The words hang in the sterile air, a verdict.
You're the one who changed.
I have no defense.
How can I argue about a past I never lived?
I can only sit in the silence of his accusation, a thief in the body of the accused.
Slowly, I sit up. His arm around my waist loosens, letting me move, but his gaze never wavers. It feels heavier than his touch.
"Moon," I start, my voice careful. I meet his eyes, willing sincerity into my own.
"I haven't changed. Not in the way you mean. I'm still your cousin, Zyren. But everyone changed after they found out I was a D-Class Alpha. Everyone looked at me differently. That… that does things to a person."
He says nothing. Just watches me, a statue absorbing sound. Then, with a fluid motion, he sits up too, bringing us eye-to-eye on the soft mattress.
The green light casts deep shadows under his eyes, making him look carved from something ancient and weary.
I press on, leaning into the half-truth.
