Leofric’s POV
A kingdom doesn’t fall in a day, but I watched mine fracture by the hour.
The war council room was filled with the stench of sweat and smoke. Maps spread out over the lengthy obsidian table, ink seeping from the edges as if even the parchment would not contain these realities. My generals stood tense. Half of them backed Morwenna now—the other half feared her. I couldn’t blame them. She’d torn through rogue wolves like prophecy in motion. Power clung to her skin like blood.
And still, I couldn’t stop thinking about the way her eyes looked when I knelt before her. Not afraid. Not even shocked. Just tired. As if she was waiting for the next betrayal.
Sabine appeared beside me, silent until she wasn’t. “You need to choose a side, Leofric. Not just hers. Or theirs. But yours.
