Page 16 of Primal Snow

My lungs burn, each gasp scraping like glass, and my heart pounds so hard it drowns out everything else. Every frantic inhale carries the metallic tang of blood from my raw throat. The pain from the crash radiates through me, sharp and unforgiving, but it doesn’t matter.

I move on pure adrenaline. There’s no time to slow down. I can’t stop.

Behind me, I can hear Yeti, crashing through the trees like a force of nature. The splintering of branches echoes like gunshots in the frozen silence. Heavy, guttural breaths punctuate the thundering rhythm of its footsteps, each one closer than the last. I can feel the suffocating weight of it, its ferocity, bearing down on me like a tidal wave. No matter how fast I run, no matter how hard I push, I know the beast is too fast.

It's coming for me. And it’s hungry.

My foot catches on a root, and I slam hard into the snow. The impact knocks the air from my lungs in a choking gasp, my ribs aching from the force. My handsscramble to push me back up, burning on the jagged, icy crust on the ground. As soon as I stand, I take off, my quivering legs pumping faster than ever before.

A roar rips through the woods with an earth-shaking fury. It’s so loud, I swear I can feel it reverberate in my chest, rattling my teeth. And I know that this monster is just behind me.

God, it’s right there.

The primal need radiates off it like a furnace. It doesn’t just want to kill me. No, its bloodlust is far more twisted, more savage than that. I’ve seen what it did to my friends.

The chase. The hunt. It’s reveling in it, feeding off of my fear. Maybe even getting off on it.

I don’t know how much longer I can keep going, but I don’t dare to stop. My feet are freezing, losing circulation. Each step is a fight against the cold, the skin cracking and splitting under the relentless frost. The snow is thick and endless, the trees thick as well, closing in on me like they're complicit in this chase. Even the darkness itself seems to hunt me.

I’m nothing but prey.

I feel it. A shadow, a presence, growing nearer with each breath I take. The air feels heavier, charged with its malevolence, carrying the strong scent of its musk. Its heavy feet pound the snow, shaking the ground beneath me. I risk a glance back, just a flicker, just enough to catch a glimpse of it.

I scream, terrified of the brutal beast closing in on me. I try to push harder, but my body is betraying me. Thecold is draining me, the snow too deep. My legs feel like they’re made of lead, my breath coming in ragged gasps. My foot slips and I stumble again, falling face down. The impact drives sharp ice crystals into my cheeks, a fresh wave of pain slicing through the numbness. And this time, my body refuses to cooperate, giving up on me, and I’m unable to lift myself back up.

The cold, the fear, the grief—it’s all too much. I’m done.

I pray to freeze to death, hoping the cold will take me out before the monster gets its barbaric way with me. Yet, my demise doesn’t come soon enough, and I feel the brush of its breath—hot, thick, and humid—on the back of my neck.

It’s here.

Chapter 8

Ilay sprawled on the snowy ground, shivering uncontrollably as the icy cold seeps deep into my skin. Panic and adrenaline aren’t powerful enough against the harsh Alaskan winter. My fingers claw weakly at the frozen earth, my body refusing to obey the commands of my mind. Vicky’s pullover is not giving me any warmth, and the frigid air bites at my exposed flesh, stealing the last dregs of my strength. A feeble yelp escapes my lips as Yeti’s massive, calloused hand wraps around my waist, fully enclosing it in its span and lifting me as though I weigh nothingat all.

The world tilts, my vision spinning as it holds me upside down. Its grip is unyielding, claws pressing into my soft flesh—not enough to pierce, but enough to remind me of its sheer power.

I feel impossibly small, utterly vulnerable as my useless limbs dangle helplessly, my body trembling in its iron hold. My chest rises and falls in quick, shallow breaths, and I manage to whimper, “Please, don’t!”

For a moment, everything stops. Time hangs still between us. Then, in one smooth motion, its other hand slices through the air, extended claws ripping through the fabric, leaving my skin intact but exposing my body to its sight.

Oh.

Oh, God, no.

Fuck!

“Let me go!” I shout. A new fear unlocks strength in me. I writhe against his grip, suspended in the air, throwing kicks and punches. But it’s all for nothing.

The beast pulls me closer, leveling me with its face as hot breath washes over my naked skin, a stark contrast to the freezing temperature outside. The heat of its furry body is overwhelming, almost suffocating as it breathes me in, inhaling deeply.

“Help! Somebody help me!” I cry out, though I know there’s no one anywhere near to hear me.

Yeti’s long, thick tongue flicks out, startlingly warm and wet against my frozen skin, leaving a slick trail of searing heat as it glides over me. Firm yet velvety, with a slight ribbed texture, it licks a slow, deliberate path, tracingfrom the curve of my shoulder across my chest to my belly button, coating me in saliva.

A deep rumble vibrates through its chest, a sound of both hunger and satisfaction, as it repeats the action again and again. My skin burns where he licks, every stroke of its tongue leaving a slick, heated trail that the cold air turns unbearable, stinging and tingling at once.

I squeeze my eyes shut, trembling as the beast explores me. The ridges of its tongue scrape over my exposed flesh, moving with maddening slowness. Each deliberate stroke ignites a war within me—revulsion battling against my body’s treacherous response to the warmth, the pressure, the sheer life emanating from him.

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