CHAPTER 4

Lena stood at the edge of the city, her heart pounding in her chest. The city that had once been their home, full of noise and life, now felt like a cage. She could feel the artifact calling to her, its power pulling her away. She knew it was time to leave, time to move toward something better. But the road ahead was uncertain, and fear clung to her like a second skin.

Alec, the one person Lena trusted most, stood by her side. His face was lined with worry, but his eyes held something more — determination. "Are you sure about this, Lena?" he asked, his voice low. "Leaving the city... it's dangerous out there. We don’t know what awaits."

Lena nodded, her jaw set. "We can’t stay here, Alec. It’s the only way forward. The artifact is guiding us, and I can feel it. It’s time for a change."

Behind her, the rest of the pack gathered. Some were excited, eager to leave behind the city and its dangers. But others, the older ones, looked uncertain. They had lived in the city for so long, and the world outside was full of rumors and whispers. Many had never ventured far from the safety of their walls.

"I’m not sure I’m ready for this," murmured one of the pack members, a woman named Mara. Her eyes were filled with doubt, and Lena could see the fear in her face. "What if we don’t survive? What if we get lost? It’s not just the hunters we have to worry about. The land itself... it’s wild."

Lena’s heart ached, but she knew what had to be done. "We’ll stick together. We’ll survive. We have each other. And I’ll lead us. I won’t let anything happen to us."

The air was thick with emotion as they prepared to leave. Some hugged, some just stood quietly, unsure of what the future would bring. It was a painful goodbye, but there was also hope in the air — a feeling that they were on the verge of something better.

As the pack moved through the city’s gates, the sound of the city behind them grew fainter and fainter. The streets, once familiar, were now a memory. Ahead of them stretched the unknown — dark forests, empty fields, and mountains that loomed in the distance.

The journey was harder than they thought. Almost immediately, they were met with danger. The hunters, the ones who hunted them for sport, were never far behind. Lena’s heart raced as she heard the sound of footsteps in the distance. They were close.

"Move faster!" Lena shouted, her voice sharp and commanding. "Stay in a tight group!"

Alec led the front, while Lena took the rear, making sure no one was left behind. The pack moved through thick trees, their feet stumbling over rocks and twigs. They were deep in unfamiliar territory now, and each rustle in the bushes made their hearts skip a beat.

The hunters were skilled, but Lena was faster. She led them off the beaten path, hiding in shadows, slipping through trees and rocks. Her heart was heavy, but her mind was focused. Every decision she made could mean life or death for her pack.

Hours passed, and just when it seemed like the danger had passed, they came to a clearing. The sky above them was darkening, and the pack’s exhaustion was showing. But Lena knew they couldn’t stop. They had to keep moving.

"Rest for a few minutes, but be quiet," Lena ordered. "We need to be ready."

The pack sat down, their bodies aching. Alec came to Lena’s side, his brow furrowed with worry. "This is just the beginning, isn’t it? The road ahead is going to be even harder."

Lena nodded, her face grim. "Yes. But we’re in this together. And we’ll make it. We have to."

As they rested, Lena couldn’t help but think of the city they had left behind. It had been a place of safety, of comfort, but it had also been a prison. Out here, the world was wild and unpredictable, but it was theirs to shape. And with the artifact’s power guiding her, Lena knew they would find the path forward — no matter what dangers awaited them.

The future was uncertain, but one thing was clear: the pack of the forgotten was no longer forgotten. They had a leader, a purpose, and a hope that would carry them through whatever lay ahead.

The pack stepped into the wilderness, leaving behind the city’s clamor and the ever-present hum of artificial life. The forest, vast and ancient, stood before them like an untamed beast, beautiful yet full of mystery. The trees were tall and thick, their branches heavy with leaves that whispered in the wind. The air smelled different here—fresher, earthier—and yet there was an unease in it, a sense that they were being watched by forces they couldn’t see.

At first, the pack was enchanted by the beauty of the forest. Sunlight filtered through the thick canopy above, casting patches of golden light onto the forest floor, where wildflowers bloomed in bursts of color. Birds called to one another in the distance, and the rustling of leaves filled the silence like a song. Everything seemed peaceful, untouched by the harshness of the world they had left behind.

But the wilderness had its own dangers. It wasn’t long before the pack started feeling the weight of its challenges. Food was hard to come by. The animals they hunted were quicker than they expected, and their senses, honed in the city, weren’t sharp enough for the wild. Each night, hunger gnawed at them, making sleep restless and dreams heavy. The pack had been used to the comforts of city life, where food and shelter were always within reach. Here, they had to rely on their instincts, which had long been dormant.

Lena could see the strain on her packmates. Their faces were gaunt, their movements slower. She felt it too, the tightness in her stomach, the burning in her muscles as she tried to keep them moving forward. But there was a quiet strength in the air, a sense of something ancient, that kept pulling them onward. The artifact, the mysterious object that had guided Lena this far, pulsed softly in her pocket. It was a constant reminder that they were on the right path, that they had a purpose in this wild place, though Lena didn’t yet understand it fully.

The weather was another challenge. The nights were cold, far colder than they had ever experienced in the city. The winds howled through the trees, and rainstorms often came without warning, drenching them to the bone. During the day, the sun beat down relentlessly, and the heat made it harder to keep going. The pack was forced to adapt, to find shelter in caves or beneath thick trees when the storms came. They learned to gather what they could, from berries to herbs, to survive in the unforgiving conditions.

But it wasn’t just the physical challenges that tested them. As the days wore on, something inside each of them began to shift. They could feel the pull of their true nature, the primal instincts of their werewolf heritage, stirring inside them. It wasn’t just the hunger that gnawed at them now; it was a hunger for something deeper, something older. Their senses sharpened as they began to reconnect with the wildness of the land.

Lena watched as the pack began to change. Alec, once a reluctant follower, began to take on the role of a leader in his own right. He was stronger now, more focused, and his bond with the pack deepened as they worked together to hunt, to gather, and to survive. His relationship with Lena shifted too. They had always trusted one another, but now there was a quiet understanding between them, a sense that they were both being shaped by something larger than themselves.

Mara, who had been hesitant at first, began to find her strength in the wilderness. Her instincts came alive, and she became one of the most skilled hunters among them. There were no more doubts in her eyes; she had found a place in the pack, and her fear of the unknown had turned into a determination to see their journey through to the end.

Even those who had been most reluctant to leave the city began to find purpose in the wilderness. The pack was becoming a family again, bound not by blood, but by something deeper—something that had always been there, buried under layers of time and civilization. They were rediscovering the power of their ancestors, learning how to live in the wild, how to embrace their instincts.

The artifact’s pull grew stronger with each passing day, guiding them deeper into the forest. Lena felt it more than ever now, as if it was alive, its energy pulsing in time with her own heartbeat. She didn’t know what lay ahead, but she knew they were getting closer to the place from her vision. The forest was no longer just a place of survival—it was becoming their home, a place where they could rediscover who they were meant to be.

One evening, as they sat around a small fire, the pack spoke little but shared everything in their silence. The crackling of the flames, the rustling of the trees, and the occasional howl of a distant wolf made the air feel alive. Lena looked at each member of the pack, their faces lit by the fire’s glow, and for the first time since leaving the city, she felt a sense of peace.

They had faced so much already—hunger, fear, doubt—but they were still together. They were stronger now, united by a shared purpose. The wilderness had tested them, but it had also helped them grow, to understand that they were more than just a group of survivors. They were a pack, a family, bound not only by their loyalty to one another, but by the land itself, by the power of their werewolf heritage, and by the promise of something greater that lay ahead.

As the fire flickered and the night settled in, Lena looked toward the horizon, knowing that the path ahead was still uncertain. But she also knew that as long as they were together, they could face whatever came next. The wilderness had opened their eyes to a new world, one where they were no longer just survivors—but a pack reborn.