Chapter 40 Forty

• Melody
• The night air was crisp as I stepped onto the balcony of my chambers, the scent of jasmine and damp earth filling my lungs. The world outside was calm, bathed in the soft glow of the moon, but inside me, a storm raged.
• I had been restless ever since Zoraya arrived. Something about her had called to me in a way I couldn’t explain—an ache deep in my soul, a pull stronger than logic. And tonight, that truth had finally been laid bare.