Adrian's POV
I was expecting defiance, but not this. Not the way she looked at me, as if the very idea of standing beside me, of sharing a bond was some kind of punishment. I should've been used to the rejection by now. After all, the only thing that mattered to me in this world was strength, and yet, here I stood, offering her something I thought might matter to both of us. And she turned it away, as if I were nothing more than a passing storm.
Her words stung more than I anticipated. But I kept my face neutral. It was all I could do. It was all I knew how to do.
"I won't be your Luna," she said, her voice firm, unwavering. "You'll never have me."
I let out a breath, feeling the air shift, the weight of it all pressing down on me. It wasn't the first time someone had rejected me, but something about the way she did it... so certain, so detached, it pierced deeper than I cared to admit.
