POV: Riley (continued)
The rest of the day blurred into a rush of movement and command. Messengers were dispatched to allied packs before the sun even reached its peak. Warriors poured into the training grounds, steel flashing and magic flaring as drills intensified to the brink of exhaustion. Everywhere I looked, the kingdom was transforming—from a place of peace into a fortress of defiance.
Yet despite all the motion, a quiet dread settled deep in my chest.
Arken was moving.
And we were racing time itself.
That evening, Alex and I stood atop the eastern wall, watching the horizon burn red beneath the sinking sun. Smoke drifted faintly on the wind from distant villages already touched by shadow.
“They’re afraid,” Alex murmured.
“So am I,” I admitted quietly. “But fear won’t stop us
