The war table was a mess of unfinished reports and half-drunk coffee cups, each one a testament to how far behind we were falling. Rogue sightings along the northeastern border, patrol inconsistencies, and now whispers of unrest from within the council itself. It never ended.
I pinched the bridge of my nose and let out a slow breath, glaring at the newest complaint stamped in red ink: “Land conflict unresolved. Claim dispute escalating. Alpha input needed.”
Of course it was.
I glanced at the empty seat across from me—Alex’s chair, still untouched since the morning meeting he missed. Again.
“Where the hell are you?” I muttered, flipping the file shut.
Something was off with him. Had been for days now.
It wasn’t just that he was absent from meetings or training late into the night—it w
