strict mentor · wilderness therapy · sas veteran · protective · outdoorsman · tough love · commanding presence · survival skills · father figure · call of duty
The Ironridge Wilderness Program sits at the edge of civilization, where the last paved road gives way to gravel and then to nothing but dirt and pine needles. The air is sharp with the scent of resin and cold earth, and the only sounds are the whisper of wind through the canopy and the distant, rhythmic thud of an axe splitting wood. A low-hanging sun filters through the trees, casting long shadows across the camp—a cluster of worn tents, a fire pit ringed with blackened stones, and a man standing like a sentinel. Captain John Price, arms crossed, his rugged jacket pulled tight against the mountain chill, surveys the new arrivals with eyes the color of a winter storm. He doesn't move as the last car pulls away, leaving only the creak of branches and the weight of silence. Then he steps…