I nodded and sighed, tracing a thumb through the condensation on my cup until the plastic squeaked. The water trailed down in messy streaks, about as steady as my thoughts.

"But enough sad shit," added Robby, holding his hand out. "Let me see the road trip playlist."

======================================

Driving straight, it would have been about an eleven and a half hour drive. But of course, that's not counting traffic, food stops or bathroom breaks. Naturally, the sun was starting to set as I arrived on the outskirts of Salt Lake City.

While younger me would have had zero issues driving into unknown wilderness at night, current me had balked at the idea.

Current me also had zero qualms arriving a day "late".

While the cheap roadside motel had been super sketchy with rooms that smelled of stale cigarettes and carpets that had a certain crunch as you stepped on them, it had done its job nicely enough and I was back on the road at dawn the following morning. Only small detour was to find a coffee shop on the way for a quick breakfast on the go.

The road stretched on in long, colorless miles, punctuated only by semis roaring past and trees whizzing past on either side. Eventually, the GPS chirped and I took the exit, leaving the smooth comfort of the highway for a narrow gravel road that crunched under my tires.

A few miles later, the gravel gave way to something that looked less like a road and more like an OHV trail carved into the mountainside. My SUV jostled and bounced as I crawled forward, every bump reminding me this wasn't exactly tourist territory.

I was still debating if I'd taken a wrong turn when a figure stepped out of the trees ahead and blocked the already narrow path. While he was older, with greying hair, his broad shoulders, dark jacket, the unmistakable stance was of someone waiting to intercept me. Definitely not a ranger. Definitely pack.

I eased my foot off the gas and rolled to a stop, pulse ticking faster. My first official welcome to Bitterroot territory.

The window rolled down with a muted whir and the man stepped closer to my car. "Good morning," I smiled, "I'm here as a guest of Alpha Hale."

The man's brows furrowed. "I wasn't aware he was expecting someone," he replied cautiously.

"It was pretty quick," I admitted. "I'm with Luna's Compass, however."

"The consultants?" he asked, almost spitting in distaste.

I nodded, setting my lips to a tight smile.

"I don't know about Alpha Hale inviting you..."

"I do have his signature on the paperwork here," I said, reaching over and pulling a copy of the contract from my bag. "And, if it's a big misunderstanding, I have no issues leaving."

The man seemed to relax slightly at my willingness to leave and looked at the signature carefully. "Seems legit," he said with a click of his tongue, "odd. He never seemed fond of the idea of having your kind here."

I bristled mildly but kept a pleasant expression on my face. My kind, indeed. Like I'm some sort of other species.

The man's eyes zoned out mildly for a moment before he refocused on me. "Seems the Alpha has stepped out to the far border this morning and the Beta has no knowledge of your arrival. However, someone will greet you at the pack house."

I nodded with a grateful smile. "Thank you, erm I'm afraid I didn't quite catch your name."

"Sam," he replied, looking slightly worried.

My smile simply grew larger. "Well, thank you, Sam. I appreciate your help. I'm Allison, by the way. Pleasure to meet you."

His bushy white brows unknotted and a small smile grew on his lips. "Pleasure to meet you too, Allison."

I gave him one more smile before carefully letting go of the brake and rolling forward.

An Alpha out doing chores and a Beta who doesn't know I exist.

Fantastic. Absolutely brimming with confidence over here.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Author's Note:

Last chapter of 2025! Chapter 19 should drop on January 2nd...

Unless I get chaotic and drop it at midnight on the 1st.

Who's to say? Not me. Stay tuned!

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