As Heiko walked back toward his maps and scouts, his beast whispered in his mind.
“I sense deception.”
“I know,” Heiko answered silently. “I have the same feeling, something is definitely wrong.”
He had a war to win first. The people depended on it.
But even as he took command again and issued orders for the day’s training and watch rotations, his thoughts remained on Peter. The way he twisted words, manipulated perception, dug subtle knives into Heiko’s reputation.
This wasn’t just a battle for territory anymore.
It was a game of power, influence, and inheritance.
And Heiko knew... the war inside the borders might be deadlier than the one across them.
--
The earlier dinner had been civil, strategic. The commanders shared reports while Peter seemed relaxed, thoughtful, charismatic
