Page 2 of The Pack

CHAPTER 2

M agnus O’Rourke

She was a goddamned vision.

She stood before me, defiant yet trembling, clutching a stick like it was Excalibur itself. Her eyes burned with a mix of fear and fire, a contradiction that held my attention longer than it should have. She was a mess—mud-streaked, her crude leather wrap barely holding together, blood splatter all over her body. And yet, there she was, daring to jab a makeshift spear at a wolf like her life depended on it.

At me.

It was almost funny, in a tragic kind of way. Almost.

I let the smirk twitch across my lips as I shifted back to human form, the transition seamless and fast. My pack watched from behind me, silent sentinels in their wolf forms, their glowing eyes locked on the girl. She flinched when I yanked the stick in her hands toward me, her small stumble bringing her closer to me.

Into my arms…

The feral pack had been dealt with. Their snarls and howls were long gone, leaving only the quiet hum of the forest and the faint trickle of the nearby stream. And now… there was her.

Not one of the usual wolf shifters England usually dumped here like rotting meat. Not one of the ferals we usually fought against…

But a human woman .

I stared at her, tightening my grip on the stick as my mind raced. This wasn’t right. England didn’t send humans to Ireland. They had strict policies, ironclad orders to contain the infected and ensure their ‘problem’ stayed far away from their perfect, human-only paradise. Ireland was their dumping ground for shifters, for the ferals and the damned. But never, never humans.

A human woman was a rarity beyond measure here in Ireland.

Sure, there were female wolf shifters, but they’d long since become infertile—had been for as long as any of us could remember. The virus that turned us had stolen more than just our humanity; it had taken the future of our kind. We never had the chance to grow, to breed, to pass down our strength to another generation.

And now, standing before me, was something we had all given up hoping for—a human woman, untouched by the virus, healthy, strong… and so very breedable.

“Magnus,” Tobias’s voice growled in my head, the mental link between us steady and familiar. I didn’t need to turn to know my cousin was pacing behind me, his heavy paws crunching softly on the gravel bank. “What the hell is she doing here?”

Good question. One I didn’t have an answer for.

“She’s just a girl,” Callum said, his tone tinged with curiosity, and probably a bit of pity. Of course, Callum would feel bad for her. He was the heart of our little pack, always the first to find the humanity in a situation—even when we were barely clinging to it ourselves. He’d always been like that and honestly, if he wasn’t, I’d probably start to miss it.

“She’s a human ,” I said aloud, my voice cold and even.

The girl flinched again, her lips tightening.

“I’m standing right here, you know,” she snapped, the fire in her voice almost impressive.

Almost.

I arched an eyebrow, letting the corner of my mouth twitch up in a half-smile.

“I know you are, lass,” I replied.

Her glare could have curdled milk. “What do you want?” she demanded.

Ah, the same question as before. It wasn’t a bad one, all things considered. I crossed my arms, keeping the stick angled downward like I was holding a walking cane.

“You, apparently,” I answered.

Her cheeks flushed red, and for a brief moment, I thought she might actually slap me. Not a good idea, given the circumstances, but entertaining all the same.

“That’s not an answer. You can’t have me. I won’t allow it,” she said through gritted teeth.

Behind me, Tobias’s growl rumbled in my mind again. “She’s a liability, Magnus. If she doesn’t know what’s out here, she won’t last the night.”

“She already lasted a night,” I shot back through the mental link, not bothering to hide my irritation. “Against ferals, no less. That’s not something most humans can claim.”

“She was lucky,” Tobias said.

Maybe. But maybe not.

The wind shifted. I caught her scent once again, and something inside me shifted.

I’d always thought of myself as unshakable. The one who kept the pack grounded when the chaos threatened to tear us apart. But the first time her scent hit me, it was like the ground beneath my feet disappeared. And now it was happening again.

It wasn’t just the sweetness of it—though there was a soft, honeyed note that lingered in the air like a promise. And it wasn’t just the sweet tang of her fear, or the fire of her heat. It was the way her scent spoke to something deeper, something I’d long since stopped hoping for.

It spoke to me.

I’d been the first to shift back, the first to approach her after the fight with the ferals. My wolf had been pacing beneath the surface, restless and alert, but the moment her wide, dark eyes met mine, everything stilled.

The world narrowed, the noise of the forest fading into a dull hum. All I could hear was the sound of her breathing, quick and shallow, and the pounding of my own heart as her scent curled around me, wrapping me in something I couldn’t name.

Mate .

The word whispered through me, soft but insistent.

“Thorne, what do you think?” I asked, glancing over my shoulder at the white wolf standing slightly apart from the others. He was the quietest of the group, but he was calm, calculating. If anyone would have an unbiased opinion, it was him.

Thorne stepped forward, his white fur gleaming like snow in the soft morning light. His voice slid into my mind, as cold and calculated as the man himself. “She’s an anomaly. England doesn’t send humans here. Either this is a mistake, or they want us to think it is.”

I turned back to the girl, narrowing my eyes. A mistake? Somehow, I doubted that. England didn’t make mistakes like this. If they’d sent her here, there had to be a reason.

And I intended to find out what it was.

Her eyes darted to the other wolves now, as if she were trying to figure out her odds against them. I could practically see her thoughts spinning behind those fire-filled eyes. She was looking for an opening, a way to run. Escape.

I sighed, taking a step closer. “Don’t even think about it.”

“Think about what?” she asked, feigning innocence.

“Running,” I said. “Because trust me, lass, you won’t make it far. And you won’t enjoy what happens after I catch you.”

Zara took a step back, her expression hardening again. “Whatever this is, I don’t want any part of it,” she said. “I’m not sticking around to?—”

“To die?” I interrupted, cutting her off. “Because that’s what’ll happen if you leave. Those ferals are gone, but they’re not the only danger out here.”

She hesitated, her eyes flicking between me and the wolves behind me. “Why do you care?”

The question caught me off guard. Why did I care? A part of me was drawn to her, regardless of why she was here.

I knew why.

Because she’s your mate.

So I didn’t answer right away. She stiffened, her hands balling into fists, but she didn’t back down. I cocked my head in her direction and cleared my throat.

“Look,” I said, softer now. “You’re out here, alone, in a place where humans don’t survive. That makes you one of two things: really lucky, or really dangerous. Either way, you’re not leaving until I figure out which one it is.”

Her glare returned, sharper than before. “You don’t get to decide that.”

I leaned in slightly, letting my voice drop to a whisper. “Oh, I really think I do.”

She stared at me, her chest rising and falling rapidly, her fire battling against her fear. Honestly, it was fucking delicious to watch.

“Magnus,” Callum said, his voice hesitant in my mind. “What are we doing here?”

“I don’t know,” I shot back. I stared at her, trying to figure her out. She was defiant, stubborn, and radiating enough anger to make Tobias look like a cheerful schoolboy.

She stiffened as I took another step toward her, her fists clenched tightly at her sides. I could see her calculating, weighing her options, but there were no options here. Not for her.

“Your name,” I commanded, calmly but firmly.

Her lips parted, her cutting retort already forming, but she faltered. Her eyes darted to the wolves behind me—Tobias, Callum, Thorne, and Killian—all still in their wolf forms, watching her like predators ready to pounce.

I could feel their tension through the pack bond, their unspoken questions pressing against the edges of my mind, but I pushed them away. This moment was mine.

“Zara,” she said finally, quieter now.

I let the faintest smirk tug at the corner of my mouth. “There. That wasn’t so hard, was it?”

The fire flashed in her eyes again, but she didn’t say anything further.

I closed the remaining distance between us in a single step, my body towering over hers. Her breath hitched, and I felt the spike in her scent again, tangy and sweet, and so potent it made my chest tighten and my cock ache.

Before I could think better of it, I reached out and wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her flush against me.

She gasped, her hands coming up to press against my chest, but I didn’t let go. Her body was warm, trembling slightly, but strong. She was fighting the instinct to give into her fear.

I leaned down, my lips brushing close to her ear.

“You’re going to tell me everything,” I said, softly enough that only she could hear. “Why you’re here. How you got here. And why the hell it is that you smell like this.”

Her scent spiked again, stronger this time, so intense it made my head spin and my dick jump with raw desire.

She shoved at my chest, trying to break free, but I didn’t loosen my grip.

“Let go of me,” she snapped, her voice shaking with a mix of anger and something else she didn’t understand yet.

But in that moment, I did.

The realization hit me like a freight train. That tangy, sweet note in her scent, the way it seemed to grow stronger the closer I got to her—it wasn’t fear. No. It was something else.

It was her going into heat .

My entire body went rigid as the truth settled in. Zara—this human woman, standing in the middle of the wild countryside of Ireland—was going into heat.

Just like a shifter.

“What the hell?” I muttered under my breath, my mind racing. This wasn’t possible. Humans didn’t go into heat. They didn’t give off this kind of scent, didn’t experience this kind of thing. And yet… here she was, doing that exact fucking thing.

“Magnus,” Tobias’s voice growled in my head, sharp and urgent. “What’s going on?”

I didn’t answer him. My focus was entirely on Zara, on the way her body tensed against mine, on the way her scent filled the air around us like an extremely potent drug than none of us was prepared for, least of all me.

She glared up at me, confusion and fury warring in her expression.

“What are you talking about?” she pressed.

I ignored her question, my grip on her waist tightening slightly as I leaned back just enough to meet her eyes.

“Do you feel it?” I asked, my voice quiet but insistent.

“Feel what?” she snapped, but her cheeks flushed, and her breathing hitched again.

“You don’t know what’s happening, do you?” I murmured, more to myself than to her.

Her scent was unmistakable now, so strong it was impossible to ignore. My pulse quickened, my wolf stirring beneath the surface, its instincts roaring to life.

Protect. Claim. Mark.

I shoved the thought aside, my jaw tightening. This wasn’t the time for instincts. This was a problem. A big one.

“Magnus,” Tobias growled again, louder this time. “Talk to me.”

“She’s going into heat,” I said aloud, my voice cool and collected despite the chaos in my head.

The pack went still.

“What did you just say?” Tobias asked, his tone disbelieving.

“You heard me,” I said, finally letting go of Zara and stepping back. Her body sagged slightly, and she pressed her hands to her thighs, breathing hard.

Tobias’s gaze flicked to Zara. “That’s not possible. Humans don’t ? —”

“I know,” I said quickly, cutting him off. “But it’s happening.”

Callum looked back and forth from me to Zara. His snout lifted as he sniffed the air. “Is she…?”

“She doesn’t know,” I said, glancing back at her. “She doesn’t understand what’s happening.”

“What’s happening?” Zara demanded, her voice trembling. She straightened, her fists clenched again, though she looked less sure of herself now. “What are you talking about? What do you mean, ‘heat’?”

I ran a hand through my hair, the familiar tune of an old Irish reel humming under my breath as I tried to think, something I did sometimes when I was stressed or overwhelmed.

This was bad. Worse than bad.

“She’s not staying here,” Tobias said, his voice hard.

“She can’t leave,” I countered, my tone just as firm. “Not like this.”

Zara’s gaze darted between us, her frustration boiling over. “Would someone please explain what’s going on?”

I turned back to her, meeting her eyes with a seriousness that wiped the smirk from my face. “You’re going into heat,” I said plainly.

Her brow furrowed and her face twisted with confusion. “What does that even mean?”

“It means,” I said slowly, carefully, “that your body is doing something it shouldn’t and we’re going to have to do something about it.”