Page 17 of The Pack

“I’m not like you!” I shouted, my voice breaking. “I’m not a shifter! This shouldn’t be happening to me!”

Magnus stopped just a few feet away, his silver eyes glowing faintly in the dim light.

“You’re right,” he said. “It shouldn’t. But it is. And whether you like it or not, you need us.”

“I don’t need anyone!” I snapped, but the words rang hollow.

The truth was I didn’t know how much longer I could stand this. My legs felt weak, my mind even hazier. The heat was eating away at me, breaking me down piece by piece and the more I was around them, the more I began to question what I wanted and what my body was demanding.

Them. My body wants them.

The others moved closer now, forming a loose semi-circle around me. I should have felt trapped, but instead, a part of me—some dark, unfamiliar part—felt drawn to them.

It was the heat.

It had to be.

“Zara,” Magnus said again. “You’re not thinking clearly. That’s the heat. It’s going to push you to your limits, make you feel things you don’t want to feel. But you have to trust me. Trust us.”

“Why?” I demanded, my voice cracking.

“Because we’re the only thing standing between you and losing control completely,” he answered.

I wanted to argue, wanted to tell him he was wrong, but I couldn’t. The fire inside me was too strong, too overwhelming. My body ached, my skin burned, and the pull—the unbearable pull toward them—was getting stronger by the second.

You want them.

You need them.

“You’re fighting it,” Magnus said, his tone firmer now. “Stop fighting.”

“What do you expect me to do?” I snapped. “Just give in?”

I stumbled again as I continued backing away, and Magnus was suddenly there, his hands gripping my arms to stabilize me. The contact sent a shockwave of blazing fire right through me, the heat flaring so intensely that I gasped.

“Breathe,” he commanded. “Focus on me.”

“I can’t,” I whispered, shaking my head. “It’s too much.”

“You can,” Magnus said, his grip tightening slightly. His eyes bore into mine, grounding me even as the fire threatened to consume me.

The heat twisted again, brutal and unforgiving, and I let out a low moan, my body trembling. I felt like I was standing on the edge of a cliff, staring into an abyss I couldn’t escape.

I needed to come.

Magnus’s hands moved to my waist, holding me up as my legs threatened to give out. His touch sent another jolt through me, the heat racing through my every limb, roaring in response to his hands on my body.

“Zara,” he said, his voice softer now, almost a whisper. “I know it’s hard. But you’re not alone here anymore. We’re going to handle this together.”

I wanted to believe him. I wanted to believe that I wasn’t losing myself to this… thisthing,whatever it was. But as the fire burned hotter and my vision blurred further, I wasn’t sure I could hold on.

“Help me,” I whispered, the words slipping out before I could stop them.

Magnus’s grip tightened. “I will. We will,” he assured me. “I promise.”

But even as he spoke, I felt the fire claw deeper, pulling me closer to the edge. I wasn’t sure how much longer I could fight it.

The fire inside me wasn’t just burning anymore—it was consuming me from the inside out. It clawed at my skin, curled around my spine, and licked up the back of my neck like it was trying to escape. Every breath felt thick, like breathing in smoke. My knees buckled slightly, and I clung to the rough bark of a nearby tree to keep myself upright.

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