The mansion was silent that night.Only the sound of rain tapping against the tall windows broke the quiet. Kael stood by the fire in his study, a glass untouched in his hand, his thoughts heavy.

Luna’s laughter from earlier echoed in his mind the way her eyes softened when she spoke of her aunt, the small smile that almost reached her lips. For the first time in years, he had seen light again. But he didn’t deserve it. Not after what he had done.

His gaze drifted to the old portrait hanging above the fireplace the one of the woman with Luna’s eyes. His chest tightened.

“Aria…” he whispered, the name burning his tongue. “You should have stayed away.”

The memory came uninvited: the blood, the betrayal, the curse that followed. The night he had lost control and the old gods had marked him for eternity. Aria had been his weakness and her death had chained his soul.

Now Luna bore her face. Her scent. Her light. The same softness he could destroy with one wrong breath.

He placed the glass down, his knuckles white. “I can’t lose her too,” he muttered.

But the bond between them pulsed stronger each day. He felt it the pull that would destroy them both if left unsealed.

He left the study and walked down the quiet hall to her room.

---

Luna was awake, sitting by the window with her knees pulled close. Her long hair fell over her shoulder like spilled ink. The moonlight touched her face, soft and distant. She turned when she heard the door creak.

“Kael.”

He didn’t answer at first. He only looked at her really looked as though she might vanish if he blinked.

“You should sleep,” he said finally, his voice low.

“I can’t,” she replied. “Not with so many questions in my head.”

He stepped closer, his shadow stretching across the floor. “Ask them.”

She met his gaze. “Who was she?”

Kael froze. “Who?”

“The woman in the portrait,” Luna said quietly. “The one who looks like me. I saw it, Kael. And the blood on the frame.”

He inhaled sharply, looking away. “That’s not something you need to know.”

“I do,” she insisted. “You took me from my life. You claim there’s a bond between us. You owe me the truth.”

Kael’s eyes darkened. “You wouldn’t understand.”

“Then make me understand!” she shouted, standing now, her bare feet brushing the cold marble. “You say you want me, but you hide everything. What are you so afraid of?”

He looked at her for a long moment, the fire in his eyes fading to pain. “I’m afraid that when you know who I really am, you’ll hate me.”

Her voice softened. “Kael…”

He stepped closer, his hand rising to touch her cheek, but he stopped halfway. “I’ve already taken too much from you.”

Luna’s breath trembled. “Then tell me the truth. Don’t touch me if you can’t be honest.”

He dropped his hand. “You don’t know what you’re asking for.”

“Try me.”

Silence filled the room. The rain outside grew heavier.

Kael moved suddenly, closing the distance between them. His eyes burned, his voice rough. “You think I don’t want to tell you? That I enjoy lying to you? Every time I look at you, I see the past the pain I caused and it kills me.”

“Then stop running from it,” she whispered. “Stop hiding from me.”

His fingers brushed her jaw, slow and trembling. “If I told you, you’d never look at me the same way again.”

She swallowed hard. “Maybe I deserve the choice.”

Kael’s control cracked then he cupped her face and kissed her, deep and desperate. Luna stiffened, torn between anger and need. His lips moved against hers with a hunger that frightened her, that made her knees weak.

For a moment, she gave in lost in the fire, the bond, the ache she couldn’t fight. But when he deepened the kiss, she pushed at his chest.

“Stop,” she whispered, breathless.

He froze, his forehead resting against hers. “Why?”

“Not like this,” she said softly. “Not until you tell me who she was. Not until I know what I’m really part of.”

Kael’s jaw tightened. The air between them pulsed with pain.

He stepped back, his voice low and rough. “You think you want the truth, Luna. But once you know, there’s no turning back.”

“Then try me,” she said again, her eyes glistening.

He stared at her for a long, silent moment the kind that broke something inside him then turned away.

“Sleep,” he said quietly, his voice hollow. “We’ll talk another time.”

And before she could say another word, he was gone, the door closing softly behind him.

---

Luna stood there for a long time, the room heavy with what wasn’t said. Her heart still raced from his touch, from the confusion, the longing, the anger twisting inside her.

She pressed a trembling hand to her lips.

“Why do I keep letting you in?” she whispered to the empty room.

But deep down, she already knew the answer because the bond wasn’t just pulling him to her. It was pulling her to him too.