CHAPTER FOURTEEN
I wake to the sound of boots scuffing against the packed earth outside my tent. The relentless sun is already baking the ground, promising another scorcher as we prepare for the hunt.
"Morning, Beta," a voice grumbles as I step out, squinting in the glaring light.
"Morning," I reply, my gaze instinctively searching for Ryan. He's at the center of our village, commanding attention without even trying.
As Alpha, his presence is magnetic, and my heart betrays me with a familiar flutter. Yet there's a heaviness in my chest, a longing for something beyond these desert winds and blood feuds—a yearning for freedom that tastes like guilt on my tongue.
"Circle up!" Ryan's command cuts through the morning air, and the pack gathers, eyes trained on him. I take my place by his si
