When I woke up, it was still dark, but the sky held that muted shade of blue that hinted at dawn. The fire had burned down to glowing embers, and the snow around the campsite sparkled in the morning light.

  Most of the guys were already up, buttoning their jackets, pulling up their hoods, getting ready to move. I saw Rex speaking quietly with the others, and Wics kept throwing quick glances in my direction. It was time to get moving again.

  Will stood leaning against a tree, arms crossed, that constant alertness in his eyes. He saw that I was awake.

  "You're still wondering what we are, aren't you?" he said quietly, but directly.

  I didn't say anything, but he didn't need an answer.

  "We're werewolves," he continued. "But not like in the movies. No pain, no slow crunching bones. We shift fast. That's it."

  He gave a crooked smile.

  "Every full moon – that's when it happens. One second you're human, the next you've got four paws."

  "No sci-fi, huh..." I muttered.

  He chuckled softly but quickly grew serious again. Then he adjusted the strap on his shoulder and started walking.

  "I think I can manage on my own," I said quickly. "You don't have to carry me around all day."

  He looked at me for a long time. That slight raise of his eyebrow. As if he already knew what I was thinking.

  But he let go.

  And I did what I had planned.

  As soon as my feet hit the ground, I turned and started running.

  But I didn't get far.

  Two strong arms grabbed me from behind and effortlessly pulled me back. A scream escaped my lips as I twisted, kicked, punched – but it was useless.

  Will.

  "What did you think, really?" he growled low, his voice full of restrained frustration. "Run off, in the snow, with an injured foot and zero plan?"

  "Let go of me!" I hissed. "You're all insane! I don't want to be here!"

  "Don't be stupid, Tracy. Do you want to die out there?"

  His words were sharp, but the look he gave me wasn't just angry. There was something more. Concern?

  "I can handle myself," I said defiantly, even though my foot throbbed with pain. "I don't need you."

  He let out a deep sigh and clenched his jaw.

  "Fine. But if you're so determined to walk – you go in front of me. I'm not letting you out of my sight."

  He set me down, and I limped off ahead of him, sulking. Every step was a struggle, but I refused to turn around. I didn't want to give him the satisfaction.

  I barely made it a dozen steps before I stepped wrong and fell headfirst into the snow.

  "Thought so," Will said dryly. "You can't even walk in a straight line without being clumsy."

  He picked me up again, just as effortlessly as before.

  "Put me down! I don't want you to carry me!" I snapped.

  "Don't be ridiculous. Sleep."

  "Put me down. NOW!"

  My shouting made the other guys stop. Sac was at my side in an instant.

  "What's going on?" he asked, his gaze shifting between me and Will.

  "I don't want him to carry me. Someone else. Anyone but him."

  Will smirked.

  "She can barely stand without looking like a newborn foal."

  "Put me down!" I repeated.

  Sac stepped forward and calmly placed a hand on Will's arm.

  "I'll take her. Will – go up front instead."

  Will hesitated for a moment before huffing and moving up to the front of the group without another word.

  Sac gently took over and carried me in his arms.

  "Try to get some rest," he said quietly.

  I closed my eyes. Not to rest – but to avoid seeing any of them.

  Will had carried me without hesitation, but never with a word, never with a look that hinted at anything but duty. When I protested, he had simply lifted me again – as if what I wanted didn't matter at all.

  Now it was Sac holding me. His steps were heavier, less steady, but everything around us was quieter. No sighs. No comments. Just his arms and the snow crunching underfoot. The crackling sound of snow became a rhythm, a dull calm that slowly crept into my body. The others' breathing, the wind through the trees, Sac moving quietly – it all blended into a vague sense of safety.

  I didn't even know when it happened. But a little while later, I had fallen asleep.

  I woke up again, but this time from something cold hitting my cheek. Raindrops. Small, stubborn drops falling through the tree branches and landing on my face.

  The guys had walked all night. They hadn't stopped to rest even once. But eventually, after much back and forth, they had decided to seek shelter from the rain. It didn't take long before they found a cave – small, damp, and cramped – but it was the only cover they could find.

  We sat huddled together inside the cave, damp and cold. The rain outside drummed monotonously against the rocks. Someone had managed to start a small fire in the center, its flickering flames casting dancing shadows on the rough walls.

  Gus sat closest to the flames, arms wrapped around his knees, eyes fixed on the fire.

  "The first time I changed," he said suddenly, as if no one had asked, "it was under a clear winter sky. The moon was so bright you could see shadows dancing across the snow."

  No one interrupted him.

  "I felt the wind tear through my fur before I even understood what I'd become. Every sound, every scent... it was like the world was breathing through me. And yet – I wasn't there. Not really. I was something else."

  Sate gave a crooked smile.

  "You ran in circles for hours."

  Gus let out a short laugh, but there was no joy in it.

  "I don't remember any of it. I woke up naked, covered in mud and snow. I didn't know where I was. Or who I had been."

  Luc looked down.

  "I bit down a tree. Not because I had to – just because I could. I think I was trying to prove to myself that I still had power over something."

  "It's not the strength that scares me," Sac said quietly. "It's how easily you let go of everything else. You think you're in control – until you disappear."

  Wics nodded from his spot against the wall.

  "It's not pain. It's silence. Like you're only body and instinct. Then you wake up – and have to live with what you did."

  I sat in silence and listened. Their voices were low, like whispers in the rain. No drama. Just reality. Their reality.

  And still...

  They had saved me. When I was vulnerable, when I couldn't defend myself. They had been wolves then – but not monsters. There was still something left in them that chose to protect.

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  So they weren't completely lost.

  "So you hate it?" I asked quietly.

  "We hate that it's not our choice," Sac replied.

  "The curse controls us," Rex added. "We want our lives back, not just our bodies. The freedom to feel – not just react."

  The words landed heavily. A strange stillness followed. For the first time since the accident, I felt like I saw them as more than just strangers.

  The cramped space in the cave was starting to feel unbearable. I tried to find somewhere to rest, but every corner was already taken – someone was lying there, or it was too cold, too wet.

  I saw a small space deeper inside, carefully moved toward it, but just as I got close, Will sat down there.

  Of course.

  I stopped and sighed silently. He glanced up at me.

  "You know there's room if you rest your head here," he said, patting his chest lightly.

  I hesitated. But there was nowhere else.

  Without a word, I scooted closer and laid my head against him. His body was warm. His breathing calm. His heartbeat steady.

  I closed my eyes. Not really to sleep – but to take a break. A break from everything.

  And finally... I fell asleep.

  I woke up with a jolt.

  Something was moving.

  It wasn't the rain, not voices or movement in the cave. It was something small... something crawling.

  A tingling sensation crept up along my leg, and before I could even think, I glanced down cautiously. There. On my shin. A spider. Big. Long-legged. Alive.

  I shot up with a panicked scream.

  "AAAH!"

  Will jumped up too, hit his head on the cave wall, and cursed loudly.

  "What the he–"

  The other guys woke with a start. Some sat up, half-asleep, others looked around in confusion. Wics, on the other hand, barely reacted. He walked over calmly, picked up the spider like it was a piece of paper, and carried it to the cave entrance. He let it out onto a rock in the rain, completely unfazed.

  "Sorry..." I gasped, my heart still pounding in my throat.

  Will sat with a hand on his forehead, glaring sourly.

  "Are you okay, or were you just trying to wake the entire damn forest?"

  "It was a spider!" I snapped. "A gigantic one!"

  "You could've at least screamed a little louder," he muttered.

  I pulled my jacket tighter around me, sank back down with burning cheeks. Some of the guys chuckled quietly.

  "It's okay," Sac said, giving me a faint smile. "Spiders are worse than transformations."

  Will muttered something unintelligible, lay back down, and turned his back to us.

  I carefully rolled back to my spot – and despite the small chaos, I could feel the tiredness creeping back quickly. I pulled the jacket up to my chin and closed my eyes.

  And this time... I fell into a deep, heavy sleep.

  The next morning, I woke up to someone touching my shoulder. The rain had stopped during the night, but the cold still lingered like a haze over the forest. Rex was standing over me.

  "We need to move before the ground gets too hard to cross," he said quietly.

  The others were already awake, gathering their things. The fire had burned down to glowing embers, and some of the guys were bundling up their cloaks and wet bits of fur. I yawned and tried to stretch out my body, stiff from the cold night.

  Will was still sitting next to me, but he was looking away. As if the night had never happened. As if I'd never rested against him.

  A strange emptiness settled over me as I pulled away.

  "Do you think you can walk?" Sac asked gently.

  "I'll manage," I answered quickly and stood up, even though my ankle screamed in protest.

  Rex gave Nick a brief look. "Help her if needed."

  "It won't be needed," I said, sharper than I meant to.

  Nick raised an eyebrow but just smiled faintly. "Alright then, hero."

  I walked at the very back of the line. Of course, Will followed, just as silent and watchful as always. I could feel his presence at the back of my neck.

  After a few hours of walking, it became hard to keep up the act. My foot hurt, I was freezing, and the hunger sat like a weight over my entire body.

  When we took a short break, I saw my chance. I walked off toward a dense bush deeper into the forest.

  "Where are you going?" I heard Will behind me.

  "I'm just going to pee. Want to come hold my hand too?" I said dryly.

  He grunted and crossed his arms. "Make sure I can see you."

  "You'll have to settle for hearing me if a bear shows up," I muttered.

  But as soon as I disappeared behind the bush, I pushed off and started running – as fast as my foot would allow.

  I barely made it three meters before I was yanked back by a firm grip.

  "Seriously, Tracy?" Will stared at me. "In the middle of the forest, injured and half-starved? What was the plan – become dinner?"

  "I can take care of myself!"

  "Clearly not."

  "You know, this isn't how you treat someone. Not even a prisoner."

  "You're acting like a child. I'm treating you accordingly."

  "You're unbearable!" I snapped and tore myself loose.

  "And you're infuriating!" he shot back, though something in his voice sounded a little too close to a smile.

  I walked straight back to Nick and stuck close to him instead. Will followed in silence, of course.

  "Is it always like that between you two?" Nick whispered with an amused expression.

  "He's like a mosquito bite you're not allowed to scratch," I muttered.

  "Charming."

  We kept walking, and slowly I felt my body giving up. My foot was burning, my legs were shaking, and eventually I stumbled.

  "Tracy..." Sac said warningly.

  "I'm fine," I tried, but my voice cracked.

  "You don't look fine," I heard Will say behind me, and before I could protest, he had already lifted me up.

  "I can walk!" I protested, but it was too late.

  "No, you can't. And I'm done listening to you stumble for another ten kilometers," he said without meeting my eyes.

  I was too tired to argue. So I lay quietly in his arms as we kept going.

  When the sun was high, we stopped by the edge of the forest. Will gently set me down on a soft, mossy stone. I pulled Sac's jacket tighter around me and leaned back, completely exhausted.

  "We're almost there," Sac said as he sat down next to me. "You'll get to meet Sacra soon."

  There was something in his voice. A kind of hope he didn't quite dare believe in.

  But I knew. This wasn't the end.

  It was only the beginning.

  Sac gave a crooked smile, almost like he'd been waiting for me to start asking questions.

  "You know, Tracy... there are others in the forest. Ones who'll do anything to stop us."

  I looked at him questioningly.

  "What do you mean? You don't exactly seem to have enemies."

  "Oh, but we do," he said seriously. "There are those who don't want the curse to be broken. They like what it does to them—what they become."

  "But if they don't want to change back, can't they just... not do it?"

  "If only it were that simple."

  The voice that interrupted came from behind, and I already knew it was Will before I turned around.

  "If the curse is broken for one, it's broken for all," he said with his usual slight smirk. "It's all or nothing."

  I shot him an annoyed look.

  "Has no one ever taught you not to butt into other people's conversations?"

  "You're talking about the curse," he said with a shrug. "That means I'm automatically invited."

  I rolled my eyes. Why couldn't he just... stay quiet?

  The farther we walked, the harder it got. My legs felt like lead. My stomach growled loudly, protesting every step. I tried to push through, but eventually I came to a full stop.

  "Please... can't we rest? I'm completely exhausted and starving."

  Will replied without turning around:

  "You'll get food when we arrive. We can't stop just because you're whining."

  I squeezed my eyes shut.

  "Maybe you should try being human for a moment, Will! Because I'm stopping whether you like it or not."

  I sat down in the snow, deliberately.

  It took exactly three seconds before I was lifted off the ground.

  "Put me down, you damn creep!" I shouted. "I'm trying to help you—and this is how you thank me?"

  Will didn't even look at me.

  "You're here for a purpose. Nothing more. Once you've done your part, you're no longer important."

  The words hit like a punch to the chest, and uncontrolled tears ran down my cheeks.

  I tore myself out of his grip, fury in every muscle.

  "You don't deserve my help! I don't give a damn about your curse!"

  I barely made it ten meters before Will was in front of me again—faster than I thought possible. He grabbed me, firmly but not roughly.

  "Give it up. You won't get far."

  I struggled, but he held me fast.

  "Tracy..." he said, and his voice was suddenly calmer. "Don't do this for me. Do it for my brothers. They need this—more than you know."

  I stared at him.

  "What about you? Don't you want to be free too?"

  He gave a brief smirk, but it faded quickly.

  "I belong here. In the forest. In the silence. When all this is over, the others will have somewhere to go. I only have this."

  "Then why are you doing it?" I whispered.

  "Because they're my family. I stand with them—even when it doesn't feel right."

  We looked at each other for a moment. Then he said quietly,

  "Don't tell the others what I said. They don't need to carry my part too."

  I just nodded.

  He let go.

  "Go now. They're waiting."

  When I got back to the others, I was met by Rex's sharp tone.

  "What did you do to her, Will? She looks like she's been crying for an hour."

  "Accident," Will said shortly. "It wasn't intentional."

  "You can walk up front with Sate. Sac, take care of Tracy."

  "With pleasure," Sac said with a smile next to me.

  Will gave him a quick glance.

  "Don't be too pleased. She looks like an angel, but I swear—she's got horns."

  I shot him a dark look. If he wanted me to keep his secret, the least he could do was stop talking crap.

  At least Sac was nice. And talkative. He told me about his childhood, about his mother who died when he was born, a father who never managed to keep a relationship together, and the decision to move in with his aunt.

  "That was the first time I felt at home," he said softly.

  He told me about the night everything changed. The pain. The fever. How his heart eventually stopped. How the family thought he was dead.

  "They put me in a coffin," he said. "I woke up the next day—confused, terrified. And outside were seven wolves. They shifted right in front of me."

  I shivered.

  "I fainted, of course," he added. "Everyone does the first time."

  "Even Will?" I asked.

  Sac laughed.

  "No, Will is... Will. He doesn't faint. But what happened to him—only he knows."

  "I'll ask another time. Or never."

  We kept talking. About the clan, about the rules. Only one law—don't go into the dark parts of the forest. That's where the threats were. And I was what they were after.

  "So they want to kill me?" I asked quietly.

  "Yes."

  Cold. Honest. And incredibly real.

  "We're here!" Nick suddenly called.

  I looked around—just more forest.

  "I don't see anything special," I muttered.

  "See that tree over there?" Sac asked, pointing.

  "They all look the same."

  Someone took hold of my waist and gently turned my head to the side.

  "Now?"

  There it was. A tree larger than anything else. Majestic. Almost alive.

  "Did you see it?" Sac asked.

  I nodded. "Thanks. I probably would've missed it."

  "It was Will who showed you," he said with a smile.

  I blushed. It hadn't been Sac who touched me. It was Will.

  And somewhere—amidst all the irritation—my heart skipped a beat.

  I shook off the feeling. Up ahead, the first huts appeared. People moving. Voices in the wind.

  We had arrived.