Chapter 89

VALENTINA The letter burned inside my satchel, but it was nothing compared to the ache in my chest. I haven't packed yet. I didn’t even tell Rey, nor did I say yes to the summons. But the truth was, I didn’t need to, or precisely, I wasn't blessed with that choice. Fate had already answered for me. Therefore, I found myself where I always went when the world didn’t make sense—someone who had been my comfort throughout my entire life and someone whose death had shaken the base of the entire Ebonn Moon Clan. My mother—precisely, her grave. Except that it's the first time since her death I am visiting her. Because I didn't like to think of her dead, not yet. I am not ready. However, after everything that happened, I felt at a loss, and perhaps my solace lies only with her. The forest was silent this time of day, kissed by the silver blush of twilight. I followed the familiar path. I passed the birch trees that bowed like quiet mourners, and the old stone markers overgrown with moss. After