"Grandma..."
The whisper was so faint, yet it filled the cramped, damp room where the Nightshade Pack’s kitchen slaves rested.
A dim oil lamp hung overhead, leaving long shadows crawling across the walls.
In the darkest corner, Arwen sat curled up with her knees pulled close, still wearing her wrinkled clothes stained with flour and soot.
With trembling hands, she slowly opened the ragged cloth bundle on her lap.
The cloth was torn in several places, damp from the kitchen steam, yet she held it as if it were something precious.
Inside, faintly glowing despite the room’s weak light, lay the Lunar Heart Stone—a pendant with a pale blue luminescent gem.
Arwen took a deep breath.
A heartbeat later, tears streamed down her cheeks uncontrollably.
“I miss you,” she whispered hoarsely. “G
