Gideons POV
Seeing that faint, ghost of a hesitation in her eyes right before she asked about the territory hit me like a physical blow. The absolute fear she’d had to push past just to speak her mind... I didn't need to ask to know what Lucian had done. That bastard had silenced her, isolated her, and made her feel like a prisoner in her own skin, punishing her for daring to care about her people. He had treated her like a trophy to display rather than a woman with a mind and a voice.
But watching her force those words out—watching her stand tall and claim her right as Luna to ask about our land—made a fierce surge of pride swell in my chest. She was fighting for her voice, slowly building back her emotional strength piece by piece.
"You don't ever have to be scared to ask me anything
