Chapter 29

Aurelia POV

The twenty-eighth day of the truce arrived under a blood-red sky.

Inside the Redmoon command room, the air was suffocatingly thick with the smell of iron, burnt parchment, and cold sweat. Cassian stood over the primary tactical table, his broad palms pressed flat against the mahogany, staring down at the maps of the northern river border.

Declan stood across from him, tossing a set of scout reports onto the table. “He’s pulled up his entire line, Alpha. Three thousand vanguard wolves, heavy siege artillery, and dark magic casters are lined up along the northern bank. They aren’t hiding behind the treeline anymore.”

I stood near the arched window, looking down at the inner courtyard. Below us, Redmoon civilians were packing the last of their belongings into underground shelters. Young warriors—some no older than eighteen—were adjusting their tactical vests, their faces set in grim, terrifying resolve. They were preparing to act as a human sh