For two days, the seat beside Theodore's friends remained empty. His laughter, his sharp gaze, his commanding presence—all gone, like a star hidden behind storm clouds.
The truth was simple: Theodore had been summoned home. His father demanded he prepare for the sacred night at Lunaris Hall, the night the Moon Goddess would bestow his Luna upon him. But preparation meant little to Theodore. His heart had long since decided. He knew his mate—though the Goddess had not yet declared it. Isabella.
So he remained at the mansion, a prisoner of tradition, pacing marble halls and standing at high windows where moonlight poured like silver chains. He dressed in ceremonial silks, he bowed to his elders, but within him burned a quiet defiance.
And in the college, Isabella felt his absence like a shadow clinging to her.
Sometimes, between lectures, her eyes would drift—not toward the blackboard, not toward her books—but to the row where his friends sat. The place beside them, empty. Silent.
Her friends noticed, of course. They traded glances, whispered suspicions, but said nothing aloud. Until one day, Nina did.
She approached Isabella with her usual grace, lips curved in a smile too sharp to be kind. "Are you searching for someone?" she asked, her tone sweet but edged with steel.
Isabella blinked, caught in her thoughts. "No… I was only—"
"You mean Theodore, don't you?" Nina's eyes glimmered with something unspoken. "He isn't here because he's preparing for the event. Didn't you know? You're invited too… if you dare. May be the Moon Goddess won,t allow you to come there."
She said in low voice but Enough for isabella to hear.
The words dripped with sarcasm, like honey laced with poison.
Isabella forced a small smile, but inside, her heart trembled. An invitation to stand beneath the Moon Goddess's gaze? To watch him be given a Luna? The thought entangled her even more .As she didn't knew what Nina was talking to her about.
But Nina was not finished. For though her voice carried mockery, her heart carried envy. She had watched Theodore for years, waiting for his eyes to fall on her with the weight they so easily gave to Isabella. But that day never came.
And so, jealousy sharpened into cruelty.
Soon, whispers began to spread across the classroom, planted by Nina's careful tongue.
"She thinks Theodore looks at her."
"Did you see the way she stares at his seat?"
"Pathetic."
Laughter flickered at the edges of the room, but Isabella said nothing. She sat still, her gaze lowered, even as her cheeks burned and her chest tightened.
Yet deep inside, where the laughter could not reach, the memory of that violet flame in her eyes still lingered. A secret only Theodore had seen. A promise even jealousy could not break.