LOGINDelilah's PovThe balcony overlooked the entire stretch of Velmora, its stone paths, its clustered rooftops, its towering pines brushing the sky like ancient sentinels. From here, the town looked peaceful... almost too peaceful, considering everything that had happened.I rested my hands on the cold rail, letting the wind carry away the last traces of yesterday's chaos."How does it feel to be the official Luna of Velmora?"Reyna's voice cut through my thoughts, full of mischief and curiosity. She popped up beside me, her eyes narrowed dramatically as if she were studying me for cracks.I blinked, staring ahead."I don't know. It feels surreal. It feels... like a dream? Or maybe a joke. I don't even know what to say."She nudged me with her elbow, nose wrinkling."You're going to do just fine. Anybody would die to be in your shoes."I raised a brow and glanced sideways."Would you?""Definitely not," she said immediately, placing her hand over her chest like she had been personally vi
Malric's Pov The Hall of Verdict carried a silence that felt older than every brick laid in it.Its pillars stood like watchful sentinels, and the elders-robed, rigid, and grim-watched me with eyes that had judged kings before me.Caleb sat at my right.Delilah at my left.Islode hovered beside Caleb, fingers wringing together like someone already tasting fear.Everyone was settled, murmurs crawling across the hall like restless shadows.Caleb leaned closer. "Father... what is this? What happened? Why summon everyone?""We shall see," I said. Calm. Controlled.But inside, my wolf paced, baring teeth.The elders whispered to one another. High-ranking wolves frowned, uneasy. Warriors stiffened along the edges of the room, sensing the storm beneath my tone.I stood.The whispering died instantly."I know this sudden gathering seems strange," I began, my voice carrying through the chamber, "but there is an issue that has plagued both myself... and my Luna."A low ripple of murmurs follow
Delilah's Pov We were still fixing each other's clothes as we walked back toward the ceremony.My legs felt like jelly, Malric's hair was messed up, and my lips were definitely too swollen for public consumption."Delilah," he whispered, laughing under his breath, "walk normally, please. Everyone will suspect."I hissed at him. "I AM walking normally. You disrupted my bones.""Disrupted?"His grin widened."Should I disrupt them again tonight?""Malric!"I smacked his chest, and he grabbed my hand and kissed my knuckles like a smug devil.By the time we made it back into the open space, music was still playing and everyone was distracted, thank the Moon Goddess. We slipped toward the tables like two teenagers who skipped school.But one person was watching us.Reyna.Her arms were crossed.Her eyebrow was raised to the sky.She looked like a mother who caught her child sneaking out at 2 a.m."Oh," she said loudly the moment we approached, "WELL, WELL, WELL..."Malric muttered, "Moon
Delilah's Pov Reyna practically screamed straight into my eardrum."NO, NO, NO, NO, NO-WAIT. Is that a pimple on your face? No. You're supposed to look PERFECT today!"I jerked back. "Reyna, calm down! It's one pimple. ONE."She turned to the two women doing my makeup like a general briefing her soldiers before battle."You see that thing on her cheek? Erase it. I don't want to SEE it. I don't want to remember it existed. I don't even want the universe to know it ever happened."I put my hand over hers. "Reyna. Calm down.""No! I will not calm down. You are getting official today. The whole kingdom is going to be there. The elders, the council, the wolves, the spirits, the ancestors-EVERYBODY. You must look like the Moon Goddess carved you herself."I tried not to laugh... and failed."Reyna, you're overreacting.""I AM NOT. Everyone is stressing me out, the food, the decorations, the elders asking dumb questions, you know what, I'm coming, I'm coming- I need to check something!"She
Malric's Pov Weeks had passed.Weeks since Verret's death.Weeks since Celia's.Weeks since everything shattered and somehow rebuilt itself again.The kingdom had steadied. The air no longer felt as heavy as before. People laughed again, walked freely again. Life, as it always does, found its way back to normal.Except for one thing.Delilah and I... still hadn't talked.Not properly.The silence between us wasn't angry - just full. Full of things we hadn't said, full of moments we didn't know how to begin unraveling. Everywhere I went, I felt the weight of her absence in a way that tightened my chest.So I finally told myself enough.Enough running. Enough waiting.I went straight to her chambers - empty.I checked the gardens next. Her quiet spot under the sycamore tree. And there she was... knitting."Delilah?" I called softly.She turned slightly. "Malric."I walked over and sat down behind her, close enough to feel her breath but not touch her. I didn't trust my hands not to rea
Delilah's PovThree days.Three days of pretending that the clock ticking inside Verret's body wasn't winding down.Three days of laughing at his stupid jokes even when his lips trembled from weakness.Three days of eating with him in his room, watching him go pale a little more each sunrise.Three days of trying not to cry every time his fingers brushed mine.Reyna and Alyssa barely left my side. They practically bathed me themselves, fed me, changed the bandage on my stomach. The pain in my belly had completely disappeared. My strength had returned. My skin had color again.But Verret... Verret was getting worse.After bathing, I wore a clean dress and headed straight to his chamber. I expected him lying on the bed, half-asleep, forcing a smirk at me like always.But the room was empty.The blankets were tossed aside. His clothes were gone. The air felt cold.My heart dropped to my knees."What... what is this?" I whispered to no one.I grabbed a passing maid. "Where's Verret?""He
Malric's PovWhen the word "yes" left my lips, it wasn't strength that pushed it out, it was weakness.A broken man trying to fix another broken soul.Celia's breath trembled, her eyes glistened with unshed tears, and for a moment, she just looked at me, like she was trying to memorize every inch o
Malric's PovThree days.Three whole days since I last saw Delilah.Three whole days since I last heard her voice.Every second stretched like a curse.I'd been standing outside the mansion for hours, my eyes fixed on the forest that stretched endlessly beyond the horizon. The morning mist clung to
Delilah's PovThe wheels hummed softly against the earth, a rhythm both steady and taunting. The inside of the carriage was quiet, save for the creak of the wood and the faint rustle of fabric each time one of us shifted.Celia sat across from me, back straight, chin high, the morning light slippin
Verret's PovI stood there, half-shadowed by the tall pillars of my hall, and watched it all unfold, the perfect tragedy.Malric and Delilah. The two lovers, tangled in heartbreak, tearing each other apart right before me. Her voice cracked when she told him she never wanted to see his face again,







