Three days passed.
And in those three days, Luna changed everything.
Matteo's mansion, once a cold, polished fortress of power was alive. Flowers in the gardens bloomed with colors unseen in years, the maids' laughter rang down the halls, and even the air felt lighter. Some of the maids, eager to impress her, whispered small spells, conjuring harmless bursts of light that danced like fireflies just to make her smile.
And Luna did smile. She played with them, laughed with them, like a child finally freed from chains.
From his balcony, Matteo watched her, a rare softness melting over his usually sharp features. She had changed everything. And him most of all.
Later that evening, he called her to his study. She sat opposite him, her posture nervous but her eyes curious.
"I'm guessing you know by now," Matteo said quietly, leaning forward, "that I am not just an ordinary human."
Luna nodded. "Yes… I know. You're not. None of you are."
He studied her face, hesitant before saying, "You can trust me. You're safe here. Tell me the truth."
Her hands fidgeted in her lap. "I… I can heal. I don't understand it fully, but it's always been in me. Since I was a child."
Matteo's chest tightened at her honesty. "Then you're even more extraordinary than I imagined."
For a moment, silence settled between them, charged and warm. But suddenly Matteo stood, his senses sharp, his head snapping toward the window.
"…There's been a shield covering the mansion." His voice dropped low, dangerous. "Stay behind me, Luna. I'll go check."
But Luna followed anyway, her heart thudding.
They stepped into the courtyard, only to find him.
Damiano.
The sun painted his features in sharp light: his dark hair fell over piercing green eyes, his wicked smile cutting across his face like a blade.
Matteo's hand shot out, moving Luna further behind him. "What the hell are you doing here?"
Damiano's smile widened. "It's daytime. Wouldn't want the mere humans to see what's about to happen, now would you?" His gaze flickered past Matteo, landing on Luna. "You have what I want."
"Over my dead body." Matteo surged forward, but Damiano flicked his wrist and Matteo was slammed into the wall with bone-rattling force.
"Matteo!" Luna screamed, rushing to his side. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?"
Before he could answer, Damiano appeared before her, reaching out his hand. His touch was inches away-
-and then Luna snapped.
All the pain, humiliation, and buried rage erupted in one blinding surge.
Her body glowed. Her hair lengthened into a cascade of shimmering white, her lashes and brows turning silver as her gown melted into flowing silk that shimmered like starlight. Power rippled around her, divine and raw.
Both men froze. For a heartbeat, neither breathed struck silent by her beauty.
Then Luna's hand rose. Damiano was ripped into the air, his body thrashing though she never laid a finger on him.
Her voice cracked with fury and somewhat eerie.
"I am not yours, you humiliated me. Broke me. You took my pain and made it a weapon against me. My family abandoned me. And you…" her power flared, the earth trembling beneath her feet "you destroyed me!"
With a flick of her wrist, she slammed him into the ground. The impact echoed like thunder.
But she wasn't finished. She turned to Matteo, kneeling and pressing her hand to his wound. Her touch glowed, and his pain melted away instantly.
Matteo stared up at her in awe. "You… Luna…"
She stood again, rage burning hotter than fire. Damiano rose helplessly into the air once more, her voice slicing through the courtyard.
"You will never hurt me again. Do you hear me?! NEVER-"
"Luna!"
Matteo's hand caught hers mid-swing, his voice desperate but steady. He pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her trembling body.
Her power faltered. Her white glow dimmed.
Her chest heaved, her eyes wet, and slowly… painfully… she returned to her human form.
And for the first time, she realized Matteo wasn't holding her back.
He was holding her together.