Mara
Darian hadn’t expected me to know.
He looked stunned when I confirmed what he’d been trying to shield from me—that most of our military support was gone. But I wasn’t surprised. I’d known for a while.
I wasn’t counting on their strength.
I was counting on their absence.
Their departure gave me the perfect excuse to redirect our funds—no more feeding greedy, wavering alliances.
That money went straight into weapon procurement. It was a strategic decision, not an emotional one. The territories that stayed?
They stayed without being paid. That kind of loyalty couldn’t be bought, and those were the allies we needed. The rest… let them rot with Chase.
When Lucian told me I wouldn’t be joining the Rockville assault, I didn’t argue. A part of me wanted to protest, to demand inclusi
