I woke up to the steady sound of beeping. My eyes fluttered open to a stark white ceiling, sterile and unfamiliar.
“Oh my God.”
I turned my head slowly, and there she was—Stella. But not the perfectly styled, polished Stella I was used to. No, this version had her hair in a messy bun, eyes puffy and red-rimmed. She looked like she hadn’t slept in days.
She launched herself at me, wrapping her arms tightly around my shoulders.
“Oh my God, Luna,” she sobbed, her body trembling against mine. Was she crying?
“Be gentle, dear. We don’t need more injuries,” Racheal's familiar dry voice drifted across the room. She sat elegantly in the only chair available, her sharp gaze missing nothing. Collins, as always, stood beside her, his posture a mirror of quiet vigilance.
And then—Aurelian.
He s
