12.

I woke slowly, feeling like I’d been asleep for days. For once, I felt... calm. Really calm.

I stretched, letting myself sink into the moment. It had been a long time since I’d felt this way, as if all my tension and problems had finally faded and disappeared.

I slowly slid out of bed and padded over to the bathroom for a bath—a very warm bath. I sank into the tub and closed my eyes, letting the water wash away all my worries. It felt refreshing and extremely comforting.

Finally, I was no longer at Drogomor Palace, and at last, the Moon Goddess had smiled upon me, blessing me with a second-chance mate. I felt like I could just... breathe.

As I let myself soak in the warm water, a calm settled over me—something I hadn’t felt in what felt like forever.

“Finally, some peace,” Mina sighed.

“Yeah,” I murmured. “Feels strange, like I’d forgotten what this was even like.”

But even as I tried to stay in the moment, his face kept coming back. Derek. Those intense eyes. The way he always seeme