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?

Lifting my head, I let out a loud howl, using it as my last resort. My friends had to hear me. If they were alive. They had to help.

The wolves around me started snarling, preparing to pounce, and a wild tremor of fear jolted through my core. The bloodthirst in their eyes made my heart drop.

Our heads whirled to the side, staring in the same direction when we heard rustling coming from the bushes. Hope rattled through my body. Was it Xavier? Mikah?

My hope shifted to something else, something that made my heart quake with trepidation, dread, and fear. I rounded my gray eyes until they were ready to pop out. What was this feeling? It wasn't one of my friends, was it? Was it an enemy? But why did it feel different? I opened my mouth, unable to stop myself from breathing through it, and stuck out my tongue. My body was close to hyperventilating, and my mind was ransacked.

I bent my ears close to my skull as I saw another big brown wolf appear from the undergrowth. It wasn't one of my friends. It was an enemy.

And... it was my mate.

My heart kept thundering in my chest as I stared at this animal that had once been a human. It was a very beautiful big brown wolf whose amber eyes were directed at me. I felt like he... it was able to stare through my very soul. My fur stood on its end as the other wolves showed submission and lowered their heads. My mate was of a high rank!

I stared at him as he approached us, not letting me out of his gaze. My whole being trembled as he neared us, and I fought to get myself out of the mate bond. I had never thought I'd find my mate and he'd turn out to be one of the beasts. The only thing that ruled over that wildling's body was now a feral wolf. There was no human. And the bond was between our supernatural sides.

A sense of dread washed over me. When one of the wolves next to me growled at him, I snapped my eyes to it. It was challenging him. My mate snarled, and when another one of the wolves turned to him, hostility shooting through it, I knew this might be my chance.

They started growling and barking at each other, and all the attention was dropped from me. The wolves stepped closer to my mate, ready to attack him. They were trying to change the hierarchy. I was sure one of them was trying to overthrow him and the others were helping. Was he the Alpha?

The tension shifted, and the animals before me started snapping their jaws at one another, attacking my mate. Although he was a bit bigger than all of them, he was still alone, and they were five.

They were going to kill him! My destined other half.

Well, he'd been dead for a long time. My ear twitched, and I looked at the trees on my right, sprinting towards them. Goodbye, dear mate! It was nice seeing you for a minute! But I had more important things to do. Like get out alive and return to my own pack.

Running in between some of the trees, I nearly tripped when a howl sounded behind me. It was filled with so much pain that it made me glance back. Fortunately, nobody was chasing me. And now my mate was probably dead, knowing I had betrayed him.

...

After continuing with my fast pace for a while, I concentrated and tried to remember where I had left my backpack. It was risky, but I needed it. I needed my clothes. Nobody in the human world, where I was trying to reach, liked nudists. I couldn't risk getting arrested, especially without my documents.

When I reached the location, I changed back to my human body and shuffled through my backpack, searching for clothes and my back-up boots. I strained my ears every single second, hoping the wolves wouldn't find me again.

Standing on my feet, I unlocked my phone and sighed. There was no connection, and the battery was half-way gone. I pursed my lips and chose a direction I believed led me to the river. If I reached it, I was going to stumble upon a town at some point. I just had to make sure I survived before that.

I mentally thanked my werewolf genes. The weather was getting worse and worse with every next minute, but I wasn't going to freeze to death like some human. The dark gray clouds were ready to pour out their bitterness on me every moment. I glared at them for a second. I was also bitter and tired! Why did I have to take this?

Walking briskly for about an hour, my brows furrowed, and I gasped as I heard footsteps behind me. Again?! I had to tell my Alphas there were too many wolves' packs in these woods. But how, when I didn't even have an idea where I was?

I quickened my pace and pursed my lips with a thundering heart. My hands grabbed the backpack's straps, making it stay firmer on my shoulders. I was close to the water. Maybe if I just crossed it and went to the other side, I'd be free from the turned.

A growl erupted somewhere behind me, and I froze, my eyes rounding. It was here! I slowly turned around to confirm the creature with my own eyes, and my stomach flipped when I realized who it was. Covered in blood and soil, my freaking mate stood in front of me. He, it, had followed me! Who knew what else his instincts were telling him. If he was a wild animal now, I was sure he wanted to mate with me and mark me. Bile of anxiety crowded my windpipe. There was no way this was happening!

But if he had survived those five wolves, I was sure he could take me down in the blink of an eye. Then... Was his pack also following him? My body twisted around in desperation and dashed to the river. I had just a little more!

The turned wolves hated big streams of water. They had started developing their own traits and rules, and this was one of them. I was rasping for air, knowing the beast was getting closer and closer to me. With every step I took, it took three. Did I have to change? But if I got out of this and found a town, how was I going to explain my naked state?

I pushed through a big bush and crashed into the tree behind it, scratching my palms on it. Glancing back, my eyes caught the hungry look in the wolf's eyes, and I sprinted with my heart in my throat. Disgust tingled on my senses, screaming at me to get away as soon as possible. I felt like I was going to pee my pants in fear. I didn't want to be raped by a monster!

The darkness of the sky and the white sheet over the ground mixed into one as I ran at my full speed. My lungs hurt in the effort and scarring thoughts. A branch hit my cheek and got entangled into my brown hair, but I pushed forward, ignoring the pain. I was so close to the river I could feel its coldness. Its waters were echoing in my ears.

The ground beneath me started growing more and more uneven and it turned into a steep slope, signaling I was indeed getting closer to my target. I let out a startled gasp and nearly tumbled over when a figure appeared in front of me.

My mate.