#Chapter 100: Marked by the Moon

Lauren That night was cold. The house, the air, even the silence between us—cold. Most of all, the words we weren’t saying chilled more than the ones we did. We slept in separate rooms after the rogues left, the weight of their visit settling over the house like frost. Theo was that rogue’s son. And Alexander—he knew that man. Knew him well enough to stay quiet, to keep whatever truth he held locked away. I couldn’t blame him. It’s not like I was an open book either. Sleep didn’t come easy in those cold sheets but eventually, the void grabbed me, violently. The dream came like a hand around my throat, curling around me like mist. One moment, I was sinking into restless sleep, the next, I was standing in an endless silver forest, bathed in a glow that had no source. The air shimmered, heavy with something ancient, something watching. My breath curled in the cold as I looked around. Dreams always felt so wishy washy, like you were there but you weren’t. But my breath suc