ALPHA XAVIER POV

In the labyrinthine of my thoughts, I found myself trapped in a suffocating silence, my thoughts a maelstrom of unease and apprehension. The walls seemed to press in on me, their cold embrace a constant reminder of the web of deceit that enveloped us. Aria, the cunning interloper Queen, had deftly maneuvered to isolate me, leaving me vulnerable to the machinations of her lover, Dario, a wolf in sheep's clothing.

"You have been very silent since we got here," Valerian observed, his voice a gentle ripple in the sea of my turmoil. "I thought you wanted to say a prayer, to seek the guardiance of the moon...