"A king's crown is heavy, but the weight of a vanished bond is unbearable."
The aftermath of the dungeon assault was a blinding rush of lost time. The capture of the rogue shifter wolves and the securing of Rell Vorn were necessary military victories, and the profound, aching silence of the bond, the terrifying void where Elias and the pup should be a physical, screaming wound that demanded immediate, absolute action. Every second spent on command was a second Niko widened the gap, and a second Vorath gained on the real prize. I looked at the unconscious rogue wolf, now secured by Dr. Kael, and the contained, furious Rell Vorn. The interrogation could wait, and I needed to be out of the Northern Kingdom.
"Silas," I commanded, my voice flat, low, and cold. I handed him my blood-soaked scimitar. "You are now in full, covert command. Secure the prisoners, seal the breach, and execute the misdirection drill immediately."
