Victoria's p.o.v.
The steady patter of rain against the roof of the car was the first thing I registered as consciousness pulled me from sleep. I stretched and yawned, rubbing the last remnants of drowsiness from my eyes. Through the haze of my lingering dreams, I could make out the dim glow of the streetlights filtering through the window.
Alexander was still focused on the road, his profile illuminated by the soft light from the dashboard. The cityscape outside had blurred into streaks of green, a sign that we were nearing our pack lands. The silence between us was peaceful, yet I could sense a subtle tension in the air, a remnant of the earlier hours.
The rain intensified, drumming against the car in a rhythmic cadence. I turned to Alexander, whose face remained a stoic mask of conce
