Mud kicked up behind the tires as the black SUV thundered down the narrow forest road. Pines blurred past, tall and silent under a cloud-thick sky. The air was heavy with tension and damp magic.

Yannis sat at the wheel, quiet and focused, with a faint line between his brows. Landon rode shotgun, arms folded, eyes scanning the road ahead. The tension in the car wasn’t silence, it was conversation waiting to snap loose.

“You’re sure this Alpha will even listen to you?” ...