HOPE
He catches my stare.
Shit.
Our eyes lock for a brief second, and his lips twitch—just barely—but enough for me to tell he knows.
Not just that I recognized him, but that I'm practically vibrating with the need to fangirl.
I fucking manage not to ask for a picture, and we settle down quietly. Two other elders, all grey-haired, join almost immediately.
Elder Thorne keeps droning on about alliances, unity, sacred balance, blah blah...important stuff, for them I know—but all I can think about is how surreal this is. Like, how is it fair that this man can shift under a full moon and still sell out stadiums?
The universe is so unfair! He could have shared his achievements with someone else.
I steal another glance, pretending to adjust my posture—but he's not even faking interest in Elder Thorne's speech. His eyes are on me, steady and amused, like I'm some kind of walking joke only he's in on.
