Kael didn’t sleep on purpose anymore. He’d stopped trying. Sleep was risky now, straight-up dangerous. Because every single time exhaustion finally took over, those dreams dragged him under again.
And lately? They’d gotten worse.
A storm crashed through the mountains, hammering Silver Crest with sheets of rain long after midnight. Thunder rattled the windows, somewhere down below patrol wolves kept watch at the borders.
Nobody in the Alpha mansion was asleep. Not really. They were getting ready—watching, on edge, waiting for war.
Tucked away in the eastern wing, Kael finally gave in. He lost the fight against sleep, slumped at his desk in a sea of maps and battle reports. Candles burned low. Rain traced wild lines across the windows behind him.
He hadn’t rested for days. Maybe it’d be
