ZARIA'S POV 
The low crackle of the dying fire was the only sound echoing through the damp stone cavern. Scattered throughout the vast, shadowy recesses of the lower valley caves, the warriors of the Shadowpelt army slept in uneasy shifts, their heavy breathing rising like faint mist in the freezing night air.
They were trained warriors and knew that sleeping heavy wasn't part of the deal when it came to war. Unlike them, I couldn't even sleep a wink. I was uneasy, nervous and anxious about what will happen when day breaks, but I wasn't scared. 
I sat alone on a smooth boulder near the edge of the embers, the cold weight of my crossbow resting heavily across my lap. One by one, I pulled the silver bolts from my leather quiver, checking the alignment of the shafts and running my thumb carefully over the lethal, polished tips. My hands were steady, entirely focused on the mechanics of the weapon, but the silence inside my own head was deafening. The impending battle at the border was hours away, yet the war inside my own mind had been raging since I left the citadel.
A shadow shifted to my left, and the soft rustle of a heavy woolen blanket announced Maya’s approach. She sat down beside me on the cold stone, keeping her movements deliberate and quiet so as to not disturb the sleeping sentries resting further down the cave. She didn't speak right away; she just watched the tiny orange flames lick at the charred wood, offering the kind of silent, grounding comfort only she could provide.
"You need to close your eyes, Zaria," Maya said softly, her voice barely a whisper against the vast, echoing quiet of the cave network. "The vanguard moves at dawn. You can't lead an entire army on an empty tank. You need rest."
"I'll sleep when it's done," I murmured, sliding another silver bolt back into its slot with a faint, metallic click. "Every time I close my eyes, I just see the lines on that map. I see Cynthia, and I see my father."
Maya went quiet for a moment, her eyes drifting past the firelight toward the narrow, dark entrance of our designated cavern. She let out a slow, heavy breath, turning her gaze back to me with a look of cautious concern. "Can you really do it?" she asked, her voice dropping even lower, completely serious. "When this is over, when Cynthia is dealt with and your mother is safe... can you truly just walk away from him?"
My fingers froze instantly against the cold steel of the crossbow. I didn't answer right away, keeping my eyes fixed on the silver tip of the bolt.
"He hasn't slept a single wink since we left the citadel, Zaria," Maya continued gently, her eyes searching mine for any sign of softening. "Every single night, he stands completely still just outside your tent. Although he keeps his distance away from you and gives you the space that you so desired, he still stands guard in the freezing dark, listening, making sure you're breathing safely. The entire army sees it. He's a king, but he's completely hollowed himself out for you. He looks like a ghost of his former self."
A brutal, suffocating ache flared up in my chest—a violent collision of the deep love I still harbored for him and the sharp, cutting sting of his betrayal. I forced myself to look up, my gaze drifting past the flickering fire and out into the dark, shadowy hallway of the main tunnel.
There, framed by the faint, distant glow of a perimeter torch, was Cassian’s massive silhouette. He stood motionless against the stone wall, his broadsword strapped to his back, a silent, solitary sentinel in the dark. He looked imposing, a terrifying force of nature capable of leveling packs, yet there was an undeniable, crushing loneliness in the way he held himself. My heart squeezed tightly, the fated bond pulling at me with an agonizing weight, but I forced my jaw to set and snapped my eyes back down to the weapon in my hands.
"His dedication to the guard doesn't change what happened, Maya," I said, my voice tight, though it trembled slightly despite my best efforts to keep it cold. "We are allies. That's the deal we struck. I am here to stop my sister, not to patch up broken promises."
Before Maya could reply, a sudden, sharp rustle echoed from the deep, uncharted back tunnels of the cave—a pitch-black network of fissures that led straight up into the dangerous mountainous ridges above the valley.
Maya shifted instantly, her eyes flashing a predatory gold as her muscles went completely taut, her weight balancing on the balls of her feet, ready to spring into defense. I threw my hand up, silently commanding her to hold her position, my instincts screaming that something was different about this approach.
We both froze, our breath held, listening to the uneven, dragging sound of footsteps scraping against the loose gravel in the dark. It wasn't the heavy, disciplined step of a Lycan warrior, nor was it the aggressive, stealthy stride of a rogue scout. It was light, erratic, and entirely exhausted.
I raised my crossbow, leveling the silver bolt directly at the mouth of the dark fissure. "Who's there?" I demanded, my voice cutting through the quiet cave like a whip. "Step into the light. Now."
The shifting shadows at the edge of the tunnel seemed to stretch, and then a small, cloaked figure stumbled out into the dim glow of our dying fire, nearly tripping over a stray rock. The stranger was shivering violently, clutching a torn, muddy traveler's cloak tightly around their chest.
Slowly, with trembling hands, the figure reached up and pulled back the heavy, wet wool hood. Dark long hair covered the face, and the figure slowly lifted her hand to pull the hair away from her face.
The crossbow nearly slipped entirely from my fingers. I grabbed it tightly not knowing what to expect or who it was. There was no way I was taking chances, not in a war front like this one.
The firelight flickered across a pale, tearful face covered in deep, purple bruises and sharp, bloody cuts from the mountain briars. Her silver-streaked hair was matted with dirt, her breathing ragged and completely broken, but those wide, desperate eyes were entirely unmistakable.
It was my mother, Luna Selene. She had successfully escaped my father's cellars with the help of a loyal family guard, risking her life in the treacherous mountain dark to bring me the final piece of the puzzle.