The days that followed blurred into a restless haze. Luna had thought the night encounter would fade like a dream, but instead it haunted her. Kael's voice lingered in her ears, his touch burned at her wrist, and her heart betrayed her each time her thoughts strayed toward him.
The Forest Court bustled with its usual rhythm—elders weaving garlands, children chasing fireflies, and Selene gliding among them like the perfect daughter she always was. Yet to Luna, everything felt… dull. As though the world had dimmed, save for the memory of midnight eyes watching her in the shadows.
She found herself wandering the borders more often, under the pretense of gathering herbs or listening to the river spirits. Each time, she told herself she would not look for him. Each time, she lied.
It was on the third night that she saw him again.
He stood at the edge of the clearing, half-hidden by branches, his cloak a ripple of shadow. This time, he did not vanish when she approached.
"You came back," Luna whispered, breathless though she'd barely run.
Kael's eyes glinted. "So did you."
Their gazes locked, and though no more words passed, something unspoken swelled between them—an invisible thread tugging them closer.
They walked together along the riverbank, the forest strangely silent as if granting them permission. Luna dared to ask what she should not.
"Why do you come here, Kael? The Umbra are forbidden."
He skimmed a pebble across the water, the ripples warping the reflection of the moon. "Because I wanted to see you again."
Her chest tightened. "You hardly know me."
"Sometimes a single glance tells more truth than a lifetime of words."
His voice was steady, but she caught the faint tremor beneath it—an echo of the same fear that consumed her. Fear of this bond, of its cost, yet also the desperate unwillingness to sever it.
They spoke until the stars burned pale and dawn threatened the horizon. Luna learned fragments of him: that he was a warrior of the Umbra, marked by shadows from birth, that he carried secrets heavier than steel. He, in turn, listened when she spoke of her restless heart, of feeling caged even in her own home.
When at last he touched her hand, it was tentative, almost reverent. And Luna let him. The forest shivered, leaves whispering disapproval, but she ignored it.
She should have pulled away. Instead, she whispered, "I don't want this to end."
His jaw tightened, yet his thumb traced circles against her skin. "Then we will steal moments until it does."
---
But the forest was not blind. Nor was Selene.
Her sister had long known Luna's wandering habits, but when she noticed the gleam in Luna's eyes—the way her smile carried secrets—it gnawed at her. Selene had always been the adored one, the golden daughter, the pride of their father. Luna's quiet rebellions had only ever earned scolding. But this? This was different.
On the fourth evening, Selene followed. She cloaked herself in silver silks that blended with the mist and trailed after Luna's steps with the patience of a hunter. She kept her distance, watching as her sister disappeared toward the borders.
From the shadows, Selene saw them.
Luna and the Umbra boy. Together. Close. Their heads bent, their hands brushing.
Rage coiled through Selene's chest, though she did not yet understand why. It was not merely disgust for Luna's defiance, nor loyalty to the forest's laws. No—it was the look in Kael's eyes. The look he gave her.
Selene pressed her nails into her palms until they drew blood. She would not expose them yet. Not until she knew more. Secrets, she knew, were weapons. And she had just discovered one sharp enough to cut.
---
Later that night, as Luna slipped back into their chamber, Selene feigned sleep. She waited until Luna lay down, her lips curved in the faintest of smiles, before opening her eyes to the dark.
"You're hiding something," she whispered into the silence, her voice soft but edged with venom. "And I'll find out what it is."
Outside, the wind stirred the branches, carrying with it the warning of a storm.