(Maria POV)
The wind howled as Maria ascended the marble steps carved into the mountainside, her cloak trailing behind her like the shadow of a storm. Alone. No Joseph, no Luca. No Forsaken. Just her heartbeat, steady and solemn, echoing against the cliff walls that rose toward the sky like jagged teeth. But, she wasn’t feeling afraid or anything.
At the summit waited the Hollow Stone Council—the oldest arbiters of supernatural law. They had summoned her weeks ago, masked as a formal audience, to acknowledge her claim as Luna. But Maria knew better. Half of the new council members were killed, and now, the old ones have come here to test her skills and powers.
They feared her. And they wanted control.
The gates groaned open, revealing the council chamber, an ancient prophecy carved d
