Valk arrived like a storm in the middle of calm.
The challenger gang, draped in bone-white leathers and chrome helms, lined up outside the Circuit's gates. They rode bikes that screamed old war-tech—engines retrofitted with stolen AI, exhausts that bled sparks like dragonfire.
Reyna stood at the front of her crew, arms at her sides, jaw tight.
Avery stood just behind her, trying to read her expression. Reyna had been unreadable since the name "Valk" was uttered.
Then she stepped forward.
A woman dismounted from the lead bike—tall, sharp-featured, with short silver hair and a scar that ran from temple to chin. Her eyes found Reyna's immediately.
"Still running this corner of the future, Vex?" Valk's voice was low, rich, and far too familiar.
Reyna's smile was ice. "Still trailing behind me, Valk?"
Valk chuckled. "Oh, I've missed that bite."
Avery stepped forward instinctively. She didn't like the way Valk looked at Reyna. Like she owned her.
Valk's gaze shifted to Avery. "And who's this? New toy?"
Before Avery could respond, Reyna cut in. "My best mechanic. And racer."
Avery blinked. That was...unexpected.
Valk arched a brow. "So the rumors are true. You've gone soft. Letting some stray take your reins?"
Reyna's voice dropped an octave. "Challenge me or leave. But don't confuse proximity for possession. We're not allies. Not anymore."
Valk smirked. "Tomorrow night. One-on-one. You and me. Circuit Crown. Loser walks."
A ripple passed through the crowd.
That was a death match in disguise. A race where only one rider walked away with their rep—and sometimes their bike. Sometimes more.
"Accepted," Reyna said without flinching.
As Valk turned away, her hand brushed Avery's shoulder on purpose. "Good luck keeping her warm."
Avery's skin crawled. But more than that—she burned.
Back in the bay that night, she cornered Reyna.
"Tell me who Valk is," she demanded.
Reyna ran a hand through her hair. "An old mistake. We rode together. We raced, we ruled, we… lost control."
"Did you love her?"
Reyna hesitated. "I thought I did. But Valk doesn't love. She conquers."
Avery crossed her arms. "So this race—what is it really?"
Reyna stepped closer. "It's closure. And a warning."
"To her?"
"No." Reyna's hand found Avery's. "To anyone who thinks they can take what's mine."
Avery's breath caught.
Reyna had always been fire—but now she was wildfire. Unstoppable. Beautiful. And maybe, finally, just a little afraid.
Tomorrow's race wasn't just a challenge. It was a reckoning.
And Avery had no intention of letting Reyna face it alone.
---