*Nickolas Pov*
I sat on the edge of the bed. Delilah stepped closer. The candlelight flickered against the walls, casting shadows over her face. She slowly slid the straps of her dress off her shoulders. Her clothes pooled at her feet, leaving her bare naked before me.
She smiled and leaned closer. "It’s time, Nickolas."
"We should finally seal our bond," she said.
I swallowed; I forced my eyes to remain on the floor. This was what was expected of me. She was the one chosen to stand beside me as Luna.
And yet—
All I could see was Eleanor.
Her face. Her voice. The way she had just told me she loved me, even when every force in this world was pushing us apart.
Delilah moved closer; she cupped my face as she tilted my chin up so I would meet her gaze. “Nickolas,” she murmured my name
