Chapter 67

Emma could see the distant borders of the TMM pack. Her pack. Her mate's pack. Her breathing was heavy, her chest rising and falling rapidly as she tried to catch her breath.

She bent her knees, resting against a tree, her hand cradling her swollen belly.

Exhaustion weighed heavily on her, dragging her down after two days of endless walking with no rest.

She had barely survived on the wild berries she’d found along the way, even gnawing on some bush bark to soothe her hunger.

But now, as the borders loomed ahead, she felt like she couldn’t take another step.

Her legs were covered in cuts and scrapes from sharp branches and thorns, her feet sore and bloodied from walking barefoot through rough terrain.

For a moment, she sat there, frozen. Her breath came in short, ragged gasps, and her entire body trembled with fatigue.

She placed one hand on her stomach, the other on her lower back, trying to ease the pressure. The baby somehow shifted inside her, a small reminder of wh