Rayne wandered into the woods again, but this time she didn’t feel the wind on her face or the soil beneath her boots.
She couldn’t feel anything.
Lucian’s words still echoed in her skull like a curse she couldn’t silence. I want you, Valen.
And then her own lie: It’s not real.
Except it was.
The truth sat like a stone in her chest—cold, heavy, immovable.
Lucian had touched something deep inside her, something she had spent years burying under discipline and secrets.
And now, it was all unraveling.
Her throat burned. Her hands wouldn’t stop shaking. She couldn’t tell what she regretted more—hurting Lucian... or lying to herself.
She should’ve kept her distance.
Should’ve walked away the moment she realized she wanted that feeling.
That she wanted him.
But instead, she watched X
