THE HUMAN LUNA

Sera's POVI stopped a few inches from him, studying him for a long moment.He let me, didn’t rush me, didn’t smile, just stood there in my yard with the morning light caught in his copper hair, waiting like a man entirely certain time was on his side.I sheathed my sword."I will give you my answer by sundown," I said.He nodded. "I will wait."I turned and walked back toward the fortress without another word. My guards fell into step around me. I kept my face forward, my spine straight, my steps even.I didn’t let myself think about the way his eyes had found mine on the wall before he had even seen my face clearly. I didn’t let myself wonder how he’d known exactly where to look.Magnus was already waiting for me at the top of the inner stairs. He’d his staff in both hands and his face was the colour of ash.He’d clearly overheard everything. I could tell by the way he was looking at me."Sera–" he started."Not now," I cut him off."You don't understand, there are things I need to

Sera's POVWe arrived at Dusk borne Palace by nightfall, which I suspected was deliberate. The palace looked almost impossible at night, lit from within by thousands of lights that turned every window gold, the dark stone towers rising against the sky like something that had grown there rather than been built.The gates were twice the height of Thornwell’s and moved silently, which meant they were maintained constantly, which meant this place had resources that would make Betha weep for an entirely different reason.I kept my face neutral.Inside was worse. Everything was enormous, beautiful and deliberately overwhelming ceilings that made you feel small, corridors lined with tapestries that told wolf history in vivid thread, floors so polished I could see myself walking across them. Warmth everywhere, real warmth, from fireplaces large enough to stand in.I’d spent three winters rationing firewood. I kept walking.I was given a wing. Not a room. Four rooms connected by an inner corri