ROMAN
The Moonstone Pack territory loomed ahead, a formidable wall of stone and reinforced steel marking the boundary between our lands. Rain pelted the windshield as my driver navigated the winding forest road. My jaw clenched tighter with every mile.
This wasn't a diplomatic visit. This was desperation.
"Stop here," I ordered when we reached the checkpoint.
The fortifications were unlike anything I'd seen at a pack border. Guard towers punctuated the wall at regular intervals. Armed wolves patrolled the perimeter. Motion sensors and cameras monitored every approach.
"Alpha Vance," my driver glanced at me nervously in the rearview mirror. "Are you certain about this? We weren't granted clearance."
I didn't answer. I didn't need to. My expression said everything.
Kael, my wolf, prowled restlessly beneath my skin. He wanted to howl, to charge, to tear down these barriers between us and what was ours. But that wasn't the way. Not today.