THE CROWN THEY HID FROM ME
he said, voice tight.
Aera looked up at him, chest heaving. “Why… why me?”
Kael didn’t answer immediately. His dark eyes met hers, filled with a mixture of concern, frustration, and something deeper—fear, perhaps even awe. “Because you carry the mark,” he said finally. “And now… everyone knows.”
The ground beneath them trembled faintly, unnoticed by anyone but Aera. She looked down at her palm—the sigil was still glowing, faint but alive, pulsing in rhythm with her heartbeat.