"Let them whisper."
She blinked.
Lucas's gaze was steady. "Let them wonder where you are. Let them imagine what the Moon Goddess does when she disappears from her throne. Let them fear it."
Her breath caught.
"You're dangerous," she murmured.
He smirked. "You like that."
She didn't deny it.
But still, after a few moments of silence, the weight of the world began to return. She felt it in her bones — the next challenge waiting, the threat still lingering beyond the walls, the quiet storm that always followed peace.
Lucas sensed the shift in her.
"Tell me," he said softly. "What's weighing you?"
She hesitated, then met his eyes. "Marcella was just one root. There's more beneath the surface. I can feel it."
Lucas nodded slowly. "Then we pull up the roots together."
Her heart clenched at that.
Together.
Not alone.
She pressed her forehead to his. "What if I lose control again?"
"Then I'll be there," he said simply. "I'll hold you until you remember who you are."
