Page 9 of The Pack

He wasbeautiful.

But there was nothing soft or inviting about him. His expression was tense, his jaw clenched, his body coiled with the same predatory energy as the wolf had. He wasn’t just a man. He was something more.

And now he had the stick.

I hadn’t even seen him grab it. One moment, I was holding it; the next, his hand had shot out, wrapping around the other end with impossible speed. Before I could react, he used the stick to pull me toward him, the motion so quick and smooth I stumbled forward and slammed into his chest.

“Hey!” I shouted, trying to push away, but his hand was already gripping my wrist, iron-strong and unyielding.

Up close, he was even more intimidating. He towered over me, his bare chest rising and falling steadily as he stared down at me. His features were striking, all angles and rugged edges, but his eyes… his eyes were what held me captive.

They glowed faintly, like molten silver, and there was something behind them, something ancient, something dangerous,and I very much didn’t want to stick around and find out.

“Let go of me!” I snapped, struggling against his hold.

He didn’t. His grip didn’t tighten, but it didn’t loosen either. It was like being caught in a trap—no pain, just absolute control.

I glared up at him, trying to muster some kind of defiance despite the fear swirling in my chest, but it was increasingly difficult.

“I don’t care who—or what—you are. Back. Off,” I blurted out.

He glanced to my makeshift stick-turned-spear still clutched in his other hand. A faint smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth, as if he were amused by my attempt to defend myself.

“Bold,” he said, his voice deep and smooth, with a faint accent I couldn’t place. It was the first word he’d spoken, and it sent ashiver through me—not because of the sound, but because of the way it felt. Like a command.

I didn’t like how my body reacted to it.

“Let me go,” I said again, my voice trembling now.

He tilted his head, his expression unreadable. “Why are you running?”

“Why do you think?” I shot back, my breath hitching as I struggled harder. His body was warm, impossibly warm, and the proximity was making my skin prickle with an unsettling mix of fear and… something else.

Desire.

I clenched my teeth, shoving the thought away.

Not now, Zara. Focus.

His eyes narrowed, and for a moment, I thought he might actually release me. But then his expression hardened, his grip tightening just slightly—not enough to hurt, but enough to remind me that I wasn’t the one in control here.

He was.

“You’re not safe out here,” he said, his voice low.

I laughed bitterly, trying to ignore the fact that his bare chest was pressed against me. The hard line of his cock brushed my hip, and a sharp bolt of piercing desire raced straight down to the center of my being.

“And you think I’m safer with you?”

He didn’t answer. Instead, he turned his head slightly, as if listening to something I couldn’t hear.

The other wolves—the ones who had remained in wolf form—were standing behind him now, watching us with unblinking eyes.

It was kind of eerie.

I felt the weight of all their stares, but I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the man in front of me. Not when his body was still so firmly pressed against mine.

“What do you want?” I whispered.

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