Chapter 188

CHAPTER 30… VALENTINA The Moonwell did not stir again after it answered Luciano. It simply breathed. Soft silver currents rippled across its surface in slow, patient circles, as though the ancient heart beneath the water had returned to a resting rhythm. The air eased too— no longer strained by watchful forces or divine intrusions. The terrible pressure that had clung to my lungs since the Veil’s fall finally loosened, and for the first time since the worlds had screamed open, I could draw a full breath without pain. I didn’t realize I had been holding it that long. Luciano slept against my chest now, his glow faded to a gentle sheen beneath his skin, no brighter than moonlit milk. The silver thread that had touched him was gone, leaving no mark behind— only a faint warmth that lingered where it had brushed his tiny fingers. As if the Moonwell had memorized him. Andres stood a few steps away at the edge of the ritual stone, his posture still guarded, but no longer braced for immediate