Valen stood on the balcony of his study, staring into the endless night. The crisp air did little to cool the storm brewing within him. The confrontation with Morgana played on a loop in his mind, but it was Ella’s silence after walking away that truly unsettled him.
“She walked away…” he murmured to himself, gripping the edge of the railing. Ella, the only person who had ever made him feel alive again, was slipping through his fingers because of the very secrets he fought to bury.
The door creaked open, and Valen didn’t need to turn to know who it was.
“You look like hell,” Lucian said, his voice laced with sarcasm but tinged with concern.
“Not in the mood for jokes,” Valen replied, his tone colder than the night air.
Lucian ignored the warning, stepping closer. “You know, when I hea
