Chapter 42

Elvira POV

The day two Festival ended, Morrien felt different—quieter, almost empty. The once-lively grounds now echoed only with the distant rustle of trees, as it usually does but tonight, it felt lonelier. 

I wandered the corridors, my fingers grazing the cool stone walls as I searched for Alpha Jaxon. He hadn’t returned to his chambers after the festival, and a strange worry rosed to my chest. Something about the way he kept pacing, waiting, unsettled me deeply. But it wasn’t just concern for him that pushed me forward, it was guilt. A deep, insistent guilt I couldn’t silence since I overheard Alpha Deric and Ronan talking about the Moonshade dust.

What plan had failed? And why did it involve me?

I rounded a corner too quickly and collided with a firm chest.

“Oh—I’m sorry—”