Chapter 2

Cal’s POV

“Dad!” I screamed, fumbling with my seatbelt as panic flooded through me.

Dad gasped, his knuckles turning white as he gripped the steering wheel.

“Hold on!” he shouted.

The car swerved violently as Dad yanked the steering wheel to the side to avoid the wolf standing in the middle of the road.

My world spun.

The tires screeched against the road, and then everything flipped upside down.

The car rolled. Once, twice, maybe more.

The sound of crunching metal and shattering glass filled my ears. I screamed as my head slammed hard against the window, a sharp burst of pain exploding in my skull.

Finally, the car came to a violent, sudden stop. It was tilted awkwardly against something, maybe a tree or a ditch. Smoke curled from the crushed hood, filling the air with a burning smell.

For a few moments, all I could hear was the ringing in my ears.

Pain throbbed through my head. Something warm and sticky was running down my forehead—blood.

“Cal! Baby, talk to me!” Mom’s voice brought me back to reality. She sounded terrified.

“I… I’m okay…” I croaked weakly, though every part of my body screamed with pain.

Mom twisted in her seat, ignoring the blood dripping from her own wound. Her hands shook as she grabbed my face, checking my pupils, making sure I was still alive. When I blinked and whispered something, she let out a shaky breath, whispering thanks to the heavens.

Dad groaned weakly. He was alive but badly hurt, trapped against the steering wheel. Blood trickled from a deep cut on his forehead.

Before we could catch our breath, a low, deep growl rumbled from outside the shattered windows. Then another. And another.

Shadows moved through the smoke. Outside, huge wolves, circling us like predators stalking wounded prey.

I opened my eyes a little and saw a huge black wolf walking toward the crash. As it got closer, it changed into a man. I froze. It was Alpha Damon. But how did he find us?

“You can come out now, losers!” he shouted, laughing like a madman. “You really thought you could run away with my money? I’m the Alpha of this pack. Nothing happens without me knowing. You played yourselves!”

Mom looked at Dad. They didn’t speak, but the look they shared said everything: This was it.

“We’re dead,” Dad whispered in a broken voice.

“No!” Mom snapped fiercely. “Not yet.”

Dad shook his head. “We’re surrounded, Belinda. There’s nothing we can do—”

“There’s always something we can do Robby. We’re not going to give up now,” Mom interrupted sharply, her voice strong and steady despite the panic in her eyes.

She turned to me, grabbing my shoulders tightly. “Listen to me, Cal,” she said, her voice low and urgent. “When the door opens—you run. You don’t stop. You don’t look back. Do you understand me?”

I nodded, tears blurring my vision, fear making my whole body shake.

“Now, unbuckle your seatbelt,” she ordered.

We all did, our hands fumbling in the chaos.

Mom leaned in close to Dad, whispered something I couldn’t hear, and kissed his forehead gently.

Dad closed his eyes for a moment and gave her a small, broken nod.

Then Mom threw herself against the door. It wouldn’t budge at first, bent and crushed from the crash. With a cry of pure desperation, she slammed her shoulder into it again. It finally burst open.

Instantly, a huge wolf lunged at us, but Mom didn’t hesitate. She grabbed my arm, yanked me out of the wreck, and we ran.

Branches tore at my clothes and skin as we sprinted through the trees. I didn’t dare look back.

After a few heart-pounding minutes, Dad’s scream ripped through the night. I froze, horror flooding me.

Mom stopped too, breathing heavily. She grabbed my face roughly, forcing me to look at her.

“Cal,” she sobbed, “you have to keep running. I have to go back for your father. But you, you have to be safe. You must survive.”

“No!” I cried, shaking my head. “I can’t leave you! I have no one else. please, Mom, please!”

Tears ran down my blood stained cheeks.

Realization crashed over me like a wave, I was about to lose everything.

“Baby,” Mom said, her voice breaking, “I love you. I love you so much. But you have to run now. I promise I’ll find you. I’ll come back for you.”

“Mom, please!” I sobbed harder, grabbing onto her like a child.

But the sound of wolves approaching grew louder, snarls and the pounding of paws.

Mom pushed me hard, her voice rising in desperation.

“Run, Cal! RUN!”

With a broken heart, I turned and sprinted into the forest.

Behind me, I heard the terrible sound of my father’s final cry. I risked one glance back, and what I saw will haunt me forever.

Alpha Damon stood beside the car. He yanked Dad out like he was nothing but a rag doll, and then, in a flash of teeth and claws, he tore him apart.

Dad’s scream turned into a gurgled cry—and then, silence. Mom’s scream followed right after, a heart-breaking sound full of pure grief and rage.

And just like that, I knew— Dad was gone. My world shattered into pieces. The air around me grew colder, heavier. My instincts kicked in—RUN!

I forced my legs to move faster, my feet pounding against the earth and my lungs burning. I ran deeper into the forest.

I could hear them behind me—the heavy thud of paws, the deep snarls. They were getting closer.

Terror gripped my heart, but I didn’t dare look back. If Damon caught me now…

There would be no more second chances. As I ran through the woods, branches whipped at my arms, tearing into my skin. My blood mixed with dirt but I didn’t stop, I couldn’t stop. I had no idea where I was going but all I knew was that I wanted to get away from what had just happened, the car, the road and from what I had just seen.

My breaths came in short, ragged gasps. My chest burned. Every muscle in my body ached and begged me to stop but I forced myself to keep going.

I tripped once, then twice but I caught myself each time, making sure I don’t fall. The howls behind me faded and silence replaced it. It became too quiet and somehow, the silence was worse than the growls. Something was wrong.

I slowed down just a little, trying to listen, trying to breathe, but that was my mistake.

WHAM!!!. A sudden, forceful impact hit me from behind, like being slammed by a powerful force.

I shouted as my body was thrown forward. I crashed to the ground, dirt and leaves scraping my face. Pain shot through my shoulder where I had landed.

I twisted, gasping for air, my heart pounding like a drum in my chest. I looked behind me to see what was behind me, nothing.

But I knew something had been there, something had pushed me, someone.

I winced in pain as I scrambled to my feet, my heart still thundering in my chest. My body ached but I had no time to think about that, I needed to move.

But just as I turned to run again, I froze. She was standing right in front of me.

And then, slowly she tilted her head, still smiling and whispered in a voice that sounded like wind through leaves:

“Found you”