Alpha Bladen POV
Night settled heavily over Bloodmoon, the quiet that followed celebration was never as peaceful as it appeared.
Victory still lingered in the air, faint traces of laughter echoing somewhere in the distance, but it had to return to its natural rhythm.
Stillness.
Watchfulness.
Preparation.
I stood near the council table long before the others arrived, the flickering light from the wall torches stretching across the stone floor in restless patterns.
The map laid before me remains unchanged.
Territory lines carved in careful precision.
Trade routes marked in faded ink.
Points of vulnerability highlighted long again during the earlier conflicts.
We had prepared so well for war.
We had not prepared for this.
Snowbloom wisteria was not a weapon meant for immediat
