Elara's POV
The night air was thick with the scent of damp earth and pine as I made her way toward the stronghold. The torches lining the pathways flickered in the wind, casting long shadows against the stone walls. It had been a long day—negotiations with the clan leaders, settling disputes, and reassuring the elders that the alliance would hold.
And then there was Luca.
I smiled to myself, remembering his teasing remark.
"If we had met in high school, you would have had a crush on me, right?"
The memory made me chuckle. Luca was always so effortlessly charming.
But my amusement faded as I neared the war chamber. The moment she stepped inside, she felt it.
A shift in the air.
Kael was there.
He stood near the large wooden map table, his arms crossed over his broad chest, his gol
