Chapter 4

As the first rays of dawn filtered through the trees, Anna stirred from her uneasy sleep. The birdsong that filled the air seemed almost mocking in its cheerfulness as if taunting her with the reminder that the world continued to turn even as her own had been shattered.

She half-hoped that she was still lost in some terrible dream. She yearned to believe that the night before had been nothing more than a terrible dream, a nightmare from which she could wake up and start anew. But as she sat up, the harsh reality hit her like a punch to the gut. The events of the previous night had etched themselves into her memory like a cruel tattoo, indelible and searing. They were not some figment of her imagination but a stark, unwavering truth that she could neither escape nor deny.

Right there in the lonely space in between tall trees, she lay. The day before, she was on the cushion of her mother's enchanted garden; now, she sought solace in the coarse ground ornamented with leaves and twigs. She stared up into the distant sky, which was shrouded by the leaves of the huge trees that hung above.

The air she breathed in came with a nostalgic feeling, which quickly reminded her of her brush with death. Mason. The thought of her brother brought tears to her eyes. What did they do to him? The images of her loved ones, slaughtered and left in a gruesome state, were like anchors dragging her down into the depths of despair. It was as if the very air around her was thick with the stench of death and the weight of grief.

Slowly, she began reliving yesterday's sorrow. The powerlessness she felt in the whole scenario made her feel even worse.

Anna's fingers grazed the smooth surface of the emerald pendant her mother had gifted her as if seeking comfort from its cool touch. She drew in a deep breath. as if trying to fill her lungs with courage and strength. With that, she pulled herself up from the ground, knowing that she couldn't stay lost in despair forever - there were questions that needed answers, and she needed to find them fast.

'The Gamma wolves' She wondered if they were still lurking in the woods searching for her. She sat up, and she saw the stains on her black dress. Everything had been just perfect. She pushed herself to her feet, feeling a strange kind of tiredness, but she stood regardless.

Navigating her way through the thick forest would be her next major stumbling block. She turned around to see the higher side of the sloping terrain ahead of her.

Anna stood at a crossroads, torn between two paths, each leading to an uncertain destination. One led uphill towards the remnants of her shattered home. She wanted to see what was left of the place she once called home. The other path led deeper into the woods, away from the horrors of the night before, just as Mason had instructed, but into the unknown depths of the wilderness. Both sides of the jungle looked exactly the same, like twin mirrors reflecting an endless expanse of foliage.

Anna felt like she had stepped into the pages of one of her favorite jungle adventure stories, a world where danger lurked behind every tree and survival was a constant battle. She looked around, feeling vulnerable and exposed. She had no weapons to defend herself with, no tools to help her navigate the unfamiliar terrain. All she had was her wits and her instincts, and she knew that caution would be her best chance of survival.

Anna finally made her decision. She moved slowly and deliberately uphill, careful not to make any sudden movements that might attract unwanted attention. Every rustle of the leaves, every snap of a twig, made her heart race with fear.

The idea of reaching the alpha and seeking his protection seemed like her best. Jennifer... she could probably meet up with her friend as well.

As Anna continued her path through the jungle, she became increasingly frustrated by the constant snapping of twigs and the rustling of leaves underfoot. She knew that every sound she made was a potential warning to any predators that might be lurking nearby.

Each step she made up the sloping terrain seemed to take an ounce of whatever vigor she had left, but her mind had been made up. All her mind was fixed on was one task alone: getting out of the jungle.

Her hypersensitive hearing suddenly picked up some indistinct sounds. She stopped dead in her tracks. She quickly scanned the dense jungle around her, looking for any signs of movement; her senses went into overdrive as she strained to locate the source of the footsteps. She could hear faint sounds of twigs snapping. Footsteps.

Her heart pounded in her chest as the footsteps grew closer, their pace quickening with each passing second. She knew that whoever or whatever was making those sounds was closing in on her, and fast.

The panic returned as she couldn't discern if they were the Gamma wolves or something worse, and she wasn't prepared to take any chances. The sounds of the footsteps came from uphill, where she was trying to go.

Anna's mind raced as she searched for an escape route. She scanned her surroundings, desperately searching for a place to hide. Suddenly, she remembered the tree-climbing techniques her brothers had taught her as a child. What was once just a game was now her key to survival. It was time to put those skills to the test.

At that instant, she totally abandoned her femininity; her innate wolf survival instincts kicked in. She scaled the tree, pushing her poorly formed claws into the tree's bark and supporting herself with her feet. It was a difficult trip up, but she consoled herself with the proposition that it was for the greater good—anything to live.

Anna climbed the sturdy trunk of a towering tree and carefully balanced herself on a thick branch overlooking the vast expanse of the jungle. She could feel the rough bark of the tree branch beneath her as she clung to it tightly, her muscles tense with the effort of staying still.

Anna lay flat on her stomach, scanning her surroundings, alert to any movement or sound. She knew the risk of falling from such a height, but the danger on the ground was far greater. She clenched her jaw and held her breath, not daring to make a sound that could betray her presence. The Gamma wolves were notorious for their acute sense of hearing; even the slightest rustle could alert them to her hiding spot.

With the passing of each minute of her breathless ordeal, the voices drew nearer, within her hearing range, and she could hear more intelligible words. The frequency of their speech seemed to slow down as they drew closer and closer. This flipped the caution switch within her; they'd sensed her presence. Her blood made radical sprints around her body as she prepared for action at any moment.

The footsteps drew closer and closer. Her heart sank as the assailants of the night before came into view. They were a very relentless bunch. Anna didn't dare move a muscle; she wished her heart would stop beating at that point.

Anna got a clearer view of their masks, which exposed only their eyes. She sought the assailant who Mason had stabbed, but they all seemed scarless. She was frightfully awed at how quickly they were able to heal, even from wounds made of silver.

The band of ruthless Gammas were soon weary of their search as they'd come up empty. The biggest of them all, who seemed to be their leader, gave them a signal, with disappointment written all over his body motions. They slowly backed off and fled from that part of the forest. The breathless technique had come through for her once again.

Still cautious, Anna maintained her current state until she was sure that they'd gone far away from where she was. She gradually began loosening up. She shakily took her first breath with every sense of discretion. Apparently, the coast is now clear. She followed it up with some other deep breaths.

She was now clouded with the reality that she had to get as far away as possible. The fierceness of their pursuit made it obvious that trying to run back to the pack would be such an unwise decision, because, they might have their eyes everywhere, searching for her.

Going back had proven to be too risky, and now she had to brace herself for whatever lay beyond those woods. But first, she had to clear the hurdle of coming down twenty feet without giving herself away.

Slowly, she began her descent from the branch onto the tree trunk. She sank her claw into the tree's bark to commence the fearful journey downward, hoping they wouldn't give up on her. She'd pause after each move to listen in the distance; this took its toll on her.

After the tenth move, her fingers began shaking as she struggled to keep her entire body weight on her feeble claws. Just one more, she said to herself, but her body proved defiant to whatever determination she tried to muster up within herself. Oh no! She felt herself slipping as her hands became drenched in sweat, eliminating whatever frictional advantage she had. She was drifting.

The tree trunk was too large for her to wrap her arms around. Suddenly, she found herself accelerating downwards, still trying to hold on to the tree, which scraped mercilessly on the sleeves of her dress and her skin. She found herself in a free fall to the ground in no time.

A loud cry followed the thud of her landing, but it wasn't hers. The Gamma wolves had picked up the signal. She literally had thorns in her flesh, as her fall was met by some thorns that buried themselves in her side. Anna wasn't afforded the luxury to writhe in pain, not even for a second. She picked herself up and made a run for it down the slope, as she could hear heavier footsteps coming from behind. She ran erratically without direction. She didn't know when it would all end, but her primary quest at the moment was to get away as far as possible.