|| Lilac's POV ||

The room was dark, the fire in the hearth reduced to glowing embers, casting faint shadows across the walls. I lay in bed, Alaric’s arm draped over me, his steady breathing a soothing rhythm against my back. But sleep eluded me, my mind a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions that refused to quiet. The weight of the Moon Goddess’s warning pressed down on me, a constant reminder of the stakes. Find your mate, or face the same fate. The words echoed in my mind, a ...