Athena forgot how to breathe.
Theo lowered his hand a little, breathing hard, not from strain, but from the intensity of his focus.
He didn't look at the castle. He looked at her.
Her white hair glowing.
Her lips parted.
Her eyes reflecting his ice like starlight.
"What do you think?" he asked, voice low, almost hesitant.
Athena didn't answer at first.
She reached out with trembling fingers, touching the nearest frosted edge of the pool.
The cold shocked her skin. It's real, alive, she wasn't illusinating.
"It's…" Her voice cracked softly. "…beautiful."
Theo's jaw tightened just slightly, his chest rising with a breath he didn't realize he was holding.
Then he said, quieter,
"Not everything about being a werewolf is a curse."
Athena turned to look at him fully, really look at him.
And for the second time since stepping into this house of monsters…
She didn't feel fear. Just awe.
And something warm spreading beneath her ribs.
