Upstream, Racing Toward the Coast:
Naga's serpent form cut through the underbrush like a living blade, scales scraping against rocks and roots as he pushed himself faster than he'd ever moved before.
Behind him, Leo ran in his full lion form—powerful legs eating up the distance, white mane streaming.
And Granite thundered along in his massive bear form, each step shaking the ground but somehow keeping pace with the two other apex predators.
They'd been running for hours.
Through the night, into dawn, following the river's path downstream with single-minded focus.
The mate bond was a constant beacon—Alex's presence like a warm pulse in Naga's chest, growing stronger as they got closer but still maddeningly distant.
"How much further?" Leo panted, golden eyes fixed on the horizon where the forest was beginning to thin.
"The ocean's close," Granite rumbled. "I can smell salt on the wind. Maybe another hour—"
