Gideons POV
Leaving the quiet warmth of my suite—and Sera—behind was one of the hardest things I’d ever had to do. But as I made my way down the winding stone stairwell toward the ground level, my mind forced itself back into command mode. Kane was still purring in the back of my head, completely enamored with our mate, but the heavy reality of our situation quickly sobered us both.
I pushed open the heavy oak doors to the war room.
Eric was already there, leaning over the massive timber map table in the center of the room. Parchments, boundary maps, and battle markers were scattered across the surface. He looked up as I entered, letting out a long, heavy breath and tossing a rolled scroll onto the wood.
"The crowd dispersed," Eric said, taking in my appearance with a sharp, perceptiv
