Luna Everleigh's POV
***
Pain pulsed through my body, but it was dull, distant—almost like an echo rather than something real.
I should be in agony.
Instead, I was awake, my breath steady despite the deep gashes that had torn through my skin just hours ago.
The flickering candlelight cast long shadows across the stone walls of my room. My mind replayed the battle, over and over—the snarls, the scent of blood, the impossible surge of power that had erupted from me.
And then Kael's gaze.
The way he had looked at me.
Like he knew.
I pulled my blankets closer, but it did nothing to chase away the cold that had settled in my bones.
A knock at the door made me jolt. Before I could answer, Rhydian stepped inside.
His presence filled the space instantly.
Dark hair tousled, his shirt slightly unbuttoned, revealing the cut of his collarbone. His face was unreadable, but his eyes—those storm-gray depths—were locked onto me with quiet intensity.
He exhaled sharply. "You're awake."
I nodded, my throat too dry to form words.
His gaze flickered downward. "You should be in worse shape."
I swallowed hard.
He wasn't wrong. The wounds on my arms, which should have been raw and ugly, had already begun to knit together. It wasn't normal.
Not for a human.
Rhydian moved closer, and the air between us grew heavier. He crouched beside the bed, fingers brushing against the bandages on my wrist. His touch was gentle, almost hesitant.
"You're healing too fast," he murmured.
I didn't respond.
Because what could I say?
Rhydian's jaw tensed. "You need to tell me the truth, Luna. What are you?"
The question sent a sharp thrill of fear through me.
I didn't know.
But someone did.
And before I could answer, fate delivered my next problem straight to my door.
Kael.
—
To be continued...