"The moon does not reveal monsters. It reveals what was hidden."

The evening air outside the imperial chamber felt colder than before.

Rosaline remained standing beside the balcony rail long after the nobles had begun dispersing into smaller groups throughout the palace halls. Below them, the capital glowed beneath thousands of lanterns, beautiful and distant, yet her thoughts refused to settle on the city.

They remained trapped inside the chamber.

Inside the politics.

Inside the strange feeling growing heavier in her chest.

She could still hear the nobles whispering behind them.

About Emperor Darian.

About Xandros.

About war.

About instability.

Everything felt like the beginning of something enormous.

And somehow, despite not understanding half the politics spoken inside the assembly, Rosaline could feel herself being dragged toward the center of it all.

A soft breeze swept across the balcony, lifting strands of her white hair.

Beside her, Xandros remained silent, his attention fixed somewhere beyond the city walls as though he were already calculating problems no one else could see yet.

Rosaline glanced at him briefly before looking away again.

"You really frightened them in there," she murmured.

One side of his mouth curved faintly. "Good."

"That is not something normal people say."

"I was never normal."

The answer came too smoothly.

Too honestly.

Rosaline exhaled quietly and turned back toward the city and rested her hands lightly against the balcony railing and looked toward the horizon.

"I think," she said slowly, "everyone is scared."

Xandros stood beside her, his dark coat shifting softly in the wind.

"Yes."

"Are you?"

His grey eyes shifted toward her.

For a moment, neither spoke.

Then he answered quietly...

"I’m waiting."

She was still confused on how to answer heis question when she smelled something.

Her entire body stilled.

At first, it was faint.

Almost impossible to notice beneath the perfume, candle wax, polished marble, and expensive wine lingering throughout the palace corridors.

But then it came again.

Sweet.

Sharp.

Wild.

Like flowers blooming beneath moonlight after rain.

Rosaline frowned slightly.

The scent felt familiar.

No...

Not familiar.

Connected.

Something inside her reacted instantly.

Her pulse stumbled.

A strange warmth spread through her chest.

Then suddenly...

Pain.

A gasp escaped her lips before she could stop it.

Her fingers tightened violently around the balcony railing.

Xandros turned immediately.

"What is it?"

Rosaline shook her head quickly, but another sharp pain tore through her back.

Her breath caught.

Not here.

Not now.

Panic flooded her immediately.

"No..."

The warmth intensified beneath her skin.

She knew this feeling.

Her eyes widened in horror.

Her wings.

Xandros saw the exact moment realization struck her face.

His expression hardened instantly.

"Rosaline."

She grabbed his sleeve tightly. "Something’s wrong."

The words barely left her mouth before silver light flickered beneath her skin.

Tiny.

Brief.

But visible.

Xandros cursed under his breath.

The corridor behind them was still crowded with nobles and servants moving between the assembly halls.

If anyone saw...

Another pulse of pain shot through Rosaline’s back so violently her knees nearly buckled.

Xandros caught her immediately.

To everyone watching, it looked almost natural. A husband steadying his dizzy wife after a long imperial gathering.

Only he could feel how badly she was trembling.

"Look at me," he said quietly.

Rosaline tried but failed

Her breathing had become uneven.

"It’s happening again," she whispered fearfully. "I can feel them..."

A soft silver glow flickered beneath the fabric near her shoulders.

Xandros’ eyes sharpened.

No time.

Without another word, he wrapped one arm firmly around her waist and guided her quickly away from the balcony.

Several nobles turned curiously as they passed.

Rosaline lowered her head immediately, trying desperately to hide the glow pulsing beneath her skin.

Every step hurt.

The pressure building inside her back felt unbearable, as though something alive strained violently beneath bone and flesh.

"Xandros..."

"Keep walking."

"I can’t..."

"You can."

His tone remained calm, but she felt the steel beneath it.

Dangerously calm.

The deeper they moved into the palace, the quieter the corridors became. Guards stationed near the royal wing bowed immediately upon seeing Xandros approaching.

"Your Grace."

"I need a room," he said sharply.

The guard blinked in surprise before immediately stepping aside. "The western chambers are empty tonight."

"Clear the corridor."

"At once." He added

Rosaline barely registered any of it.

Her vision blurred.

Another pulse of silver light escaped her skin.

One servant saw something flicker and tried to see what it was but bowed her head immediately when she saw the Duke’s eyes already on her.

Xandros’ expression darkened.

"Leave."

The servant nearly fled.

By the time they entered the chamber, Rosaline could barely remain standing.

The room itself was lavish, though smaller than the imperial suites. Candlelight flickered warmly across deep blue walls and silver curtains, but Rosaline noticed none of it.

The moment the doors shut behind them, she cried out softly.

The pain exploded.

Xandros reached her just as her body arched violently.

Then...

The wings burst free.

Silver-white feathers unfurled behind her in a violent rush of light, knocking over a nearby chair as power rippled through the room.

Rosaline stumbled backward, horrified.

"No..no, no..."

The wings spread wider.

Beautiful.

Massive.

Terrifying.

Her breathing became frantic as she stared over her shoulder at them.

"They came back..."

Her voice broke completely.

"They came back."

The silver glow illuminated the chamber beneath the darkening evening sky outside.

Xandros closed the curtains immediately.

No risks.

Not here.

Not inside a palace crawling with nobles.

Rosaline’s hands trembled violently as she touched one feather.

Real.

Again.

Still real.

Tears burned her eyes almost instantly.

"I thought they disappeared..."

Xandros turned toward her slowly.

"They did."

"Then why is this happening?"

He didn’t answer immediately.

And somehow that terrified her more.

Rosaline stepped backward until the edge of the bed hit the back of her legs.

"I can’t control them," she whispered. "What if someone saw?"

"They didn’t."

"But what if they do next time.....when you aren’t there?" She added the last part quietly.

But he heard every word.

The panic in her voice deepened with every word.

"What if they think I’m some kind of creature? What if..."

"You need to calm down."

"I can’t calm down!"

Her voice echoed through the chamber.

The wings reacted instantly.

The feathers trembled violently, silver light intensifying around her body.

Xandros noticed immediately.

Emotion affected them.

Dangerous.

Rosaline covered her mouth quickly, horrified at herself.

"I don’t understand what’s happening to me..."

For a moment, silence filled the room except for her uneven breathing.

Then Xandros walked toward her slowly.

Carefully.

Like approaching something frightened enough to run.

"You said you smelled something before it happened."

Rosaline nodded weakly.

"Yes..."

"What?"

She frowned slightly, trying to think through the panic clouding her mind.

"It smelled..." Her brows knitted together. "Sweet."

Xandros waited.

"Like flowers after rain."

His eyes narrowed slightly.

Moonbell flowers.

The realization struck him instantly.

Impossible to find naturally outside the imperial bloodline gardens.

Which meant...

His thoughts stopped abruptly.

Someone near the emperor had triggered her awakening.

Or perhaps...

Something inside the palace itself had.

Rosaline looked at him desperately. "You know something."

He remained silent too long.

And that silence answered her anyway.

Her stomach dropped.

"You do."

Xandros exhaled slowly before finally speaking.

"There are old things in this empire," he said quietly. "Older than the throne. Older than noble bloodlines."

Rosaline stared at him.

"And?"

"And I think your awakening is connected to them."

That did not comfort her even slightly.

"What does that even mean?"

"It means," he said carefully, "you are not an accident or a monster."

The room fell silent.

Rosaline’s fingers slowly curled into the fabric of her dress.

Not an accident.

The words unsettled her deeply.

Because part of her already knew.

Ever since the dream.

Ever since seeing the woman with white hair and green eyes.

Ever since waking beneath the moon with wings growing from her body.

Something had been hidden from her her entire life.

Something enormous.

A sudden knock sounded at the chamber doors.

Rosaline jumped violently.

The wings flared outward instinctively.

"Your Grace?"

A guard’s voice.

Xandros’ expression darkened immediately.

"What?"

"The imperial council requests your presence. His Majesty wishes to finalize tomorrow’s announcements tonight."

Of course.

The empire would not pause simply because he had to look after his wife.

Xandros glanced toward Rosaline.

She looked pale.

Terrified but still beautiful.

The wings shimmered softly behind her like moonlight trapped in living form.

His jaw tightened slightly.

"You will inform His Majesty that I will attend shortly."

"Yes, Your Grace."

The footsteps retreated.

Rosaline hugged herself tightly once silence returned.

"You’re leaving?"

"No."

Her eyes lifted immediately.

Xandros walked toward the fireplace, deep in thought for a moment before speaking again.

"We’re staying in the palace tonight."

Rosaline blinked. "What?"

"There are too many nobles still moving through the city. Too many eyes watching the mansion after today’s assembly." His gaze shifted toward her wings. "Moving you now would be reckless."

She swallowed nervously.

Staying here somehow felt worse.

"What if someone enters?"

"They won’t."

"You sound very sure."

"I am."

Something in his tone settled her slightly despite herself.

Only slightly.

Rosaline sat carefully at the edge of the bed, struggling awkwardly with the wings folding behind her.

"I hate this," she whispered.

Xandros looked at her for a long moment.

Then, quietly...

"I understand."

The softness in his voice startled her more than the words themselves.

For the first time since this nightmare began, she did not once look monstrous in his eyes.

Only distressed.

Only overwhelmed.

And somehow...

that frightened her even more.

Because she was realizing a lot.

Outside the chamber, the palace continued breathing with politics, ambition, and whispered conspiracies surrounding Emperor Darian’s rise.

Inside the room, however, something far older than politics had awakened beneath silver wings and moonlit fear.

And neither of them yet understood how much that single truth was about to destroy.