Running in between some trees, I cursed in my mind. Why did our car have to break now, and why the hell didn't I choose the safe route? They had found us, and instead of us hunting them down, we were the hunted ones.

My backpack kept swinging on my shoulders as I forced my feet to move faster through the frozen undergrowth. Every step I took left prints on the deep snow, and I fought to escape it as fast as possible. I had no idea where my packmates were, but the scream I heard made me believe one of them was down. My guts wrenched in dread. Please, don't be Xavier. Please, don't be Xavier. No matter what hard patch we were going through, I still didn't want him to get hurt.

We shouldn't have split up. We shouldn't have come to scout in the first place. The weather was cold, sour, and very unsuitable for that. We could've waited until the ice and snow melted at least a bit. But no, my Alpha kept insisting we find the packs of deranged wolves in these forests. They were causing too many problems with the humans.

But the problem now was that we were the ones in trouble because of that. I and my friends.

I knew why Amely insisted to send us here now. These wolves kept attacking human towns, and they killed every single person they found. And because of that, our identity as werewolves was threatened. They were close to discovering us again. This time, not just a hidden organization but the whole human world. I couldn't even imagine what would happen if this became reality.

Gasping, I jumped over a fallen tree. My heart was thundering in my chest as I heard paws behind my back. There were at least five sets of them. Damn it! Still running, I unzipped my jacket and, at the same time, shrugged my backpack off. It crashed to the snowy ground with a thud. I had to remember where I left it when I shook off the beasts breathing at my neck. Hopefully, after I survived.

My breaths kept leaving and entering my body in short rasps as dread filled me. I was alone, and even if I shifted, I wasn't sure I would make it out alive. But I had to try.

Pursing my lips, I threw my jacket off me, making sure it hit one of the wolves that had reached me. Bye, my favorite jacket. You were done for, and I hoped you and the clothes on my back would be my only sacrifice.

I shifted into my wolf and whirled around to face my enemies. One... two... Yeah, just as I thought, five wolves stood in front of me, ready to tear me apart. My heart thundered in my chest, praying I could find a way out of this or at least... if I died, it wouldn't be that painful. The first of them, a big black wolf, jumped at me, and I snarled, trying to bite its neck. The others were waiting, just standing patiently until their packmate finished me. As if it was just a game. Well, I wasn't going to give up that easily, even if my opponent was a lot bigger than me, feral, and male.

The wolf bit into the skin on my back, and I yelped in pain. I clasped my teeth over his thigh and twisted, hearing something crack. The wolf let out a vicious growl and tore at my back, its claws sinking into my flesh. My hind legs flew up, slamming into its chest, and the beast let go of me, crashing on a rock next to a tree. I spun around, knowing this was not enough to kill it, and jumped on it, grasping its neck with my teeth. I pushed them hard, noticing the small earring on the wolf, but I didn't let myself be discouraged they had been people before. My skin had grown thick in the years dealing with these beasts.

The wolf tried to stand up and shake me off, but I stepped on it and pulled. The ripping of the flesh sounded through my whole head and brain, followed by its agonizing wail. I spit out the meat I had torn off and glanced at the creature with hard eyes. It was squirming in pain, and a big patch of fur and skin was missing for its neck. Crimson fluid colored the hard rock and snow under it. Its stillness surprised me. These beasts usually never stopped, even if faced with enormous pain or missing limbs.

My heart missed a few beats when I was pulled out of my distracting observation. The other four wolves attacked me. I sprinted in the other direction, using the small leverage between us as an advantage. I had to think of something. Yes, they were more, and they were vicious, but I held the conscience of a human. I was smarter.

Jumping through some bushes, my paws kept crunching on the snow as I pondered over what to do. But my brainstorming was short-lived. I dug my feet in the ground when two of the wolves appeared in front of me between some trees. My senses took in the surroundings, and I widened my eyes. They had surrounded me. Even the one I had bitten the skin off its neck had joined the other monsters.

The wolves started approaching me, and I growled, watching each one of them as they neared me. I should've jumped on a tree! But to do that, I had to be in my human body. I ground my teeth in horror as they kept shrinking the distance between us. My jaw snapped at the one that got the closest to me to warn it to stay away, but another one bit my thigh. Yelping, I turned to it and snarled menacingly. I was stalking for any weak spot on it, but there was none. God, I was so doomed. Was I really alone?