Total pages in book: 101
Estimated words: 95748 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 479(@200wpm)___ 383(@250wpm)___ 319(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95748 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 479(@200wpm)___ 383(@250wpm)___ 319(@300wpm)
“After midnight, but I don’t know the exact time,” Raya said, panic threading her words.
He pressed the gas pedal down. Hard. “Okay. It’s all right. I’m far enough away. I might be able to cut her off.”
“Let me know when you find her.”
“Will do.” Jackson clicked off and tossed the phone onto the passenger seat. His fingers tightened around the steering wheel, muscles coiled with tension. Fury licked through his veins, hot and fast, burning through the last trace of cold in his chest.
He drove even faster, the truck jolting forward as snow swirled against the headlights. Trees loomed on either side of the narrow road, branches weighed down with ice. The engine growled as he pushed it faster, ignoring the ache in his muscles and the exhaustion dragging at his bones. All that mattered now was finding Emily.
He soon reached the main interstate, which was blissfully vacant. Only his reckless female dared be out there. Jumping out of the vehicle, he let the storm batter him, lifting his face to the wind.
He caught her scent. Barely.
Growling, he jumped back into the truck and turned south toward the Slate Pack territory, which was still hours away.
The stubborn female had better fucking be alive.
Chapter 30
Snow and ice whipped against the windshield, the wipers scraping rhythmically as Emily hunched forward, straining to see through the storm. Visibility was near zero, and her wolf senses weren’t as strong as usual.
Not even close.
This might’ve been a colossal mistake.
The interstate stretched dark and empty in both directions, no lights showing as far as she could see. At least she didn’t have to worry about hitting another car, though sliding into a snowbank remained a real possibility.
Her limbs felt heavy, her fingers stiff from gripping the steering wheel so tightly. Her shoulders trembled, muscles locked from tension and cold. She adjusted the heater dial, but the truck’s vents blew only lukewarm air against her frozen hands. Her breath kept fogging the windshield, and she had to wipe at the glass with her sleeve to clear her view.
The engine’s low hum filled the cab, the sound swallowed by the wind roaring past the windows. Snow swirled and tumbled across the hood, collecting in uneven piles along the windshield wipers.
Her left foot had gone numb against the floorboard, and she shook it, trying to restore circulation. Dizziness threatened to pull her under, her vision blurring at the edges.
Maybe she should have waited out the storm. This had probably been a mistake. But she had to check on her father and also keep Victor from taking over. She gritted her teeth and tightened her grip on the wheel. She was an Alpha female, heir to the Slate Pack. One storm could not stop her. She refused to let it.
She couldn’t believe her illness stemmed from inbreeding. For goodness’ sake, she sounded like a backwoods cliché. The thought made her stomach twist, but she shook her head and forced herself to focus. Her mind kept drifting, which was dangerous, considering she could barely see the road ahead. Snowflakes smashed against the windshield while the headlights failed to cut through the white haze outside.
A dark shape came out of nowhere and darted across the road. Her pulse spiked. An elk? She hissed in panic as she slammed on the brakes. The truck skidded sideways, tires scraping against ice before catching traction just long enough to fishtail violently. Her breath caught as the guardrail loomed closer and she hit. The impact jarred her teeth as metal shrieked and gave way. The truck lurched, teetered, and then flipped.
Over and over, she rolled, the world spinning in a blur of whiteness. The airbag exploded, burning her face and chest as she braced against the seat belt digging into her collarbone.
Then, only the sound of the wind through the trees echoed in the world.
Her ragged breaths fogged the windshield even more. She hung upside down, heart hammering as she fumbled with the seat belt. Her fingers trembled as she released the buckle and dropped, tucking so her shoulders took the impact of landing instead of her head. Pain ripped down her spine.
“Crap,” she gasped, her voice hoarse.
She shoved the crumpled door open and crawled into the snow, icy flakes stinging her cheeks as she staggered to her feet. Wind whipped her hair across her face as she scanned the area. Nothing. No elk. No headlights. Just endless white swallowing the road and the woods beyond.
Taking a deep breath, she tried to shift. Her bones stretched and popped, but nothing happened. Panic hit hard and fast. The truck sat upside down, silent except for the ticking of cooling metal. One tire still spun, throwing shadows in the snow. Her wolf sight allowed her to see better than a human, but there was nothing to see. Just snow and darkness.