Chapter 154

Maeve’s POV

I panted, drenched in sweat, by the time I finished sparring with the first- year shifters. We’d instituted combat training for every young warrior—male and female—so they could defend themselves when the time came. Every pack, every coven, every surviving kingdom in North Central (and any refugees from further afield) had mobilized, drilling day and night for the war we all sensed looming. Valerius’s silence meant only one thing: he was rebuilding his legions. We had to be ready.

Pushing through the castle doors, I hurried into the kitchen to gulp water. Aria sat at the long table in her training leathers, her meal half-eaten. Elysia was nowhere in sight. I dropped onto the bench beside Aria.

“Where’s Elysia?” I asked, wiping moisture from my forehead.