ALPHA DARIO POV

As the others argue amongst themselves, my mind drifted from trying to convince Eirik and Thadrick to commit their fighters to the battle but to a more personal struggle from a few weeks back. The sheets, still rumpled from the night's passionate embrace, were a stark reminder of the lifeless figure lying beside me. Her face, once flushed with desire, was now pale and still, a grim testament to the chilling reality that had become a recurring nightmare. Two women, two nights of intense pleasure, two lifeless bodies in my bed come morning.

Initially, I dismissed the first death as a tragic coincidence, a cruel twist of...