. I stared at her, trying to figure her out. She was defiant, stubborn, and radiating enough anger to make Tobias look like a cheerful schoolboy.

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