ZARA:
Sleep never came. My body lay on the bed, but my mind ran in circles, gnawing itself raw. I had told Maximus. I had put the words in his hands like a knife, and now all I could do was wait.
Would he believe me? Or would he hand that knife to Jasmine and let her cut me down with it?
By morning, I was all empty eyes, clutching herbs to steady my hands.
The courtyard was buzzing with life. Recruits sparring, healers rushing with bandages, elders crossing with scrolls. And at the center of it all—her.
Jasmine.
Wrapped in a gown of pale green that shimmered under the sunlight, her hair perfectly braided, smile painted like she had never known a bad day in her life. The elders flocked around her, laughing at every word she spoke, as if she was already Luna. Pathetic.
Then her gaze f
