Chapter 20. Kalen’s Gambit

He didn’t sleep.

The Council gave her three days. He would not give them a fourth.

Kalen paced the cold floor of his temporary quarters, bare feet silent on polished stone. The Moon Temple was a sanctum of stillness—vows, secrets, and stone. But tonight, everything buzzed beneath his skin like a trap ready to spring. The ancient halls seemed to hum with expectation, as though the walls themselves were listening, waiting for him to act.

He had made his offer—marriage, alliance, shield, a path to safety. He’d offered her the only thing he could spare: a promise. And she had refused. He could not fault her for it. He’d offered her a gilded cage, after all—a smarter one, a warmer one, but still a cage.

She didn’t want a savior. She wanted freedom. And if he failed to help her seize it, he would be no better than the Council she burned for.

He crossed to the stone windows, pressing his palms to the icy sill. Beyond the glass, the Temple’s courtyards sprawled