Chapter 25. Ashes of the Ridge

The ridge screamed as it broke.

Asphalt split down the center, cracks spidering wide, gravel tumbling into the black maw of the ravine. Floodlight towers toppled one by one, sparks spraying as their cables ripped loose. Smoke curled thick, choking the night air.

Wolves and rivals alike stumbled, bikes fishtailing on the trembling ground, shouts turning from jeers into raw panic.

Her chest went rigid. Her scraped palms burned against Axel’s jacket as she clung tighter, every nerve screaming.

“Axel—the ground!”

His eyes flicked to the widening cracks, jaw set like steel. “We ride or we fall!”

He throttled hard. The bike howled, tires spitting sparks as they shot forward through fire, fists, and chains.

Kenzie tore close on her own bike, blonde hair whipping wild in the wind. Her voice cut sharp above the roar: “Left side’s breaking—keep to the wall!”

A leaden ache settled deep in her core. The cliff face loomed jagged and close on their