“Kieran is dying.”
The words sliced through Aria like a blade, stealing the air from her lungs.
She staggered back, her heart hammering. “No—”
The woman in front of her—ethereal, untouched by time—watched her with an unreadable expression. The High Priestess of the Moon. Her silver eyes shimmered under the celestial glow, her presence both beautiful and terrifying.
“You must choose,” the Priestess said softly. “Him or you.”
The world tilted beneath Aria’s feet. The temple walls, carved from ancient stone, seemed to close in around her. The scent of burning incense thickened the air, wrapping around her like a noose.
“This is the Third Trial, Aria.” The Priestess stepped forward, her voice like a whisper of wind through the trees. “The Moon does not give without taking. You have defie
