Gideons POV
I slammed the leather-bound ledger onto the long wooden table, the force of the strike rattling the map pins scattered across the surface.
Eric had just handed me the latest diplomatic dispatch from the northern borders, and the ink was barely dry. Alpha Silas was going back on his word. After all the back-and-forth negotiations during the summit, he was refusing to fulfill his pledged aid unless we paid full market price for every single crate of supplies. I hated that arrogant bastard on a good day, but this blatant betrayal sent a violent surge of anger roaring straight through my chest.
I was mid-growl, ready to order Eric to draft a immediate, scathing response, when a sudden, sharp jolt tore across my soul.
Pain.
It hit me clean through the mate bond—a quick, stingi
