Luna Everleigh's POV
***
The tension between me and Rhydian had always been there—a current running beneath the surface, waiting for the right moment to snap.
And it nearly did that night.
The halls of the castle were quieter than usual, the weight of the day pressing down on me. I had meant to go straight to my chambers, but my feet carried me elsewhere—to the open terrace overlooking the forest, where moonlight bathed the stone in silver.
I wasn't alone.
Rhydian stood at the edge, his hands braced against the railing, his broad shoulders illuminated by the soft glow of night. He didn't turn when he spoke.
"They won't stop watching you now."
I stepped closer, my pulse unsteady. "I know."
His fingers tightened on the railing. "You should be afraid."
"I'm not."
Finally, he turned. And the moment our eyes met, the air changed.
The space between us was charged, the world shrinking down to the way his gaze burned into me—like I was something he couldn't understand, yet couldn't look away from.
"You should be," he murmured, stepping closer.
The shift in distance sent my heart racing. The heat radiating from him, the intensity in his eyes—it was too much, too consuming.
But I didn't move.
I couldn't move.
His hand lifted, brushing a stray strand of hair from my face, his touch featherlight yet electrifying.
And then—he tilted his head down, his breath fanning against my lips.
I knew what was about to happen.
I wanted it to happen.
But at the last second, panic slammed into me.
I stepped back, breaking the moment.
Rhydian froze, something unreadable flickering across his face before it was gone, replaced by a mask of indifference.
"I should go," I whispered, turning away before I could see whatever emotion he was trying to hide.
But the tension lingered, thick and unspoken, long after I disappeared into the halls.
—
I barely slept that night.
A strange restlessness coiled inside me, a feeling that something was wrong.
And when I finally gave in and peered out my window, the breath caught in my throat.
A figure stood just beyond the tree line, half-hidden in shadow.
Watching me.
My stomach twisted as the moonlight illuminated his face.
Damian.
I sucked in a sharp breath, my mind spinning.
Why was he here?
And more importantly—
What did he want?
***
(To be continued…)