MasukDamon's POVI had never been a man who prayed. I believed in gods. I believed in magic. I believed there were forces in this world far older and more powerful than anything we could understand. But prayer... Prayer was something I had never needed.Until that night. Until Aurora fell asleep in my arms and I felt something was wrong. At first, I thought she was simply exhausted. She had spent too much of herself in battle. She had pushed her magic beyond its limits to save our daughter, to save Rick, to save everyone who needed her.I thought her body was finally forcing her to rest. But then the moonlight changed. That was when I knew. I sat beside her for hours, watching her sleep. Watching the faint silver glow beneath her skin.Listening to her breathing. Waiting. I tried waking her once. "Aurora." Nothing. I touched her cheek."Aurora, my love." Still nothing. My chest tightened. She wasn't gone. I knew that. Our bond was still there. Strong. Alive. But something had her. Somethin
Aurora's POV:"You cannot face Lucian as you are now."I stared at her. "I've already faced monsters.""Not this one." The ocean behind her began to churn. The cracks in the sky widened."And if he wakes fully before you are ready, he will not simply break his prison. He will break everything." Fear tightened in my chest. "Then tell me what to do." Selene studied me for a long moment before She stepped closer, and the moonlight gathered around her hands. "Listen carefully, Aurora." The world around us came in to view and suddenly I was standing in a vast silver hall with no walls and no ceiling, only endless moonlight stretching in every direction. The floor beneath my feet shimmered like polished glass, and in the distance, shapes moved through the light like memories waiting to be born."This place..." I whispered."Is where you will train."My heart thudded."Train?"Selene nodded. "You have been given power, but power alone is not enough." She lifted one hand, and a sphere of mo
Aurora’s POVThe word echoed through the silence. Thea. My daughter’s name had never sounded frightening before. It had always meant warmth. Home. The tiny hands that reached for my fingers.The sleepy smile she gave Damon whenever he walked into the room. The little girl who had changed everything about my life without even trying.But standing there with Selene beneath a broken sky, hearing the worry in the Moon Goddess’s voice, fear wrapped itself around my heart."What about my daughter?"Selene looked at me for a long moment. Not as a goddess looking at a queen. Not as a creator looking at her creation. As one mother looking at another. And somehow... That frightened me more."Before I answer you," she said softly, "I need you to understand something."I swallowed."What?""You did not do anything wrong."My brows pulled together. "I don't understand.""The fear you are feeling right now..." Selene stepped closer. "That is the fear of a mother who believes she has placed her chil
Aurora's POVFor several long moments, neither of us spoke. The only sound was the endless whisper of the waves. Except... They weren't really waves anymore. As I looked closer, I realized the ocean wasn't moving naturally. Moonlight rippled across its surface, but beneath it, the fractures continued to spread. Thin veins of silver light stretched farther into the horizon, branching like cracks through glass.I had never seen this place damaged before. The last time I had stood upon this beach, everything had been perfect. Peaceful. Timeless. Now... Even paradise bore scars. I slowly turned back toward Selene."What happened?"She didn't answer immediately. Instead, she walked toward the shoreline, her bare feet leaving no footprints in the glowing sand. I followed beside her. Neither of us spoke until we reached the water's edge. She looked out across the endless sea."I have watched this ocean since the beginning of your world." My eyebrows drew together. "It wasn't always here?"A
Aurora's POVSleep came slowly. Even wrapped safely in Damon's arms, my mind refused to quiet. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Rick kneeling in stone, Thea in his arms, and the fear I'd seen in Damon's face when he thought we'd lost our daughter forever. It wasn't a memory I wanted to relive. His heartbeat echoed steadily beneath my cheek. Strong. Steady. Comforting. I smiled to myself. Even in his sleep, his arm remained firmly around my waist, holding me close as if some part of him feared I'd disappear the moment he let go."You really are impossible," I whispered.His lips curved into the faintest smile. "I heard that."A soft laugh escaped me. "I thought you were asleep.""I was. You were talking.""I talk in my sleep.""You also smile in your sleep.""I smile when you're close."Heat rushed into my cheeks. "You are such a flirt.""For my wife?" One blue eye peeked open. "Always."I leaned up just enough to kiss his forehead. "I love you."His hand found mine beneath the blank
Damon's POVSleep refused to come.The castle had finally grown quiet. The wounded rested. The dead had been carried from the battlefield. The fires beyond the walls had burned themselves out, leaving only drifting smoke beneath the moonlight.But I wasn't in the nursery anymore.I was in our chambers, lying naked beneath the sheets with Aurora curled against my side, her head resting over my heart. Her breathing was soft and even, the kind that only came when she was finally safe enough to let go. After everything that had happened, after the terror of losing Thea, after the blood and fire and fear, she had fallen asleep in my arms after we made love.The sheets were tangled around us. Her silver hair spilled across my chest. One of her hands rested lightly over my ribs, as if even in sleep she needed to know I was still here. I stared up at the ceiling, unable to close my eyes. Not because I was restless.Because I was grateful. Aurora had nearly been torn from me today. Thea had ne
Damon's POV: I looked at this silver-eyed beauty. My head clouded. I wasn't sure what I must have drunk to make me feel this way. I'd had a single whiskey. It occurred to me, I may have been drugged. My eyes went wide with the realization. Before I could stand up and go speak with my beta abou
We danced together, after refilling my glass. We laughed and jumped to the beat. I could feel wandering eyes on me, so I looked around. I did not see anyone. The hair on the back of my neck stood on end. It was not unpleasant but made me hyper-aware of being watched by someone. I glanced aroun
An hour later, I was standing in front of her full-length mirror. I had a short tight fighting black dress that ended mid-thigh, a slit on the side went to my hip. Black heels. My brown hair she had dried and picked out, letting my natural curls come out resting down my back. She did my make-up in
"Well..." She said, "Why can't Thomas help you study? I bet he could help you relax too?" she said with a wink. I rolled my eyes. "He says he is fine waiting until I get into college. He says sex is not the most important thing to him. "He says that, but he's been waiting almost 3 years for you. E







