Noel stirred first. The silence of the sanctuary pressed in, heavy and still, broken only by the faint drip of water somewhere in the distance. His body ached—muscles tight, ribs sore—but not enough to keep him from noticing the figure at his side.
Selene was asleep. Properly asleep, not the guarded half-rest she usually slipped into. Her head tilted slightly toward him, hair falling across her face, soft strands tracing her cheek. In this moment, she didn't look like the cold, untouchable girl everyone else saw. She looked human—peaceful.
Noel let out a quiet breath. 'Selene… you've carried too much alone, haven't you?' He thought back to what he knew: the cruelty of her mother, the hunger she'd endured, the years without warmth. No one had ever stayed long enough to break through that wall she built. No one, except him—and only because he already knew the truth, thanks to the damned novel.
