Chapter 279 Dana's POV
The night was cold. The barracks were quiet.
I sat alone in my quarters, the weight of my uniform still heavy on my shoulders. I had just returned from a briefing. My men were stationed across the border. The tension was thick. War with the vines was a constant shadow.
But none of that mattered now.
All that mattered was the phone in my hand.
I had been staring at her name for the past ten minutes. Alayna. Just her name on the screen made my chest tighten.
I set down the phone and leaned back in my chair. The dim light of my quarters cast long shadows across the walls. I closed my eyes and let out a long breath.
Minerva.
Just the name made my blood run cold. She was like a snake that had caused so much pain to me and my mother. Her venom had spread through our family like poison, leaving scars that never fully healed. I never thought her venom would bite Alayna's father too. He had been one of Minerva's victims, and I didn't know until yesterday.
