Chapter 195

195 The Quiet Rebellion

Mara

It was the day before the handover.

People had been calling me Luna for weeks now, but tomorrow it would become real-official. The title would carry weight. Expectations. Authority. Responsibility. And though I held my head high, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous.

How did Natasha handle this? How did Martha?

The thought of her pulled me from my reflection. She hadn’t left her room in days. Not a word. Not even to Lacy. No one seemed to be paying attention-not Vander, not Darian. Everyone was too busy preparing for tomorrow. But I saw the signs. I recognized the silence. Those were symptoms of something darker-real depression.

And though it wasn’t my place to interfere, I couldn’t ignore it.