••{AZERIA'S POV}••
I sit in the high-backed chair by the window, my fingers curling around the armrest. The moonlight falls across the room in pale shards as I bite my lip, staring out into the night.
Everything is unraveling.
Rhiannon's presence in Darkholme is no longer a secret. And the truth about her has spread across the Empire like wildfire. Every noble, every house, every commoner wants to know what House Bloodbourne intends to do with her.
And then there's my family.
The fight in Azrael's chambers still burns fresh in my mind—the words, the anger, the way Mother's hand struck my face. For centuries, I've lived with the unshakable notion that we, as a family, could face anything if we stayed united. Even with the betrayals, the wars, and the endless scheming of our kind, we always stood together.
But now… it feels as if a rift has opened between us. One I don't know if we can climb out of.
