Luna Everleigh's POV
***
The silence between us stretched like a blade, sharp and unbearable.
Rhydian hadn't spoken to me since the fight. Since he called our bond a curse.
I searched for him everywhere—in the war chamber, in the training grounds, even near the cliffs where he often stood alone, gazing at the moon as if it held answers. But he was avoiding me.
And I hated it.
I found him at last in the northern courtyard, his golden eyes shadowed with something unreadable. He stiffened when he sensed me approaching but didn't turn around.
"You're running from me." My voice was quieter than I intended, but he flinched as if it had struck him.
"I'm not running."
I stepped closer. "Then look at me."
For a long moment, he didn't. Then, with a slow exhale, he turned.
The moment our eyes met, my breath caught.
There was something tortured in his expression, something heavy that made my heart clench.
"You heard what I said," he murmured.
I swallowed hard. "That our bond is a curse?"
His jaw tensed. "That if you truly are a Lunar Guardian, then history is already repeating itself."
A wave of frustration rose inside me. "Why won't you tell me everything? What aren't you saying?"
His hands clenched at his sides. "Because the truth will destroy you."
I stared at him, my chest tightening. "Then let it."
His breath hitched.
I stepped closer, the invisible pull between us tightening like an unbroken thread. "You think I'm afraid of the truth, Rhydian?" My voice was soft but firm. "I'm more afraid of losing you."
His expression darkened, his fingers twitching as if he wanted to reach for me but couldn't allow himself.
"I wish it were that simple," he whispered.
But before I could push further, a voice interrupted us.
"You should know by now, little moon," Riven drawled from the shadows, "nothing about your existence will ever be simple."
—
To be continued...