Page 76 of The Pack

She nodded slowly. “In body, yes. But in mind…” She gestured to the figures watching us from the shadows, their guttural sounds rising again.

“We’ve lost so much. Language. Reason. They cannot speak. Only grunt. Only fight. Only survive.”

I stared at them, my chest tightening. “But you can talk. And Amelie?—”

“I taught her,” the old woman said, her voice firm. “She is my granddaughter.”

Amelie knelt beside her, her wide eyes locking onto mine.

“We haven’t had anyone like you in a long time,” she said softly.

“Like me?” I asked.

“A human,” the old woman said. “A young one. A woman.”

She reached out, her gnarled hand brushing my cheek. I had to keep myself from pulling away for fear of insulting her.

“You will give us what we need,” she said, her voice dropping to a whisper.

“What do you mean?” I asked, my heart pounding.

The old woman’s eyes darkened. “You will give us new blood.”

“What… what doesthatmean?” I asked again, though dread curled in my stomach like a living thing.

The old woman smiled faintly, her cracked lips pulling tight over yellowed teeth.

“You are strong,” she said simply. “Young. You will thrive here, with us. You’ll give us what we need to survive.”

“And what is that?” I asked, my voice trembling despite my best effort to keep it steady.

“Babies,” she said, the word landing like a hammer.

A murmur of approval rippled through the cave, the guttural sounds of the others rising as they shifted closer. My pulse pounded in my ears as I looked around, their eyes gleaming in the flickering light of the fire, filled with an unnatural hunger.

I didn’t like it. Not one bit.

“We’ll take care of you,” the old woman continued, her voice almost soothing now. “You’ll want for nothing. We’ll provide food—wolf meat, plenty of it. Warmth. Shelter. All you must do is give yourself to the men of our tribe.”

I swallowed hard, my mind racing.

“You think you saved me,” I said slowly, trying to buy time, to think.

“Wedidsave you,” the old woman said firmly. “The wolves would have torn you apart.”

“They weren’t—” I started, but the woman’s grip on my cheek tightened, silencing me.

“Don’t be afraid,” she said, her tone softening. “This is the way it must be. This is how we survive.”

Amelie, who had been silent until now, moved closer, her tiny body pressing against my side. I flinched at the contact, but she didn’t seem to notice—or perhaps she didn’t care.

“I didn’t want to hurt you,” she whispered, her voice trembling.

I turned my head slightly, catching the guilt in her wide eyes.

“You hit me,” I said, my voice low.

“They told me to,” she said quickly, her small hand clutching at my arm. “They said it was the only way to keep you safe. If I didn’t, the wolves would’ve taken you.”

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