Page 51 of The Pack

The pack stepped back, their movements slow and cautious as they began to retreat into the woods.

“Wait,” Magnus said, raising a hand.

The young boy froze, his claws twitching at his sides. His companions glanced at each other, their breaths ragged, but none of them moved.

“You’re not going to make it out here on your own,” Magnus said calmly, but firmly. “Not unless someone shows you how to survive.”

“We don’t need your help,” the blond boy growled again, his voice hoarse and shaky.

“Yes, you do,” Magnus replied evenly. “And whether you want it or not, we’re going to help you.”

Tobias frowned, his arms crossed. “Magnus, they just tried to claw our throats out.”

“They’re young,” Magnus said, his unyielding stare never leaving the boy. “Desperate. That doesn’t make them enemies—it makes them like we were, once.”

The lanky boy’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t lash out again.

Magnus glanced at me. “Callum, show them how to track.”

I blinked, surprised, but nodded quickly. “Alright.”

The boy narrowed his eyes at me as I stepped forward, holding up my hands in a gesture of peace.

“I’m not here to fight you,” I said, keeping my voice light. “But if you’re going to survive, you need to learn how to hunt. You can’t keep living off scraps and whatever else you dig up.”

The girl snorted. “And why would you teach us?”

“Because we’ve been where you are,” I said honestly.

The girl crossed her arms, her dark eyes narrowing as she looked me up and down. “So, what? You’re just going to help us out of the kindness of your heart?”

Her tone was harsh, defensive, but I caught the flicker of suspicion and uncertainty beneath it. She didn’t trust me—didn’t trust any of us—and I couldn’t blame her.

I shrugged, keeping my voice light. “Something like that. But let’s be clear—I’m not doing this just for you. If you can learn to fend for yourselves, maybe next time we won’t have to waste our time fighting you.”

The girl’s lip curled, but the younger boy—skinny and wide-eyed—tugged at her sleeve.

“Lina,” he said softly. “Maybe we should listen.”

She looked down at him, her expression softening for just a moment before she turned back to me.

“Fine,” she said, her voice clipped. “But don’t think this means we owe you anything.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” I said, a grin tugging at my lips. “Now, let’s get started.”

I motioned for them to follow me as I led the group of young wolves back down the hill toward the woods, my senses tuned to the faint signs of animal movement. Magnus and the rest of my pack, including Zara, followed along with the group and paused when I crouched to examine the ground.

“First rule of hunting,” I said, my voice low, but firm. “Pay attention with all your senses. The forest talks if you know how to listen.”

The blond boy—clearly their leader—rolled his eyes. “The forest talks? What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means,” I said, glancing up at him, “that every step you take, every branch you break, every sound you make… it all matters. Animals don’t survive by being careless and neither do wolves.”

He frowned, but the younger boy nodded, his wide eyes fixed on me. “What are we looking for?”

“Tracks, mostly,” I said, pointing to a faint impression in the dirt. “See this? That’s a deer track. It’s fresh, probably no more than an hour or two old.”

The girl knelt beside me, her dark brows furrowing. “How can you tell?”

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