Page 65 of The Midnight Death Match

Harek’s screams fade into the trees.

My best friend is gone. The weight of it nearly crushes me, and I struggle to draw in a breath. With so many adversaries, we can’t run in blindly. They’ll kill us all.

We need a plan.

The clearing stills as quickly as it erupted.

Some wolves remain just beyond the tree line, amber eyes gleaming in the shadows like a ring of watchful predators. The pack leader stands alone again, calm now that his trap has sprung.

Harek is gone.

I clench my fists. “You have what you want, so let his parents go.”

The leader tilts his head slowly. “We only havepartof what we want.”

He gestures, and the two wolves guarding Harek’s parents melt back into the woods, leaving the older couple huddled but free.

A sick surge of relief wars against the fresh panic surging beneath my skin.

The leader keeps his attention focused on me. “You will come to us. Willingly. Alone.”

My heart pounds louder, drowning out his words.

“If you don’t, we take him apart then send him back to you in pieces.”

Everything else disappears around me.

My father moves beside me now, his breathing heavy, sword still slick with blood. He watches me carefully, silently, waiting for my reaction.

Lys’s voice hums behind us, soft as silk. “They’re forcing your hand, exactly as expected.”

Of course they are. Because they know what I fear most. Not my wolf, not my death, not even the curse. But losing the people I love.

The leader’s eyes gleam as he waits for my response. “You have until moonrise.” He turns back into the trees, his wolves melting into the darkness with him.

The clearing falls silent again, except for the thrumming of my pulse in my ears. I stare at the place where Harek vanished, every instinct screaming to charge after him. To tear through their ranks with teeth and fury until nothing remains. But I stay frozen.

I’m so close to giving in to them. Of giving full rein to my emotions, of letting my wolf run free.

Lys steps closer, voice smooth and nearly tender. “The curse is tightening, as are the wolves. How long will you keep letting them decide who you are?”

I don’t answer. Because I don’t trust my voice.

Not anymore.

Chapter

Twenty-Four

The camp is eerilyquiet as we gather around the battered map. No one gives voice to the truth, but every breath carries the same weight—we don’t have time for hesitation.

Einar leans over the map, tracing the jagged lines of the rogue pack’s territory. His jaw is tight, his eyes sharper than I’ve seen in days. The wolf den sits like a rot at the center, pulsing with magic and traps.

“They’ve fortified every entrance,” he mutters. “If we go in directly, we’ll trigger layered spells.”

A fire burns in my chest. “Theywantus to charge in. That’s part of their game.”

“They’ll wantyouto charge.” Lys holds my gaze. “To break your control and shift before you reach him. They know you don’t have much experience in that form.”