SELENE
I entered the darkened chamber, feeling the tension palpable in the air. The dancing flame of one candle projected the upheaval in my thoughts as elongated, jagged shadows on the walls. Thomas and Lucy were tardy, and I was becoming agitated. Despite their promises of power and retribution, they had brought me only uncertainty and rumors of betrayal after pulling me into their intricate web of intrigues. Lucy went in first, her frozen smile cutting keener than any knife as the creaking door opened. Followed by Thomas, his blank face contradicted by eyes that shone with a mix of sarcasm and contempt. He'd been Marissa's friend and most ardent defender, yet now the ties are broken—we must seek either to win her back to our side or to destroy her. He used to be her best friend, her co
