Bound by the Moon
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: The Vei
n through the cracks of her window. The storm was far off, but the energy in the air felt charged. She sat
had appeared, distorted and unclear, but there was something magnetic about him, something she couldn't resist.
d clarity, but every moment spent in this place seemed to cloud her thoughts more. She was
that she felt she would never forget, but life had to go on. She couldn't allow the whisp
ual, as though something were amiss. The kitchen was empty, save for the flickering flam
the night before. He had been so insistent-so urgent in his tone-and it unsettled her deeply. He'd saved her from whatever it was she'd
miliar voice called
hind the grand staircase. He had a small smile on his face, tho
, offering him a warm,
th the soft accent Luna had come to recognize. He paused for a m
"What does she
oward the closed study door at the far end of the hall. "I'm n
ake the feeling that Agatha knew more than she let on. The woman's cold eyes, her
quickly walked away, leaving her standing alone in the
dy. The door was ajar, and the faint smell of incense drift
hrough a series of old papers. The room was dim, the only light coming from the
said without turning a
he silence stretch. There was something off about
ce softening slightly. She gestu
sely. Her fingers nervously drummed on the
almost unsettling intensity. "I have a job for you. The guests wi
eyebrow. "Wha
dropping into a whisper. "You've heard the stories,
ad assumed they were just old superstitions, folklore meant to scare the staff and guests
to do?" Luna's voice was steady,
on her desk. "There is something in the woods. Something ancient. You'll ne
wed hard. "
a replied, her voice low, almost reverent. "T
twist into knots. "A
ent, the silence between them heavy wi
r so
to process the words. "You're asking me to... what?
You're bound to it, whether you realize it or not. The Solstice is coming, and the p
thumping in her ears
ething darker, more dangerous.
. She had no idea what Agatha was really asking of her, but every instinct
toward the door. "I don't care
, but the weight of her words felt like a finality. "You've alr
a swept past her, exiting the
d reeling with a thousand questions. What had jus
clear-she was no longer just a bystander in this twisted game. She was in the thick of it. And the dee
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instinctively reached for the pendant around her neck-something her mother had given her long ago. The smooth stone was warm against her skin, a st
stay in the study any longer. She needed air, space, time to think. B
es in the forest swayed, their branches creaking ominously. The moon above was full,
use seemed like a fortress behind her, but here, in the wild, she felt exposed. Every part of her screame
ive weight of the night lifted for a moment, and Luna could almost swear sh
r a place of safety; th
was bou
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ient, their gnarled branches twisting toward the sky like skeletal hands reaching for something just beyond reach. The wind had picked
What did that even mean? How could she possibly have been bound to the forest already? What was
r's-an heirloom, passed down from generation to generation in her family. But it had never felt more significant than it did now.
n't let fear take hold of her. If she was going to survive whatever was coming, she n
flecting off the wet leaves beneath her feet. Luna's gaze drifted to the trees once mor
longer she stood, the more the forest seemed to pull at her-its whispers growing louder, its call impossible to i
around, her heart leaping into her throat. Her eyes scanned the darkness, but she sa
out, her voice trembling,
of being watched. Luna's instincts told her she wasn't alone, but she could see nothing in
speaking his name would make him a
t were frozen, anchored by an invisible force. She looked again into the darkness, searching for any sign of movement,
rged as she stared at the silhouette, the feeling of familiarity washing over her. Was it Kael? Her heart clenche
re disappeared in
to follow, but something dee
uncertainty. But the pull of the woods, the strange energy that see
osed around her like silent sentinels, their branches arching high above. The wind whispered through the leaves,
explain it, but something was waiting for her. The trees seemed to pulse, as if breathing in unison with her
he di
n the distance. A faint glow, almost like the soft illumination of candles, w
heavy, and stumbled upon a clearing. The sig
nd it, candles burned in a circle, casting eerie shadows that seemed to move on their own. The air w
una couldn't make out any features, but she felt their presence all the same. She knew it
s she took a hesitant step forward,
, echoing through the clearing,
"Who are you?" she managed, her voice barely a whisper, as if speaking too
dow. "You know who I am," it said, the voice laced with a str
ost unnatural glow over the altar. Luna's mind raced, but she couldn't move, couldn't
d with each step, Luna felt the weight of the Solstice ritual drawi
was no tur
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