Eloise's POV
The numbers blurred together, forming a ceaseless, unforgiving monster that felt like it would swallow me whole. My head throbbed, and I couldn’t even remember the last time I genuinely smiled.
Has it only been five hours since I sat down to study? It felt like an eternity, a void in which happiness had ceased to exist. Was this really what my life had become?
“There are two main currencies in our pack," Rufford explained, his voice a lifeline cutting through my drowning thoughts. “They’re called the Luna Marks and the Scales." He gestured to the dusty book spread open between us. The pages were filled with faded ink and cryptic symbols, old enough to tell stories long forgotten.
His tone was flat, a mirror of the bored expression in his eyes. Not even the brisk chill of
