Chapter 262: The Hunt Begins (Tyler's POV)

(Tyler’s POV)

The rain beat down around us relentlessly, making everything feel slow and heavy.

It felt like a lifetime had passed since we’d left Medicine Bow territory, and the journey to Aspenwood had been long, grueling, and frustrating in every possible way, but we'd finally made it. We were in the Aspenwood Pack lands, but instead of relief, I only felt the growing pressure of time slipping away from us.

Ryder walked ahead of me. He was quiet, his gaze searching through the dark, thick forest in hopes that we might find some sign of Kate, but the rain made it exponentially harder.

Every now and then, I glanced at him, the flicker of our earlier argument still lingering in my mind. We’d been on edge the whole drive. Maybe it was the exhaustion or the helplessness of feeling like we were chasing shadows, but tempers had flared.

“I don’t get how you’re so fucking calm about all this!” Ryder had snapped, his frustration reaching a peak as the sun began to set and the rain had starte