(Dominic’s POV)
The war table stretched before me, littered with maps, scouted reports, and the fading scent of her—Ava. I leaned forward, palms pressing into the cool oak surface as if it could somehow ground me, keep the storm in my chest from ripping through my bones.
Skylar stood across from me, arms crossed and jaw set. “You’re sure about this?” she asked, not for the first time.
“No,” I said honestly, “but we’re out of time. Every minute she’s with them, we lose ground—strategically and morally.”
Skylar exhaled, shaking her head. “Then say it. Say what this really is.”
I didn’t answer. I didn’t need to. The look in her eyes told me she already knew.
The meeting was small and secret—Skylar, one of my oldest contacts from the outer rogue cells, and Rook, a lean, scarred warrior f
