Freya’s pov.

The mansion felt colder the moment Alaric left. I stood at the window of Marcus’s office, arms crossed, watching his shadow retreat into the mist. My heart hammered in my chest.

“He won’t stop,” I whispered.

Marcus joined me, his expression grim. “No. He won’t. That bastard’s too confident now.”

I turned to him sharply. “We can’t wait for him to gather more allies. We have to move first.”

Marcus nodded slowly. “We need a ...