|| Lilac’s POV ||

Dawn light crept through the war room windows as I rubbed the stiffness from my neck. I'd fallen asleep again at the strategy table, my cheek pressed against a map of the southern territories. The scent of ink and stale coffee clung to me as I blinked awake.

A sharp knock startled me upright just as the doors swung open.

"Lilac."

My dad stood framed in the doorway, his broad shoulders blocking the morning light. Behind him, Alpha Daren waited with ...