Selene's POV

The war council was called before sunrise, but by the time I entered the Hall of Alphas, the room was already filled with a tension so heavy that even the usual arguments had been replaced by an uneasy silence.

Seven Alphas stood around the great stone table, their faces grim beneath the flickering torchlight. Maps covered its surface, held down by daggers, stones, and small wooden markers that represented our forces. Red markings had been drawn across the northern forests and along the eastern border.

There were far too many of them.

I walked toward the table and studied the markings before looking at Silas.

"What do we...