Chapter 217

CHLOE’S POV I’ve never been good at hiding my feelings. I could bury them under sarcasm, flirtation, or indifference, but when it came to certain things… they had a way of slipping through. Natalie caught it instantly. We had just left Liam and Zane behind, heading down one of the quieter parts of the palace grounds when she glanced at me with a little smirk. “You’ve got that look,” she said. I blinked in shock, “What look?” “That look people get when they’re trying really hard not to think about someone. Or maybe… trying too hard not to want someone.” I scoffed, even though my stomach knotted. “If you’re implying—” “I’m not implying anything,” she interrupted with a knowing smile. “I’m saying it outright. You like Zane.” I stopped walking for a moment. I could feel the heat creeping up my neck. “You’re imagining things.” Natalie didn’t buy it for a second. She leaned against the wall, arms crossed, and her Luna aura hit me like a wave. It was steady, commanding, impossible to ignore.