Moira’s mind felt like it had been hurled into a storm.
Her sister—gone? The words Leander had told her still echoed in her head, tearing at her heart.
Her tears hadn’t even dried when her body moved on instinct. She didn’t wait; she just ran.
She dashed through the palace corridors, ignoring the startled glances of passing guards and maids. Her breaths came sharp and uneven, the world blurring until the familiar carved doors of Thomas’s chamber appeared before her.
She didn’t knock.
She slammed them open with a force that startled the air inside.
“Lyla—!”
The sight hit her like a blow.
Her sister sat on the edge of the bed, alive, holding a small bundle in her arms. Thomas stood beside her, one hand protectively at her back. Lyla’s pale face lit up, her eyes warm—yet strangely… w
