nlight and darkness. It rippled around me, a living cloak that responded to my every thought, my every m

. They spoke of ancient forests bathed in moonlight, of wolves howling at the silver sky, of secrets hidden in the heart

ture of surprise and something deeper, something I couldn't quite decipher. This, I realized, was my p

me like a protective shield. The tension in the room crackled, the whispers rising to

sent shivers down my spine. He reached out, brushing a tendril o

us, "you are a curious creature. A painter who dances

I had just discovered. This wasn't just about surviving; it was

aze with a defiant glint in my own, "are not just

se my own melody, a song of defiance, artistry, and moonlight," I finished, my voice ringing through the hushed gallery. The air thrummed with a charged anticipation, the spotlight seeming to shrink around me l

t. "A bold claim, Elle Wilder," he rumbled, his voice vibrating throug

ephemeral shadows. This was a moonlit tango, a dance with danger where the steps were sharp and the stakes were

horne," I said, my voice steady despite the tremor i

inescence. The guests, frozen in place like startled statues, became shadows writhing on the periphery, their whispers morphing

next he was beside me, the scent of pine and earth filling my senses. His touch, when it came, was like a bolt

tive rasp in my ear, "is the paint, E

The pregnancy, no longer a terrifying burden, felt like a conduit, a connection to this w

magined it coalescing, swirling into a form, a brushstroke of defiance in this wolf-p

d me, a shimmering cloak woven from moonlight and willpower, a testament to the artist within. The gasp that ec

decipher. His hand, still gripping mine, tightened, the silver cufflink pulsing in response to

n-dappled artist, wielding my own brush of light, ready to paint my own story in this symphon

tect of moonlight, had found her voice. And the canvas, vast and un

e moonlight bled, I knew one thing for certain: this dance with the wolf under the silver

g around me like a shield, and met Lucia

my voice ringing through the room, a

, and this time, I was rea