Aria POV

The hall hummed like a storm trapped behind the walls. Every word snapped sharp, like it was meant for me even though I wasn’t supposed to hear. My palms pressed flat against the cold stone, ear tilted just close enough to catch Kael’s voice.

“…She is my Luna.”

The words landed like a blade through my ribs. My throat closed, breath catching so hard I had to bite down to keep from choking on it.

Vanessa’s tiny, broken laugh. Her father’s rage. The shuffle of contracts, the scrape of quills.

Luna.

He had called me that once. Not as a title. Not as a leash. As something sacred,...