The rain continued outside, pattering against the roof in a steady rhythm that filled the room.
The four of them lay squeezed into the cramped bed, arranged awkwardly after far too much negotiation, but sleep did not come easily for everyone.
Judas was already drifting. Nina had melted into him like always, her tail occasionally twitching even in her dreams.
Ezra's breathing was steady and disciplined, as if she refused to let sleep ruin her composure.
But Luna, despite lying still on her side with her eyes closed, did not rest.
Sleep had become a distant dream for her. It was always filled with nightmares she wished to forget, but couldn't.
Her breathing was uneven, her brows faintly tightening every few seconds. Externally she looked calm enough, almost cold as usual.
But inside her mind, old wounds pulled themselves open the way fresh rainwater finds every crack in a weakened roof.
Every rumble of thunder outside crawled through her bones and merged with memories she had never truly escaped.
Her body shifted once, barely noticeable, as if bracing herself for something. Then the nightmare took her.
The warmth of the house faded. The faint, masculine scent of Judas dissolved, and she sank into a world she knew too well.
The marble hallways of her childhood palace stretched in front of her, long and cold and painfully bright. She was small again, a fragile thing with bare feet brushing against polished floors.
Servants hurried past without turning their heads, their steps light and quick, pretending she was not there.
The air carried a faint metallic scent she had always hated, the stiff blend of sharpened weapons and artificial fragrances the palace concubines used to hide their own inner rot.
Ahead of her walked her mother. A beautiful elven woman with soft hair and gentle movements, yet her shoulders were heavy with invisible chains.
A slave who had been elevated to concubine only because her father demanded it. A concubine favored by a Demon Lord.
A target of every other woman in the palace. Still, she turned back and tried to smile at Luna, the kind of smile meant to protect a child from everything the world refused to hide.
It never worked.
From behind the marble pillars came the voices she could never forget.
"Half-blood filth."
"Her mother crawled out from the slave pens. Now she dares to stand among us."
"The Demon Lord favors her. That elf must have seduced him. Shameless."
Each whispered word clung to Luna's skin like cold fingers. Her small hand curled tightly into the hem of her mother's dress, the fabric soft but trembling under her grip.
Her mother patted her hair gently and whispered the same words she whispered every time.
Ignore them, little moon.
But Luna could not. Not then. Not ever.
Little Luna took an oath that day. Never marry a man who couldn't be satisfied with one woman.
The dream shifted again.
The scene twisted into another memory. She stood in front of the palace's Hunting Maze, the forbidden place that smelled of wet leaves and blood.
She was older now, around ten, her clothes rough and too thin for the night wind.
A group of concubines surrounded her, the same women who smiled like saints in front of her father yet hissed like snakes when his back was turned.
One of them bent down, grabbed Luna's face by the cheeks, and squeezed hard.
"Such pretty eyes. A pity they are tainted."
Another stepped deliberately on Luna's dropped wooden toy, crushing it under her heel while smiling sweetly.
A third leaned into her mother's ear and whispered that when the King grew bored, the first thing to be discarded would be the little half-breed clinging to life by sheer accident.
Luna's small fists curled so hard her nails dug into her palms. Her mother trembled visibly, yet bowed her head for Luna's sake.
Then the dream sharpened once more, and she was alone. The concubines shoved her into the Hunting Maze and the iron gates slammed shut behind her.
The echo slammed into her bones. Her breath caught. The air inside was humid and thick, and she could barely hear the begging sounds of her mother from outside.
Then she heard another sound.
Laughter.
Low, bestial, hungry laughter that belonged to a Hyenaman.
Luna turned around and ran, feet brushing against stones, thorns scraping her legs whenever she tripped into the hedge walls.
Moonlight streamed weakly from above, barely illuminating her path.
Then the Hyenaman appeared.
Tall, with mangy fur and sickly yellow eyes. Its shoulders hunched forward, arms too long, claws dragging across the stone floor with a slow scratching sound that dug under her skin.
Its grin stretched wide, revealing jagged teeth stained from old kills. Drool dripped from its maw as it sniffed the air, savoring the scent of her fear.
She backed away, small bare feet slipping against the stone. Her heart slammed painfully inside her ribcage.
She tried to scream, but nothing came out. Her throat felt locked. Frozen. The beast chuckled at her silence, saliva dropping onto the floor.
"Half-blood. Tasty."
It raised a claw. Long. Curved. Sharp enough to scalp her in a single swipe.
It came down slowly, as if savoring the moment.
Luna's body refused to move. The thunder from the real world rolled through her dream like a roar from the creature's throat.
The claw descended.
Closer.
Closer.
About to touch her head. But it failed to reach her.
Warmth wrapped around her suddenly.
A firm arm slid across her torso, pulling her backward with a jolt that shattered the dream like glass cracking under weight.
Luna gasped. Her eyes flew open.
She lay in Judas's bed again, trapped in the darkness of the tiny room, yet everything was real now.
His arm was wrapped around her waist tightly, holding her against his chest. His breath brushed her neck rhythmically. His face rested close to her shoulder blade.
He was deeply asleep.
Yet he held her as if protecting her from something she had never dared to speak aloud.
She turned her head slightly, breath trembling. Nina was sprawled half atop Judas, legs thrown casually over him, tail limp.
Ezra slept on the far side, her face turned away, but even she had unconsciously shifted closer during the night.
Luna stared at Judas's sleeping face. Her nightmare's claws still lingered faintly, but his warmth washed them away inch by inch.
His scent grounded her in the present. His arms anchored her firmly away from the past.
Her thoughts tangled inside her chest.
Why does it feel warm? Why does it feel safe?
She remembered the Hyenaman's grin. The concubines' cruelty. Her mother's trembling hands.
She remembered the emptiness of the palace despite all its beauty.
Then she looked at Judas, whose unconscious embrace felt more solid than the walls she had grown up in.
Something tightened inside her. Quiet. Reluctant. Hard to name.
Was it love? Luna vigorously shook her head. No way. She would never love a man who couldn't be satisfied with a single woman.
Then what was this strange emotion she was feeling now? An urge to lean closer to him, savor all his warmth and scent. To be claimed by him… to be loved by him.
Had her resolve changed because of this human? No way, right.
She was an elf. He's just… he's just…
Luna froze. Why couldn't she belittle him anymore?
Did she… did she really fall in love?
"Mmhh…"
Suddenly, Judas stirred in his sleep, shifting dangerously closer to her. She felt a hard object pressing firmly against her ass. Her face exploded with heat as her heartbeat intensified tenfold.
'Hooligan!' she shouted internally, turning around in the bed to face his direction.
That decision instantly proved to be idiotic, as his hardness now pressed directly against her abdomen.
Although Luna felt the urge to slap him away, for some reason, his peaceful, sleepy face made her pause.
'Since you are sleeping, I will forgive this audacity today.' She nodded to herself, gently brushing a stray lock of hair off his face. Her eyes traced his sharp features, causing her heartbeat to quicken once again.
'To hell with it, you are so handsome,' she admitted silently. 'A bit feminine, though. No muscles.'
Her gaze traveled down the curve of his neck and moved lower. Luna gulped.
Perhaps she should stop. Otherwise, people would think she was a pervert.
Luna squeezed her eyes shut, then suddenly snapped them open wide.
Because the moment her eyes closed, her breasts were firmly grasped by a pair of calloused hands.