The midday sun streamed generously through the high, arched windows of the Bloodfang dining hall, casting long, golden slants of light across the bustling long tables. The air hummed with the lively murmur of conversations, the clatter of cutlery, and the familiar, comforting scent of various spices from the kitchen.
Lyra had, against all odds, begun to settle into the rhythm of her new life—a life now punctuated by rigorous training sessions, the communal comfort of shared meals, and the occasional, almost imperceptible stolen glances from the twins that made her chest tighten in strange, unfamiliar ways, a subtle tremor of burgeoning emotion.
Today, in particular, felt… normal. A quiet, steady normalcy she hadn't known she craved.
Until Livia walked in.
She entered the dining hall l
