Kaelan's POV
The Ironclaw manor had never felt so silent.
The great hall, once alive with command and movement, was now filled only with the ticking of the wall clock and the faint rustle of papers scattered across the map table. I'd been staring at the same report for an hour, but the words refused to settle.
Rowan, was late. Again.
That alone wasn't new Rowan had always believed punctuality was optional. But tonight, there was something else. A weight in the air. A stillness that made my wolf bristle under my skin.
I exhaled slowly, tracing a finger over the edge of the parchment. Patrols missing. Supply lines cut. Rogues appearing near our borders always near the southern edge, close to where Lyra's pack resided.
Coincidence? Or a warning?
The thought of her, her scent, the way her eyes had flared when she'd faced me hit harder than I wanted it to. I clenched my jaw.
