WILLOW'S POV.
Five minutes later, and I was still in Atlas's office. I tried to leave, just like I told Lily—twice. But each time, he stopped me, telling me to be patient, that Kade had just mind-linked him to inform him he was on his way.
I stood by a table set up beside the shelf, pretending to study the old battle map spread across it. But I wasn’t really seeing it. My eyes traced the same border line over and over again, and still, none of it registered.
What I felt instead was him.
Atlas.
He was on the other side of the room, leaning against the edge of his desk, arms crossed, watching me. Or maybe not watching, exactly—just glancing. Except he’d done it too many times for me not to notice.
The faint sound of his calm and quiet breathing reached me, but I could feel the tension
