Page 34 of The Pack

“So, what now?” I asked, forcing myself to meet Magnus’s gaze. “What happens to me?”

“You survive,” Magnus said firmly. “And if you’re smart, you’ll stick with us. Whatever your past is, whatever your reasons for being here, it doesn’t matter now. Out here, the only thing that matters is staying alive.”

I glanced around at the five of them—their strength, their knowing stares, the way they moved as a unit without even realizing it.

They were dangerous, but they were also my best chance.

I took a deep breath, squaring my shoulders. “Fine. I’ll stick around.”

Magnus gave a small nod, his expression unreadable. “Good.”

Killian leaned back on his hands. “Welcome to the pack, lass. Don’t worry, we’re not all bad.”

“Just that one, mostly,” Tobias muttered, pointing at Killian, which earned a laugh from Callum and a scowl from Killian.

I shook my head, the faintest hint of a smile tugging at my lips despite the fear still gnawing at my chest.

For better or worse, I was with them as a part of their pack.

For now, at least.

CHAPTER 7

Zara

The next few days passed in a strange, uneasy rhythm. The pack moved like a machine, each man fitting into a role they’d practiced for two hundred years. Magnus organized repairs on the castle’s crumbling walls, Tobias patrolled the perimeter with an ever-watchful glare, Callum kept the campfire blazing and food ready, Killian scouted with reckless ease, and Thorne fetched water for the group.

As for me, I mostly kept my distance. I helped where I could, but I was still figuring out what help I could even offer. They didn’t push me, didn’t demand explanations or expect much from me. That made it easier to watch and listen, to try to fit the pieces of myself back together.

Four days later, I was walking through the woods with Thorne beside me and I looked over to him, noticing that he was tempering his long strides just so I could keep up with him.

“Why are you out here with me?” I asked, breaking the silence.

His pale blue eyes flicked toward me briefly before returning to the trail ahead. “Magnus’s orders. You shouldn’t be alone. And I needed air anyway.”

I raised an eyebrow. “You needed air? Or you wanted to keep an eye on me?”

The corner of his mouth twitched—almost a smile, but not quite. “Both.”

I huffed out a laugh, shaking my head. “Well, you’re not subtle.”

“I’m not trying to be.”

We walked in silence after that, the quiet of the woods pressing in around us. The steady rhythm of our footsteps on the damp earth lulled me into a sense of calm I hadn’t felt in days.

Then I stepped on a branch.

The crack sounded ear-splitting in the still air, and I froze. My breath hitched and my heart pounded as something inside me broke open.

The sound triggered a memory.

I was walking through the woods outside the walls. My brother was ahead of me, his strides confident as he wove between the trunks.

“Come on, Zara,” he said, his voice bright, but edged with tension. “We don’t have all day.”

I hurried to keep up, my breath puffing in the cold air. “Where are we going?”

“You’ll see,” he said without turning around.

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