By the time the clock edged past 4:00 PM, I was still at the site with Francis, exhaustion settling deep in my bones. The wind carried dust and unfamiliar scents across the open ground, making my instincts restless. I realized then there was no way I could make it back to the office to retrieve my car before picking up Jared.
Francis noticed my hesitation almost immediately. Without giving me room to refuse, he turned to Alex and told him to drive me to Jared's school. He even suggested we all have dinner together afterward, as if the plan had already been decided within the pack's silent hierarchy.
I didn't argue.
My car was still at the company, time was slipping away, and refusing would only complicate things. Even so, as I walked toward Alex's car, a faint unease stirred in my chest, like an instinct warning me that something was about to go wrong.
Across the city, Elliot had been in a foul mood all day.
