Page 1 of Trapped By the Cartel

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 wascharging,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 airfrom 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.

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