Luna sat frozen, her thoughts spiraling in every direction at once.
Part of her was genuinely terrified.
The sight of the raw chicken made her stomach churn, her throat tighten, and she was fairly certain that the moment her fingers touched it, she might start gagging all over again.
The memory of the living, clucking birds from earlier kept flashing through her mind, making the pieces in the basket feel far too real.
'I can't...I really can't…'
But at the same time…
Luca had trusted her.
He had handed her the recipe, looked her straight in the eyes, and told her she could do this.
The idea of disappointing him hurt more than the nausea twisting in her gut.
She wanted—no, needed to prove that she could handle this responsibility.
'If I back out now...I'll disappoint him.'
And so she stood there, frozen between fear and determination.
That was when Nyx suddenly crouched down beside her.
