Run as far as you can

Run as far as you can
TERENCE

I led the Furious Mad Pack out into the night, my rage burning hotter than the moon above us. The forest smelled of fear and betrayal, and every step only fed the fire inside me. Joseph. Marla. Shanella. Their names were like poison on my tongue.

“Spread out!” I barked, my voice echoing through the trees. “I want every scent, every track. Don’t come back until you find them!”

The rogues obeyed, fanning out, their forms blurring as they shifted into wolves. I stayed on two legs, my claws digging into the dirt, my eyes scanning for movement.

Felix padded closer in his wolf form, his ears flat. He sniffed the air and then shifted back to speak. “Alpha, the scent trail is weak. They covered their tracks well.”

I growled, low and dangerous. “Then dig deeper. I don’t care if you have to tear apart every tree in this forest. Find them.”

We pushed forward for hours, following faint tracks through mud and leaves. Every time we thought we had something, the trail ended in cold water or split into several false paths.

“Damn it!” I roared, slamming my fist into a tree trunk. Bark cracked under the force. “He’s using everything I taught him against me.”

One of the younger rogues, Quinn, spoke nervously. “Alpha, Joseph must have planned this for days. He’s leading us in circles. If we keep going, we might lose more time.”

I turned on him so fast he stumbled backward. “Are you saying we stop?” I snarled, my fangs bared. “Are you saying we just let them go?”

“N-no, Alpha,” Quinn stammered, bowing low. “I only meant—”

“I know what you meant,” I cut him off, my voice sharp as claws. “But there will be no stopping. Not until I have their blood.”

Felix put a hand on my shoulder. “Alpha, he’s right about one thing. If they make it past the river crossing, they’ll reach neutral ground. We’d risk a war if we’re caught hunting them there.”

I grabbed Felix by the collar and yanked him close. “Do you think I care about war? Let the White Fur Kingdom come. Let Moon Crest come. I’ll kill them all if I have to.”

Felix held my gaze, but I saw the fear in his eyes. “Then we must move faster,” he said carefully.

We moved through the night, running until our lungs burned, until the forest blurred past us. Every sound made me snarl—every owl call, every rustling branch. I imagined Joseph’s face with every step, imagined tearing him apart piece by piece.

Hours later, we reached the river. The moonlight glistened on the water, but the scent was gone. Completely gone.

Felix knelt, sniffing, his expression grim. “They crossed here,” he said. “But the current is strong. Their scent is washed away.”

My claws dug into the mud. “No,” I growled. “No, I will not lose them. Keep looking!”

We spread out along the riverbank, searching for any sign. A piece of torn cloth. A footprint. Anything. But there was nothing.

After another hour, Quinn approached again, his tail between his legs. “Alpha,” he said softly, “we’ve lost the trail. They’re gone.”

I turned slowly, my chest heaving, my vision red. “Gone?” I repeated.

“Yes, Alpha. If we keep searching, we’ll lose the pack’s strength before dawn. We should return and plan again.”

For a long moment, I said nothing. The silence was heavy, broken only by the rush of the river. Then I let out a long, low growl that made every rogue flinch.

“I should kill you where you stand,” I said to Quinn.

He dropped to his knees, trembling. “Alpha, I only want to serve you—”

“Then shut up and obey!” I roared.

Felix stepped between us, his voice steady but respectful. “Alpha. If we return now, we can regroup and hunt again tomorrow night. Joseph will get careless. He always does.”

I stared at him, breathing hard, my claws itching for blood. Finally, I turned away, my chest rising and falling.

“Fine,” I said through clenched teeth. “We return. But hear me, all of you—this is not over. Joseph thinks he’s clever. Shanella thinks she’s safe. They’re wrong.”

We began the long trek back, the rogues quiet behind me. My anger did not cool with distance; it grew hotter, sharper. By the time we reached camp, I was ready to tear something apart.

Inside my tent, I grabbed another bottle and drank until the fire in my throat matched the one in my chest.

“They think they can humiliate me,” I muttered, pacing. “They think they can escape me.”

Felix entered quietly. “Alpha, the pack is resting. They await your orders for tomorrow.”

I nodded slowly. “Tomorrow, we hunt again. And the day after. And the day after that. Until they are found.”

Felix hesitated. “And when they are?”

I turned to him, my lips curling into a feral smile. “When they are, Felix, I will make an example of them. Joseph will die screaming. Marla will die begging. And Shanella…”

I trailed off, imagining her chained, her defiance broken.

“She will regret ever running from me.”

Felix bowed his head. “As you command, Alpha.”

When he left, I sat heavily on the edge of my bed, my claws tapping against the wood. I could still smell Joseph’s scent in my mind, still hear his voice from the last time he looked at me.

“You were my son,” I whispered to the empty room. “And you chose to betray me. So now you’re nothing. Nothing but prey.”

I tipped the bottle back again and let the burn numb me for a moment. Then I smiled to myself, a dark, twisted smile.

“Run as far as you can,” I said softly. “Because when I find you, Joseph, there will be nowhere left to hide.”

Outside, the wolves howled under the moon, their voices blending with my own low growl. Tomorrow, the hunt would begin again. And next time, there would be no mercy.