I pace the room for a minute, letting the calmness I felt a second ago linger before turning my focus back to everything at hand. As I glance at my desk, I know that I will never get any work done. Not like this.

Maya doesn’t trust me. Everything is closing in, and I don’t want to feel so suffocated.

I stop pacing and lean over the desk, staring down at the reports scattered across its surface one last time. Patrol updates, rogue activity, and whispers of hunters moving across our borders ...