Uneasy Alliances

The next morning, I resumed my duties as if nothing had happened.

Kaleb was already in the war room when I arrived, scanning over reports with his usual sharp focus. He barely looked up as I entered.

"You're late," he said, though his voice lacked any real bite.

"I wasn't aware there was a set time."

He made a sound in the back of his throat that might have been amusement.

I sat beside him, reaching for one of the reports, but the words swam before my eyes. I had barely slept. My mind had spent the entire night circling the same thoughts, the same fears, trying and failing to make sense of it all.

Kaleb must have noticed something was off, because after a few minutes, he glanced at me.

"You look exhausted."

"Thank you," I said dryly. "That's exactly what I needed to hear."

He didn't respond right away, but then, to my surprise, he set his papers down and leaned back in his chair.