Chapter 43: Night Revelations
(Aurora's POV)
The lodge’s dining hall was quiet except for the occasional cracks of the fire and the clinking of utensils. My sense of contentment shouldn’t have been so fragile, and yet Marcus’s earlier praise about my instinctive use of moon-mist lingered, warm and surprising.
“You adapted well,” Marcus said as he leaned back slightly, his deep voice cutting through the quiet like a steady drumbeat. “A skill like that doesn’t emerge unless it’s already embedded deep in one’s nature.” His golden eyes stayed on me, steady and unwavering.
“I’ve had to adapt for as long as I can remember,” I said, my fork hovering above my plate. I surprised even myself with how easily the words spilled. “At the orphanage, you either figured things out or you got left b
