Sumaya swallowed hard. "I do?" she asked, barely above a whisper. She blinked rapidly, the weight of Selene's words pressing against something deep inside her. No one had ever described her like that before. Most days, she barely believed she was anything but ordinary — sometimes even broken.
Me? she thought. A heart strong enough to heal an entire world? It felt impossible. And yet… looking at Rieka, feeling the bond between them pulsing like a steady drumbeat under her skin, maybe it wasn't so impossible after all.
"But…" Sumaya's voice cracked, grief and confusion slipping through despite her effort to stay composed. She looked down at Rieka, who nudged her hand insistently for comfort. Sumaya obliged, gently petting behind the wolf's ear as she pressed on.
"But why would Ulva want to kill me if I'm meant to save the supernaturals? She—" Her throat tightened. "She tried to kill me. She pushed me. Isn't she one of your children too?"
