Page 84 of The Pack

I glanced up to see him watching me, his expression unreadable.

“They won’t stop,” he said simply.

“I know,” I said. “But they won’t find us tonight.”

Tobias nodded, his jaw tightening as he moved to stand by the door, ever the sentinel. The rest of the men set about making weapons and setting up camp in the little cabin.

Soon enough, the fire crackled to life. Zara sat close to it, her face illuminated by the flickering glow. She looked exhausted, her shoulders slumped, and her hands clasped tightly in her lap.

But she was okay.

“You’re safe,” I said, leaning against the wall with my arms crossed.

She glanced up at me, her dark eyes meeting mine. “Thanks to you.”

“To all of us, you included,” I corrected, a faint smile tugging at my lips. “You held your own back there. You’re the one that savedus,remember.”

Her cheeks flushed, and she looked away, her fingers fidgeting with the edge of her cloak. “I didn’t have much of a choice.”

“No,” I said softly. “But you didn’t let them break you. You held strong, lass. I’m proud of you.”

“Thank you.” She blushed softly.

“Do you want to tell us about it?” I pressed gently.

Her lips tightened into a thin line, and for a moment, I thought she might refuse. But then she let out a shaky breath, her gaze dropping back to the fire.

“You won’t believe me,” she murmured.

“Try us,” Thorne said, his voice low.

Zara hesitated, her hands clenching in her lap. “They’re not just… people. They’re something else. Broken. Animalistic. It’s like they’ve lost whatever made them human.”

“They’re one of the only surviving human tribes left here in Ireland,” Callum said softly.

“They wanted to use me by making me have their babies. To ‘save’ their bloodline or something like that,” Zara continued, her voice trembling slightly.

The words hit harder than I expected, a low growl rumbling in my chest before I could stop it. A possessive streak tightened in my chest, and I lifted my chin.

She was ours to breed. No one else could have her.

“That’s not all. They planned to eat you lot,” she added, glancing to the rest of the pack. “After the breeding ceremony. That was their big celebration meal—a big ole pile of wolf meat.”

Killian let out a low whistle, his golden eyes narrowing. “Well, that’s bloody lovely.”

For a moment, we fell into an uneasy silence, just processing what she told us, until I finally cleared my throat.

“You’re safe now,” I said, my voice softer. “We’ll rest here for the night, but in the morning, we’ll move. We’ll make it to Dublin and find your brother. I promise.”

Her expression softened, her lips curving into a smile that sent a flicker of warmth through my chest. For days, I’d been haunted by the thought of her trapped, alone, at the mercy of those twisted people. Seeing her now, alive and safe, was doing something to me I couldn’t quite explain.

She was strong, stubborn, fierce in ways that had surprised me more than once. The fact that she’d come back for us, risking everything to free us from that hellhole… It made my chest tighten, a strange mix of pride and something warm and unfamiliar.

I stepped closer, close enough to catch the faint scent that clung to her—a mix of earth and smoke, and a smell that made my jaw tighten.

Their scent.

The men she’d been near, the ones who thought they could claim her as theirs, who thought they could take her from us, lingered on her soft skin. My wolf bristled beneath the surface, a low growl building in my chest before I forced it back.

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