Mason's POV

The command center is quiet this late at night. Just a few guards on rotation, the soft hum of electronics, and Nora standing beside me at the large map table.

The scent of her fills my senses—herbs and old magic and something uniquely her. The mating mark on my neck throbs with awareness every time she moves.

"The northern route is faster," she says, leaning over the map. Her finger traces a line through the mountains. "Three days ...