I tossed and turned, the soft sheets doing little to comfort me as the night dragged on. Lucian’s steady snores filled the air from the pull-out mattress in the living room, and Justin’s quiet breathing from the other bed in the room added to the heavy silence. The whole setup felt wrong—unnatural. This wasn’t how things were supposed to be.
My eyes fluttered open again, staring at the ceiling. The room was dark, except for the faint glow of the moon through the window, casting long shadows across the floor. I sighed, feeling the weight of everything pressing down on my chest, making it hard to breathe. Was this a punishment? For doing what I thought was right? For passing the trials? Why did it feel like I was the one suffering for making the right choices?
The Moon Goddess’s words ech
