Beta Jessie Walker
The engine of the old truck roared its protest, but I pushed it harder. We were barely thirty minutes outside Wildfire territory, and the sun was already starting its slow descent, casting long, nervous shadows across the winding back roads. The highway was faster, but too exposed. I knew every cut-through, every dirt road leading toward the Diamond Moon border, and tonight, evasion was better than speed.
Gemma sat beside me, gripping the dashboard, her eyes fixed on the rearview mirror. Her human fear was palpable, but beneath it, the quiet strength of her wolf, honed by decades of living under the oppressive secret of the Conrads, was guiding her.
“Alaric wouldn’t have sent an entire patrol yet,” I said, trying to reassure her—and myself. “He's just arriving. He’ll
