Chapter 4

chapter Four: The Pack Never Forgets

Riley didn't stop running until her lungs burned and her legs felt like they were about to give out.

The forest had never felt so endless. Every snapping twig, every rustling branch sent a fresh wave of panic through her veins.

Nova pulled her along, her grip like iron around Riley's wrist. "Come on, we're almost there!"

Riley wasn't sure where there was, but she followed anyway, too shaken to think. Behind them, the sounds of fighting had faded, but she knew Kieran was still back there alone.

A cold weight settled in her stomach.

Leaving him felt wrong.

But what could she do? He was one of them. He could handle himself. Right?

Nova suddenly veered to the right, pulling Riley off the main path.

They broke through the tree line and stumbled onto a quiet side street. It was eerily empty no late-night cars, no porch lights flickering on. Just the hum of the wind and the distant sound of crickets.

Nova didn't stop until they reached her car, a beat-up Jeep parked half a block away. She yanked open the door, practically shoving Riley inside before scrambling behind the wheel.

The second the doors slammed shut, silence fell.

Riley pressed her hands against the dashboard, her breath still coming fast.

For a moment, neither of them spoke.

Then Nova turned to her, eyes wide. "What the hell was that?"

Riley let out a shaky laugh half-hysterical, half-disbelieving. "I think we just got chased by a pack of actual, real-life werewolves."

Nova groaned, dropping her forehead against the steering wheel. "This is not how I thought my night was gonna go."

Riley swallowed hard. "Me neither."

Silence stretched between them, heavy with everything they weren't saying.

Then Nova lifted her head. "Okay. We need a plan."

Riley exhaled. "We need answers."

Nova nodded. "Right. And there's only one person who can give us those."

They both knew exactly who she meant.

Kieran.

The only problem?

She had no idea if he was even still alive.

They spent the next two hours driving aimlessly around Silverwood, trying to figure out where Kieran might have gone.

The Den was locked up for the night. The streets were empty.

And Riley was losing hope.

"We should've stayed," she muttered, staring out the window as Nova pulled onto Main Street.

Nova gave her a look. "And done what, exactly? Gotten torn to shreds?"

Riley clenched her fists. "I don't know. But we just left him there."

Nova sighed, drumming her fingers against the steering wheel. "He told you to run, right? That means he knew what he was doing."

Riley bit her lip. "What if he didn't?"

Before Nova could answer, something thumped against the roof of the car.

Both girls screamed.

Nova slammed the brakes, the Jeep skidding to a stop in the middle of the empty street.

Silence.

Then a groan.

Nova turned to Riley slowly. "Tell me that was a tree branch."

Riley swallowed. "That was not a tree branch."

Nova reached for a flashlight from the glove compartment, hands shaking. "Okay. On three, we look."

Riley nodded, heart pounding. "One."

"Two."

"Three."

They both whipped their heads toward the windshield-

just in time to see Kieran Wolfe slide off the hood and hit the pavement with a dull thud.

Riley was out of the car before she could think.

"Kieran!"

He didn't move.

Her stomach twisted as she knelt beside him, her fingers hovering just over his shoulder. His jacket was torn, his shirt barely clinging to his frame, and blood so much blood streaked down his arms and neck.

But he was breathing.

Barely.

Nova crouched beside her, eyes wide. "Oh my god, he looks dead."

"He's not," Riley said quickly, pressing her fingers to his pulse. It was faint but steady.

Kieran let out a low groan, his face scrunching up like he was fighting his way back to consciousness.

Then, suddenly his hand shot out, grabbing Riley's wrist.

She gasped, her heart jumping into her throat.

His golden eyes fluttered open, hazy but still burning.

"Riley" His voice was hoarse, barely above a whisper.

"I'm here," she said, surprised by how steady she sounded. "You're safe."

Kieran's gaze flickered like he wasn't fully processing her words. Then his fingers tightened around her wrist.

And the next thing he said sent ice through her veins.

"They're coming."

Riley's stomach plummeted.

She glanced at Nova, who had heard it too because she was already scrambling for the car door. "Nope. Nope, nope. We are not waiting around to find out who they are."

Riley hooked an arm under Kieran's shoulder. "Come on. We have to get you out of here."

He grunted in pain but didn't fight her. Together, she and Nova dragged him toward the Jeep, practically shoving him into the backseat.

Nova floored the gas before Riley even had the door shut.

The Jeep sped down the road, tires screeching against the pavement.

Riley twisted in her seat, watching Kieran through the rearview mirror. His head lolled back against the seat, his breaths coming in uneven gasps.

"Hey," she said softly, reaching back to shake his knee. "Stay awake, okay?"

Kieran's lips twitched in something that might have been amusement if he didn't look like he was about to pass out. "I'm fine."

"You're bleeding everywhere."

"Still fine."

Nova scoffed. "Yeah, dude. Hate to break it to you, but you look like you just lost a fight with a lawnmower."

Kieran didn't respond. His eyelids fluttered.

Riley shook him again. "Kieran."

This time, his eyes barely opened. His body slumped further against the seat.

Panic clawed at Riley's chest.

"Nova, we need to get him somewhere safe now."

Nova gritted her teeth. "I'm working on it."

They couldn't take him to a hospital. They couldn't take him to her house.

Which left only one option.

Riley took a deep breath. "Drive to my dad's cabin."

Nova shot her a look. "Riley, that place is practically abandoned."

"Exactly. No one will look for him there."

Nova hesitated then nodded.

She veered off the main road, heading toward the outskirts of town.

And as the trees swallowed them whole, Riley couldn't shake the feeling that this was only the beginning.

Because Kieran had said something before he blacked out.

Something that made her blood run cold.

They're coming.

And if that was true

Then no matter where they ran

The pack would find them.

The road to her dad's old cabin was nothing but darkness and winding turns.

Riley kept glancing at Kieran in the backseat, her stomach twisting every time his head lolled to the side. His breathing was uneven, his shirt soaked with blood, and he hadn't spoken since muttering those two chilling words: They're coming.

She didn't know how much longer he could hold on.

"Nova, step on it," she said, voice tight.

Nova gripped the wheel like her life depended on it. "I'm already going fifteen over, Riley. This Jeep is not built for high-speed chases."

Riley turned back to Kieran, shaking his shoulder. "Stay with me, Wolfe."

He groaned in response but didn't open his eyes.

Nova shot her a nervous glance. "Are we even sure the cabin is still there? You haven't been back since"

"Since my dad disappeared?" Riley finished, not bothering to keep the bitterness out of her voice. "Yeah, I know."

Nova winced. "Sorry, I didn't mean"

"It's fine," Riley muttered. "And yeah, it's still there. My mom refuses to sell it. Says it's part of his legacy or whatever."

Nova exhaled. "Right. Legacy. Super comforting, considering your dad vanished in the Silverwood woods."

Riley didn't respond.

Because yeah, she had thought about that. More than once.

Her dad's disappearance had never made sense. One day, he went for a walk in the woods. Never came back. Nobody, no clues-just gone.

And now she knew for a fact that monsters lived in those trees.

Was it connected?

Was her dad just another name on the pack's kill list?

She pushed the thought down, forcing herself to focus. Right now, Kieran was the priority.

Ten minutes later, Nova turned onto a narrow dirt road, the Jeep bouncing over potholes and roots. The forest thickened around them, swallowing them whole.

And then, finally

A clearing.

The cabin stood at the center, dark and untouched, surrounded by nothing but trees and silence.

Nova killed the engine. "This is the part where the horror movie music starts playing."

Riley ignored her, already opening the door. "Help me get him inside."

They pulled Kieran out of the Jeep, half-carrying, half-dragging him toward the porch. He was deadweight, barely conscious, but he made a weak attempt at walking.

"Damn, dude," Nova muttered, struggling under his weight. "You need to lay off the protein shakes."

Kieran let out a noise that might have been a laugh. Or a groan. Hard to tell.

Riley pushed open the cabin door, the smell of dust and pine hitting her instantly. Everything was exactly how they had left it-furniture covered in sheets, firewood stacked by the hearth, her dad's old coat still hanging by the door.

She swallowed hard, shoving away the memories.

"Couch," she said, and they maneuvered Kieran onto it. He slumped against the cushions, eyes barely open.

Nova collapsed onto the floor, catching her breath. "This is not how I thought tonight was gonna go."

Riley ignored her, grabbing the first-aid kit from the kitchen. She knelt beside Kieran, pulling his jacket and shirt aside.

The second she saw the wounds, her stomach turned.

Deep claw marks ran across his ribs and shoulder, the edges raw and still bleeding. His skin was already bruising, turning ugly shades of purple and black.

Riley's hands shook.

"You should be dead," she murmured.

Kieran let out a weak chuckle. "Not that lucky."

She shot him a glare. "That's not funny."

His golden eyes flickered, something softer in them. "Didn't say it was."

Nova peeked over Riley's shoulder. "So, uh. Shouldn't he be healing or something? I thought werewolves had, like, super regeneration powers."

Kieran exhaled. "Takes longer when the wounds are from another wolf."

Riley's chest tightened. "Callum did this to you."

Kieran didn't answer.

Which was an answer in itself.

Nova blew out a breath. "Okay, so what now? We just hide out here forever?"

Kieran shifted, wincing. "They'll find me eventually."

Riley frowned. "So you're saying this is pointless?"

"No." He met her gaze. "I'm saying it's temporary."

Riley studied him. "Then what's the plan?"

Kieran hesitated. Then he said, "We hit back first."

Nova gaped. "Oh, sure. Let's go fight the literal werewolf mafia. Sounds fun."

Kieran's jaw tightened. "If we don't, they won't stop."

Riley's pulse pounded. "We?"

Kieran looked at her. "You're in this now, Riley. Whether you like it or not."

Her stomach flipped.

Because as much as she wanted to argue

He was right.

She had seen too much.

And the pack never forgot.