|| Alaric's POV ||

The war room was too quiet.

Maps of the borderlands lay scattered across the table, marked with red ink where rogue attacks had been reported. The scent of ink and burning candle wax clung to the air, thick with tension. My fingers traced the edge of the parchment, the paper rough beneath my touch.

Everything was falling apart.

Coco was missing. Lilac's memories were still gone. Her wolf, Runa, had vanished without a trace. And Aurora-

My jaw ...