Not the sharp teasing amusement I’d grown used to.
Not the possessive hunger.
This was something quieter.
More vulnerable.
And somehow that frightened me far more than his anger ever could.
“Luna,” he said roughly.
Just my name.
But the way he said it—like it hurt him.
Like it cost him something just to say my name.
I stepped closer before thinking.
Before logic could interfere.
Rain hammered harder against the windows while thunder rolled across the cliffs of Asgarheim beyond the tower walls.
The entire realm felt alive around us.
Watching.
Waiting.
And maybe that should have made the moment feel ominous.
Instead, it felt strangely inevitable.
“I don’t understand what’s happening between us,” I whispered.
His jaw tightened slightly.
“Neither do I.”
That honesty surprised me.
“You don’t?”
“No.” His gaze darkened. “I only know I have spent my entire life feeling… untethered.”
The word settled strangely inside me.
Untethered.
Lonely.
Drifting.
Gods—I knew that feeling.
“And now?” I asked softly.
Something dangerous flickered behind his glowing eyes.
