~ALARIC'S POV~
The clock on the Sanctum wall ticked past five in the evening. The study smelled faintly of ink and old wood, papers scattered across my desk.
I sat with my jacket unbuttoned, shirt sleeves rolled up, staring at the reports that piled higher with every week.
Kaelen, my Beta, stood across from me. He had just returned today after being away for months.
His travel-worn leather jacket was thrown over the chair, his dark shirt creased. Seven months gone, but his eyes were still sharp as the day he left.
He pointed at the map spread across the desk.
"Here," he said, tapping a red circle near the border. "Their nest was hidden under a textile factory. From the outside, nothing suspicious with workers going in and out, and shipments moving weekly. Took me weeks to sniff it out."
I leaned forward, my elbows resting against the desk. "And inside?"
