Chapter 102Joe's POV
The silence between us felt heavier than the maps still lying on the table. The others had gone, their footsteps fading down the hall, leaving only me and Lily in the war room.
She broke it first.
"I'm sorry," she whispered.
My brow furrowed. "Why are you apologizing?"
Her lashes fluttered, her fingers twisting against her skirt. "Because… this is all because of me. You're planning a suicide mission with all of your men when you should be on your honeymoon. You should be celebrating, not sitting here at midnight trying to save me and my mother."
A bitter laugh slipped out before I could stop it. "Don't flatter yourself."
Her head snapped up, startled. "I…I wasn't…"
"Everything I'm doing is to make sure my pack is safe again," I said flatly, cutting her off. "Not for you. Not for your mother. She's just one mission among many in this war. Nothing more."
Her lips parted, but no words came.
