Trapped by the Cartel (Nightshade Wolves #10)

Chapter 1

Elliot

The forest floor blurred beneath my boots, a chaotic mess of roots and fallen leaves. Each breath hitched in my throat, tasting like pine needles and raw fear. More fear than pine needles, to be honest

It was a sound that rattled my bones, a guttural growl that vibrated through the very earth beneath me. It wasn't just a sound; it was a promise of pain, of oblivion. It was something I thought I would never hear in my life.

I risked a glance over my shoulder, and my blood turned to ice. Big mistake, I immediately thought. Should not have done that.

That thing was colossal. Unfathomably huge. Bigger than any wolf I'd ever read about in the dusty tomes back at the Archive.

This creature was a nightmare-made flesh, its fur the color of storm clouds, rippling with muscle as it moved. It wasn't running; it was charging, each stride covering an impossible distance, tearing through undergrowth as if it weren't even there. I never thought I would see something like that in my life.

Trees, ancient oaks older than my entire lineage, shuddered and fell under the force of its passage, splintering with horrifying ease. The air itself seemed to warp around it, a distortion of reality as it pursued me.

The most terrifying thing was that it was pursuing me. I hadn't done anything wrong and it was still coming after me.

My legs burned, screaming in protest, but I couldn't stop. Couldn't dare slow down. Doing that would be a mistake, more so than glancing over my shoulder. Much, much more so.

The scent, thick and musky, clung to the back of my throat, a suffocating wave of predatory intent. I pumped my arms, pushing harder, desperate to put more distance between myself and that… thing.

I'd been foolish. So terribly, foolishly foolish. Thinking I could just slip away, shed the shadows of my past, find a quiet life in the city. Why did I ever think that was going to work, anyway? I was so stupid.

Now, the repercussions of my hasty departure were chasing me through the woods, teeth bared and fury radiating like heat.

My father had always warned me about straying too far, about invoking the attention of things best left undisturbed. I never listened much to what he had to say, and that was a mistake.

He'd lectured endlessly about the ancient pacts, the responsibilities tied to our bloodline. I hadn't listened. I'd been young, arrogant, and hungry for freedom. Too hungry for the latter, I thought.

A branch snapped behind me, the sound amplified in the desperate silence between my ragged breaths. It was closer now. Too close.

I risked another glance. Its eyes, twin pools of burning gold, locked onto mine. The sheer intensity of its gaze stole the air from my lungs. It wasn't just hunting me; it was enjoying the chase. And that was why it was smiling, too.

Panic threatened to overwhelm me, a suffocating tide. I felt as though my chest was going to explode. It was the beginning of an anxiety attack.

I swerved sharply, dodging a fallen log, the bark scraping against my arm. A searing pain shot through my flesh, but I ignored it. Anything to keep moving. Had to keep moving. I had no idea how I was still ahead of that thing, but I knew I couldn't lose my advantage.

The ground dipped suddenly, throwing me forward. I landed hard, a jolt of pain erupting in my shoulder. Scrambling to my feet, I saw it. A ravine. Deep, shrouded in shadow, with jagged rocks jutting out like skeletal fingers. My heart hammered against my ribs. It was a dead end.

Oh fuck, oh fuck. What was I going to do? I had no idea. Panic made my heart gallop even harder than it was before.

I looked back. The wolf was almost upon me. Its massive jaws were open, revealing rows of teeth like daggers, and the air ripped with its echoing roar. This was it. The end of Elliot Hayes.

Then, a different sound cut through the chaos—a guttural shout, followed by the crackle of something heavy impacting the forest floor. I risked another glance, and this time, I didn't see the wolf.

However, deep inside, I knew that something was wrong with my initial assessment.

My vision had narrowed to the immediate danger, the jagged rocks and the yawning darkness. The roaring had faded slightly, replaced by the frantic pounding of my own heart. I was so focused on not falling that I hadn't noticed the subtle shift in the forest's rhythm.

Something was still definitely close by.

Then, a twig snapped behind me, almost swallowed by the rushing of blood in my ears. This time, the sound wasn't magnified by panic. It was… casual. Too casual for a creature that had just been trying to tear me apart. I whipped around, a choked gasp escaping my lips.

It was there. Just meters away.

The initial shout—that guttural roar—had distracted me, masked the wolf's maneuver. It hadn't stopped its pursuit. Instead, it had taken a wider arc, circling around the ravine, a predator exploiting a vulnerability. I should have thought that. The thought should have crossed my mind. Why didn't it?

My stomach plummeted. I'd been so busy looking down that I'd failed to notice it was coming around from the side.

It wasn't running now. It wasn't even moving particularly fast. It just… was. A hulking mass of muscle and fury, its golden eyes fixed on mine with an unnerving stillness. It was a tableau of contained power, a coiled spring ready to unleash.

The distance, which I'd foolishly believed I'd gained, had evaporated. The scent, previously a wave, now pressed against me like a physical barrier, suffocating and burning my lungs. It wasn't panting, wasn't breathing heavily. It was savoring the moment, toying with me.

A low rumble vibrated in its chest, a predatory purr that sent a fresh wave of terror crashing over me. The air crackled with an almost tangible tension. I could feel the heat radiating from its fur.

My mind screamed at me to run, to do something, anything. But my legs felt rooted to the spot, heavy and unresponsive. It was like being trapped in amber.

It took a single step forward, and the ground trembled beneath my feet. Thump. Thump. The sound echoed in the confined space, a death knell. It really was coming for me, and I knew it was going to kill me. These were my last seconds alive.

The creature didn't snarl. It didn't threaten. It simply advanced. A slow, deliberate stalk, each movement radiating an effortless dominance that crushed my spirit. The playful teasing seemed to be gone. Now, it was just… hungry.

The gold of its eyes seemed to deepen, darkening to a molten gold that reflected the fear churning within me. It could smell it.

I realized, with a sickening certainty, that whatever had intervened before hadn't stopped the wolf. It had merely delayed the inevitable. My inevitable death, I thought.

The wolf lowered its head slightly, its nostrils flaring as it inhaled my scent, a slow, deliberate act of assessment. Then, it opened its jaws. A slow, wide roar that showcased rows upon rows of razor-sharp teeth.

Click.

The sound was almost insignificant, barely audible over the pounding of my heart, but it was there. The subtle, unmistakable click of those teeth closing. A promise of violence, delivered with chilling calm.

It was closer now. I could feel its breath on my face, hot and musky, a tangible manifestation of impending doom. The world seemed to narrow, to shrink, until all that existed was the monstrous silhouette of the wolf and the desperate, frantic pounding of my own heart. This wasn't a hunt anymore. It was a prelude to something far more terrifying.

The world tilted, and I braced myself for impact. Surely, it was going to eat me alive, right?

It didn't happen yet, though. Instead, the wolf paused, suspended in a silent standoff. It circled me, not aggressively, but with a deliberate, measuring grace that was far more unnerving. What was it thinking?

It wasn't charging, wasn't threatening, simply… observing. And smelling. Smelling me.

It moved with a fluid, almost liquid motion, each stride precise, each turn a slow, elegant curve. The scent emanating from it intensified; musk, earth, and something else… something deeply territorial. It washed over me, stealing the air from my lungs and leaving a strange, vibrating heat in its wake. I didn't like the way it made me feel. It made me feel weak.

The circle was slow, deliberate. A predator assessing its prey, but without the frenzy of an imminent attack. It was more… thorough. Methodical. It was as if it was cataloging me, assessing every scent marker, every nuance of my being.

It passed close enough that I could feel the brush of its fur against my skin, a coarse, surprisingly warm caress. A shudder rippled through me, not entirely of fear. There was something unsettlingly intimate about it, a violation of my personal space on a scale I'd never experienced. Once again, something I thought would never happen occurred. Then I remembered all the strange things that had happened since it began its pursuit, and I realized this was my new normal.

The wolf's head dipped slightly as it passed, its massive muzzle hovering inches from my face. Was it going to eat me now?

I held my breath, paralyzed, not daring to move or even blink. The sheer size of it was overwhelming, suffocating. It made me feel so small.

I could feel the heat radiating from its body, and the faint tremor in its muscles.

Its golden eyes, those unsettling pools of molten gold, never left my body. They weren't predatory now, not exactly. They were… assessing. Analyzing. And something else. Something… curious. I didn't understand what I was seeing.

The air thickened with the wolf's scent, mingling with my own fear and desperation, creating an intoxicating, almost hypnotic blend. I felt lightheaded, disoriented, like I was trapped in a dream gone horribly wrong.

I felt like I might pass out, but I couldn't allow myself to. I knew I wouldn't wake up if that happened.

As it circled, I realized something profoundly disturbing. It wasn't just smelling me. It was… feeling me. Like the scent itself wasn't enough. It was delving deeper, somehow… probing.

A strange tingling sensation spread across my skin, starting at my fingertips and spreading inward. It wasn't painful, not precisely. It was more like… an awareness. A deep, visceral awareness of my own body, of the delicate balance of hormones that coursed through my veins.

It knew. It knew what I was. An omega.

There was no doubt about that, but it was also not really a secret. Every alpha knew that I was an omega. My scent always gave me away.

The wolf completed its circle, returning to the spot where it had begun. It stopped directly in front of me, its massive chest blocking out the fading light. It lowered its head, butted its muzzle gently against my shoulder, a gesture that was oddly comforting, and strangely possessive.

It wasn't a threat. Not anymore. It was acknowledging something. Something inherent. Something inescapable. It was acknowledging my omega. And that acknowledgment sent a new chill down my spine, colder than any fear I'd experienced.

What did it want? Was I going to find out the answer to that question before it swallowed me whole?