darrians pov
The moment I stepped out of Heather’s room, the cold night air bit into my skin like a warning. Ronan was already waiting at the top of the stairs, his stance rigid, every muscle tight with tension.
“What’s going on?” I asked as we descended quickly.
He didn’t waste time. “Scouts picked up movement near the western ridge. At first, we thought it was just a rogue or two testing the boundary, but now… it’s more than that.”
“How many?”
“At least a dozen. Maybe more, depending on how far they’ve spread through the trees. They’re not wearing marks. No banners. But they know how to move.”
Which meant they were trained. Which meant this wasn’t random.
Heather appeared behind us, barefoot and quiet like a shadow. “Are they inside the border yet?”
“Not yet,” Ronan said, glancin
