her best efforts to distract herself, the memory of that moment lingered-his voice, his proximity, the way their energies seemed to hum in s

at her powers had grown

e bursts of energy that had previously overwhelmed her. But it wasn't just the moonlight that seemed to pulse within her veins-it was

s silvery glow. She meditated, reaching deep within herself, trying to understand the force that had awoke

mal storm. No, this one had a different energy to it-intangible, swirling just beyond her reach. And it wasn

ing? she thought,

e darkened, but it wasn't the approaching clouds that caught her attent

he

against the moon, his stormy gray eyes locked on

at the sight of him. The wind picked up again, pulling at her silver-blonde hair, and she could feel her powers r

his expression unreadable, before finally speaking in a voice

nd for the first time, she wondered if the storm wasn't just the weather. If

an?" she asked,

in a way she hadn't expected. The air between them c

but tinged with something raw, something vulnerable. "

ustration battling within her. "What

d that same intensity. "The storm that's been brewing between us. Yo

he was saying. The storm wasn't just a metaphor-it was real, and it was tied to her an

trange sense of panic rising within her. "This bon

of his words settling between them. "But it's here.

d, swirling around them as though it were alive, and Aria stumbled back, overwhelmed by the force

ice sharp, but there was a quiet urge

ing new in his eyes-something beyond the cold, distant Alp

ead, the storm inside her surged again, a wild, un

ation, his hands outstretched. "Foc

d slowly, hesitantly, she closed he

t up from her core. It was a slow process, her heart hammering in her chest as she tried to shape the wild energy i

y. The wind stilled. The storm inside her quieted, and with it, the power pulsed in a controlled f

e. His stormy eyes held hers, searching for something-perhaps an acknowledgment

ble of distant thunder. "You can control it. Bu

The power she had felt before-the storm, the moonlight-was all tied

s caught in her throat. She didn't know wha

weight of everything between t

Aria knew that the real storm-the one