The future didn't feel like a death sentence.
It felt like a fight.
And Luna Vale had never backed down from one.
The castle didn't sleep.
Neither did the world beyond it.
Luna stood at the window again, arms crossed, staring at the dark forest stretching endlessly beneath the moonlight. The bond between her and Kael pulsed softly — calmer than before, but not quiet.
Not peaceful.
Just… aware.
Kael remained near the wall, his posture tense, eyes sharp, as though the shadows themselves might betray him.
"You're thinking too loudly," Luna said.
He glanced at her. "I wasn't aware thoughts made sound."
"Yours do," she replied. "They stomp around like emotionally repressed giants."
That earned her a faint, reluctant curve of his lips.
Almost.
A sudden ripple of magic sliced through the air.
Luna froze.
Her spine straightened, every nerve in her body lighting up.
Kael turned instantly. "What is it?"
"I don't know," she whispered. "But it's… familiar."
Not dangerous.
Not gentle.
Just known.
Then the fortress gates groaned open.
Shouts echoed through the courtyard.
Torches flared.
Footsteps rushed.
Luna didn't wait. She ran.
Kael was already moving.
They reached the courtyard together.
Moonlight spilled across stone, torches flickering against unfamiliar armor, unfamiliar magic.
And at the center—
Her heart stopped.
Tall.
Dark-haired.
Storm-gray eyes that once promised her safety and then vanished without a trace.
"…Rowan?"
The name left her lips like a wound reopening.
Silence fell.
The guards tensed.
Kael stepped closer to her — not in front of her, not behind her — but beside her.
Protective. Intentional.
Rowan stared at her like he was seeing a ghost.
"You're alive," he said hoarsely.
"So are you," Luna replied.
That wasn't what she meant to say.
But it was all she had.
"I searched for you," Rowan said. "For months. No body. No trace. Nothing."
"You didn't search hard enough," she said.
The words were sharp, but the truth beneath them hurt more: I thought you were dead. I mourned you.
Kael's presence at her side deepened — silent, solid.
Rowan's gaze flicked to him.
"…Who is he?"
Kael answered calmly.
"Kael Duskbane."
Rowan stiffened.
"And she," Kael continued, "is under my protection."
Under my protection.
Luna shot him a look. "I can speak for myself."
"I know," Kael said, eyes still on Rowan. "But I won't stop protecting you."
Rowan's jaw tightened. "She doesn't need your protection."
"She does," Kael replied coldly.
The air thickened.
Luna stepped forward, placing herself between them. "Enough."
Both men looked at her.
"I didn't ask for this," she said. "Either of you."
Her gaze lingered on Rowan. "You're not supposed to be here."
"I had to find you," he said. "They're hunting witches again. Powerful ones."
Her stomach twisted.
"And you thought I was still weak enough to need saving?" she asked.
"No," Rowan said. "I thought you were still mine."
Kael went still.
Luna froze.
Then she laughed — quiet, broken, humorless. "I was never yours, Rowan."
The pain in his eyes was immediate.
But she didn't take it back.
Kael's voice cut through the tension.
"Leave."
Rowan turned sharply. "You don't get to command me."
"This is my territory."
"And she's not your possession."
Kael stepped forward.
Luna grabbed his arm.
"Don't," she said quietly.
He paused.
Not because he had to.
Because she asked.
That mattered.
Rowan watched the exchange, eyes narrowing. "You care about him."
"I care about staying alive," Luna said. "And right now, he's part of that."
Kael's hand slid into hers — steady, grounding, unspoken.
Not claiming.
Choosing.
Rowan noticed.
Pain flickered across his face.
"I missed you," he said softly.
Luna looked away. "You missed who I was."
Kael said nothing — but his grip tightened slightly, like he was holding himself back from saying too much.
Thunder rumbled in the distance.
Magic trembled.
And somewhere far beyond the fortress walls, something ancient stirred.
Luna felt it in her bones.
The past had found her.
And it wasn't done hurting her.