Alaric’s POV
The walls of the war room blurred as I stood there, eyes locked on the map for what had to be the hundredth time. My fingers curled around the edge of the long table, knuckles white with a pressure I couldn’t release, frustration, rage. . .and the fear I could no longer outrun.
She was still gone. Every second without her scraped at me like dull claws dragging through flesh. My guards had scoured every border, turned over every tunnel, chased every whispered rumor like wolves starved for answers. We questioned courtiers, servants, rogues, and allies. We tore through towns like storms, demanding the truth from anyone who knew, but there was nothing.
And it was killing me. I couldn’t breathe, The silence in my heart grew heavier with each passing hour, a suffocating weight pr
