|| Alaric’s POV ||

The meeting dragged on, the voices around me blending into a dull hum as my mind wandered. I couldn’t focus. My thoughts kept drifting back to Lilac, an uneasy feeling settling in the pit of my stomach. It was like a shadow creeping over me, a warning I couldn’t ignore. I clenched my fists under the table. Hunter stirred restlessly inside me.

'Calm down,' I said to him.

'Something’s wrong,' Hunter growled, his voice low and urgent. 'She’s in ...