Page 74 of The Pack

Then all hell broke loose.

A net shot up from the ground, snapping around Killian and yanking him into the air. He let out a loud curse, his body spinning wildly as he clawed at the ropes.

“What the bloody—?” he shouted, his voice cutting off as the net tangled tighter.

“It’s a trap!” Magnus barked, his eyes darting around as the forest exploded into chaos.

A second net shot up, snagging Tobias and Callum in one fell swoop. The two of them slammed into each other midair, their snarls filling the clearing as they thrashed against the ropes.

“Zara, get back!” Thorne growled, his eyes narrowing as he reached for his blade.

I stumbled backward, my heart pounding as I scanned the trees.

They were everywhere—nets, ropes, spikes. The forest seemed alive, every step setting off another mechanism, each more brutal than the last.

“Zara, run!” Magnus shouted, his voice cutting through the chaos.

I turned toward him, only to see him jerk to the side as another net closed around him. His silver eyes locked on mine, fierce and commanding even as the ropes tangled around his arms and legs.

“Run!” he repeated.

The forest erupted into chaos as the traps triggered one after another. Nets snapped up into the air, ropes tightened around limbs, and spiked logs swung down from the canopy, their deadly edges gleaming. The pack fought fiercely, but every movement only seemed to spring another trap.

Killian dangled helplessly in a net above, snarling as he clawed at the ropes. “Bloody hell, this is ridiculous!”

Callum and Tobias struggled in their shared net, spinning wildly as they tried to break free. “Stay still!” Tobias barked.

“Easier said than done,” Callum shot back, his voice strained.

Magnus struggled in the net, his eyes burning with rage as he shouted, “Zara, run!”

I stumbled back, my heart racing as I looked for a way out.

“I’m not leaving you!” I shouted.

Magnus twisted in the net, his muscles straining against the ropes. “That’s an order! Go!”

Thorne was still free, his sharp eyes darting around as he tried to spot the source of the traps. His machete flashed as he cut through a nearby rope, narrowly avoiding a spiked log that swung down toward him.

“Zara, move!” he growled, his voice tight with urgency.

Before I could respond, a wooden spike shot up from the ground, catching Thorne across the side. He grunted in pain, his body twisting to avoid the worst of the impact, but blood darkened his shirt where the spike had grazed him.

“Thorne!” I shouted, taking a step toward him.

“I’ll be fine,” he snapped, though his gritted face told a different story. “Just—get out of here.”

But as he turned to free Magnus, another rope shot out, coiling around his ankle and jerking him off his feet. He slammed into the ground, the air leaving his lungs in a loud gasp, before the rope yanked him up into the air.

He dangled upside down, blood dripping from the wound on his side. His eyes locked onto mine, a mix of frustration and pain in his expression, and then they glanced behind me and widened with fear.

“Zara! Watch out!”

I turned just in time to see Amelie.

The terrified child I’d been comforting moments before was gone. Her wide, frightened eyes had hardened into a cold, calculating stare.

“Amelie?” I whispered, my voice trembling.

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