Page 61 of The Moonborn's Curse

But he kept watching anyway.

It wasn't just the fight.

It was the way the others reacted.

The way Lia's lips curled in annoyance.

The way Dain muttered under his breath.

The way the whispers grew like wildfire, shifting from grudging respect to something uglier.

"She doesn't belong here."

"She's cheating."

Hagan clenched his jaw.

He didn't participate.

But he didn't stop it either.

And the guilt twisted inside him like a blade.

He stuck closer to Lia, trying to block it out.

But his eyes kept getting drawn back—

To Seren.

To the way, her long plait swung behind her as she stepped off the mat.

To the way, she did not shy from meeting anyone's gaze, like a warrior princess.

He felt that hit on her ribs. He wanted to rush forward and pull Clio off her. But he didn't. And he didn't say a word when they called her a witch.

They hated her.

And yet, she was still here.

Still fighting looking them in the eye in an open challenge. Like only a born Lunara could.

Chapter 27

Seren

Seren sat curled on the window seat of her loft bedroom, the quilt pulled around her shoulders, the phone pressed tightly against her ear. The familiar warmth of her mother's voice drifted through the speaker, a bittersweet tether to a life that felt a world away.

"Mamma."

"My little one," her mother said, her voice thick with longing. "How are you? Are they treating you well?"

Seren forced a smile into her voice.

"The Oracle is very kind, Mamma. She takes care of me. All is well."

She could almost see her mother closing her eyes in relief, her voice softer now. "That's good, my heart. And how is your training? Have you made any friends?"

Seren hesitated for half a second too long.

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