Adrein.
The news spread like wildfire, hitting every corner of our space faster than anyone could have prepared for. At first, there was a strange sense of relief that washed through me, a brief, almost foolish comfort that the bride was not Maria.
For a moment, it felt like the Moon Goddess might actually be on our side.
Like maybe, just maybe, things were finally aligning in a way that made sense.
But that relief didn't last.
Because the moment that thought settled in, another one immediately followed—heavier, sharper, more suffocating.
If the bride wasn't Maria…
Then where was she?
The question struck me like a physical blow.
My chest tightened instantly as panic began to creep in, slow at first, then all at once, swallowing every bit of calm I had tried to hold onto. My head snapped up as I turned sharply toward my brothers.
One look at their faces was enough.
They weren't relieved.
They weren't calm.
They were just as shaken as I was.
