SELENE
I sat at the long, polished dining table in the Silvermere Packhouse, absentmindedly chewing on my perfectly manicured nails. It was a nervous habit my mother had spent years scolding me for, but right now I couldn’t stop.
The late afternoon sun poured through the tall arched windows, gilding everything in warm gold, yet it did nothing to thaw the ice in my veins.
My mother paced the length of the room like a caged predator. Her heels clicked sharply against the marble floor. Her voice rose and fell in that familiar rhythm of disapproval I’d grown up with.
My father stood in his usual corner with his arms crossed. He rarely spoke when she was like this. I wished, just once, he’d step in.
“Have you no shame, Selene?” Mother snapped, whirling to face me. Her eyes glinted with f
