bChapter /bb196 /b

Caleb’s P.O.V

I frowned, sitting up straighter. “Hidden how?” I asked, my voice sharper than I intended. “Are you saying someone cloaked her or…?”

Harmona raised a hand to cut me off. “I don’t know,” she admitted, her brows furrowing. “It’s bfaint/b, like it’s buried underyers of something. Maybe it’s a spell, or maybe she’s suppressing it herself without realizing. But we can’t ignore it. Whatever it is, it’s there.”

Caroline exhaled loudly, running a hand through her hair. “So what does that mean? What do we do?

We’ve done everything we can to keep her safe. We’ve prepared for this.”

“Prepared?” Harmona’sugh was bitter, almost mocking. “We’re not prepared for what’sing.

Her eighteenth birthday is upon us. That’s when it will alle to the surface. Her powers will

spike, and if she’s not ready, she could lose controlpletely.”

“And if she does?” I asked, my jaw tightening. “What happens then?”

Harmona’s gaze locked onto mine, unflinching. “Then we have chaos. And not just for her–for all of us. We need to be ready, Caleb. That means no more half–truths, no more rehearsed stories. She

needs to know the truth. All of it.”

Caroline shook her head vehemently. “She’s not ready for that! You’re talking about overwhelming

her with everything–her identity, her powers, her destiny. She’s already barely holding it together as

it is.”

“And if we wait too long?” Harmona countered, her tone rising. “What then, Caroline? Do you think she’ll thank us when everything explodes, and she’s caught in the middle with no idea how to handle

it?”

I rubbed my temples, feeling the weight of their arguments pressing down on me. “Alright, enoughb,/b” I said, my voice cutting through their exchange. “We need a n. A real one. Because Harmona’s right–her birthday isn’t something we can afford to screw up. But Caroline’s right too. We can’t just dump everything on her at once.”

For a moment, silence hung between us, heavy and suffocating. Then Harmona spoke again, her voice softer but no less determined. “We start by watching her more closely. bIf /bthere’s even the slightest sign of her magic breaking through, we need to act. She doesn’t have to know everything yet, but she needs to be prepared for what’sing.”

I looked at her, frustration bubbling beneath my calm exterior. “Harmona, you’re asking for something impossible. We don’t even know the date of her birth yet. How are we supposed bto /bbfigure /bout how to help Aurora or even prepare for it, if we can’t even get that right?b” /bMy voice bcame /bbout /b

b1/2 /b

sharper than I intended, but the weight of the situation made it hard to stayposed,

She tilted her head, her calm eyes boring into mine like she could see straight through the storm bI /bwas trying to suppress. “Caleb,” she said evenly, her voice carrying that maddening serenity she always managed to keep intact. “If you’re going to doubt everything, then we won’t get anywhereb./bb” /bShe paused, letting the silence stretch long enough to make me shift ufortably.

“If we are to believe that Caroline and Aurora are Lunar Sisters, then the date and time of her birth will match hers exactly. It’s the only logical conclusion.”

“That’s a big ‘if,‘ Harmona,” I argued, running a hand through my hair. “What if you’re wrong? What if the two of them aren’t what we think they are? Then what? We’re putting all our faith into-”

“Into what?” she interrupted, her tone unyielding now. “Into the one connection that makes sense? Into the one connection that will help us prepare for Aurora’s power spike when it really happensb?/bb” /bShe stood, her presencemanding despite the tension in the room. “We don’t have the luxury of doubting this, Caleb. If we’re right, and I think we are, then we’ll need to be prepared.”

I wanted to argue more, but her words hung in the air, heavy and undeniable. “Prepared for what exactly?” I asked, my voice quieter now, less defensive,

“For what happens when the Moon calls,” she said simply, folding her arms across her chest like the answer should’ve been obvious. “Caroline and Aurora–if this is true–they are bound to the same forces. When it happens, it will happen to both of them, and if you’re not ready…” She trailed off, her expression hardening. “Then neither of them might make it out of this alive.”

Her conviction rattled me, and for a moment, I couldn’t find the words to respond. Harmona didn’t just believe this–she knew it, and that certainty left no room for doubt. I exhaled heavily, nodding almost reluctantly.

“Alright,” I said finally. “We’ll follow Caroline’s date. But if we’re doing this, Harmona, we’re doing it with a n. I’m not walking into this blind.”

Her lips quivered into a faint, knowing smile. “Good. Because I’ve never expected anything less from Aurora’s mate.”

Chapter Comments

POST COMMENT NOW

4