Luna Meadows's Arc

Chapter 2 of 3

The morning after the ball, Luna sat in a guest room of the palace. She had shifted back to human at dawn, wrapped in a borrowed sheet. Her long curls hung loose down her back. She kept replaying one moment. The prince had crouched beside a trembling rabbit and smiled. He had not flinched. A dragon shapeshifter, born to burn, had chosen to shield a bunny. She could not understand why. Until she knew his reason, she could not believe his kindness was real. A knock came. A servant entered, arms full of blue chiffon. She laid the gown across a chair. Deep blue fabric, sapphire jewels, matching heels. "The prince chose it himself," the servant said, then left. Luna's face went hot. He had picked her a dress. She did not know if it meant care or pity. She pulled it on. The chiffon floated around her legs. She let her rabbit ears rise from her hair, soft and warm, to steady her pounding heart. Then she went to find him. Draeven stood in a courtyard garden. A great gray wolf paced beside him, its edges smoking like shadow. He rested one hand on its fur, calm as stone. When he saw Luna, he smiled the same easy smile from the ball. "The dress suits you," he said. Luna's ears trembled. She made herself speak. "Why did you help me? You could have laughed. Everyone else would have." Her voice shook. "You're a dragon. I'm a rabbit. Why protect me?" Draeven's smile faded into something quieter. The wolf stopped pacing and watched him. "When I was young, I shifted in front of the court," he said. "A dragon, all wings and fire. I broke two columns. They screamed. My own father called it a disgrace." He looked at his hand. "No one crouched down for me. No one said, there you are." Luna stared. Her ears went still. "I saw you fall," he went on. "I saw the fear in your eyes before the fur. I knew that fear. So I did for you what I wished someone had done for me." He met her gaze. "My interest is not pity, Luna. It is recognition." Her throat tightened. It was the truth. She could feel it. He had not saved a rabbit for sport. He had saved someone who reminded him of himself. "Then you understand me," she whispered. "Better than anyone at that ball." He stepped closer. The wolf let him pass. "Which is why I want you to stay. At court. As my guest." Luna's heart leapt, then dropped. Stay at court. In the palace where she had shifted before a hundred cruel eyes. The people who mocked her lived inside these walls. To win the prince, she would have to face every one of them again. She let her ears sink back into her curls. "I'll stay," she said. And her new problem began.