Luca’s POV
The war table was scattered with maps—hand-drawn layouts of the South Wing, border trails, known routes Victor might use. I leaned forward, elbow resting beside a marked-out path leading from the valley toward the ridge.
“We double their numbers,” Elijah was saying, eyes narrowed. “But they’ve got the position. If they’ve fortified the South Wing, it won’t be easy picking them off without a loss.”
“Then we don’t go in blind,” I said, tapping one of the corners of the map. “We funnel them. Push them toward the ridge and cut them off from supplies. If we force their hand, they’ll slip.”
He nodded, his focus locked for a moment—until it wasn’t.
A long silence passed between us before he finally spoke, more cautious now. “And Elena?”
My head didn’t move, but I felt my shoulders tense.
“What about her?” I asked, though I already knew.
“You haven’t looked her in the eye since the meeting,” Elijah said, voice low. “And earlier... she seemed like she wanted to speak to you.”
I exha
