The deadline arrived without ceremony. No attack. No blood. Just a message. It came at dawn, carried by a lone wolf who crossed Valenti territory openly, head bowed but eyes unafraid. He delivered the scroll to Calla’s hands and left without a word. Adrian read it once. Then twice. His jaw tightened with every line. “He’s forcing it,” Adrian said flatly. Calla already knew. She could feel the pull under her ribs, sharper now—an itch that wouldn’t fade. “Three nights,” she said. “The Regent wants my answer.” Adrian crumpled the scroll in his fist. “Or he escalates.” “Yes.”
Silence stretched between them, heavy with everything neither wanted to say out loud. They stood in the strategy room overlooking the estate grounds. Guards drilled below. Wolves watched from the tree line beyond the wal
