The sun was yet to fully rise, its pale light brushing the town with a faint golden hue. The morning fog curled between rooftops and chimneys like whispers of dreams not yet faded. Within the grand Ashborne estate, silence lay thick, broken only by the distant clatter of a carriage or the occasional chirp of a morning bird.
Nathan — wearing Sebastian's skin — rose from the bed quietly, the soft rustle of sheets beneath him barely disturbing the peaceful girl lying beside him. Aurora slept curled on her side, her breath steady, lips slightly parted, a faint trace of the night's dreams still lingering on her face. A lock of her dark hair brushed her cheek, and for a fleeting moment, something stirred in him. Something… unwanted.
He tore his eyes away.
