Chapter 96 Crossing Lines
Luna’s POV
“No.”
The word came out before I could think. Sharp and immediate.
It was my voice.
Ethan didn’t react right away, but I saw it, the flicker in his eyes, like he expected me to argue… just not that quickly. “That’s not possible,” I added, my voice steadier now.
But my heart was not steady. Not even close, because a small, traitorous part of me had already started questioning it. That pull and that moment.
The way I almost— No.
I shoved the thought away, then Ethan exhaled slowly. “Luna, just think about it…”
“I am thinking,” I cut in. “And you’re wrong.”
His jaw tightened. “You don’t know that.”
“I do.”
I replied too fast and too defensively. Kai hadn’t moved. Not since I stepped away, but I could feel him right behind me. He was quiet, watching and waiting. And that somehow made everything worse.
“Say something,” I muttered under my breath.
“She’s right.”
My pulse jumped and Kai’s voice was calm and controlled. But there was something underneath it now, there was something sharper.
“She knows what she felt,” he continued.
Ethan let out a humorless laugh. “Of course you’d say that.”
Kai didn’t respond immediately. “You think I’m controlling her?” he asked, almost bored.
“I think something is,” Ethan said. “And you’re the closest source.”
“That’s a reach.”
“No,” Ethan said flatly. “That’s pattern recognition.”
The tension between them snapped tight again, then I stepped forward, putting space between all of us. “Stop,” I said. “Both of you.”
Neither listened. “Luna,” Ethan said, softer now, “you said it yourself, that you felt something was off this morning.”
I had said that. But…“That doesn’t mean this,” I argued.
“Then what does it mean?”
I didn’t answer. Because I didn’t know. And he saw it.
Of course he did. “That hesitation?” Ethan pressed. “That’s your answer.”
“It’s not,” I snapped.
“Then prove it.”
My heart raced “Prove it how?”
Silence followed and then. “Walk away from him.”
The words landed heavily, too simple,, and too impossible.
I froze still and Ethan held my gaze. “If what you felt was real,” he said quietly, “then it shouldn’t be hard.”
Behind me, Kai finally moved, just one step. But it was enough.
“You don’t get to test her like that,” he said, his voice lower now.
Ethan didn’t look at him. “I’m not testing her. I’m giving her a choice.”
“By cornering her?”
“By showing her the truth.”
“The truth?” Kai echoed, a faint edge slipping into his tone. “Or your version of it?”
Ethan’s eyes flicked to him. “At least mine doesn’t come with side effects.”
Something in the air shifted sharply and became unstable. “Enough!” I snapped and they both went quiet. Finally.
My breathing was uneven now, it was too fast and too loud.
“Why does everything have to be a fight with you two?” I demanded.
Neither answered.
“Why can’t anything just be…” I trailed off.
Normal? That word didn’t belong here anymore, then I ran a hand through my hair, I was already frustrated. “I’m tired,” I said instead. “Of all of this.”
That part was real. It was completely real. Then Ethan’s expression softened slightly, but Kai’s didn’t. He was watching me too closely.
Like he was waiting for something. “For what it’s worth,” Ethan said, “I’m not trying to make things harder.”
“It feels like it,” I muttered.
“I’m trying to keep you safe.”
“There it is again,” I said, looking up at him. “That line. You both keep saying it like it means the same thing.”
Ethan frowned and Kai went still. “But it doesn’t,” I continued. “Not to me.”
Silence stretched.
“I don’t need protection from feelings,” I said quietly.
Ethan’s expression shifted slightly. “That’s not what I meant.”
“Then what did you mean?”
He hesitated. Just long enough. “I mean… You don’t know what’s influencing you.”
There it was again. That word. ‘Influencing.’
Like I wasn’t fully in control of myself or like I couldn’t trust my own mind. “I know what I felt,” I said firmly.
“Do you?” he asked.
“Yes.”
I felt confident. Even if it was forced, even if it was fragile. Ethan studied me for a long moment and then nodded slowly. “Okay.”
That was it. No argument and no push. Just… acceptance.
That threw me off more than anything else. “You’re just dropping it?” I asked.
“For now.”
That didn’t sound reassuring. “What does that mean?”
“It means,” he said, stepping back slightly, “I’m not going to fight you on this.”
I felt scared. “But?” I prompted. Then his gaze flicked to Kai. Then back to me. “But I’m not wrong.”
Of course. Of course, he wasn’t going to let it go completely.
I sighed. “This is exhausting.”
“No argument there,” Kai said quietly behind me.
I turned and he was closer now. Not too close. But enough, and that awareness hit again. That pull, it was subtle, dangerous, and real.
Or… not? My thoughts tangled instantly and I hated that. “You should go,” I said to him.
His brows lifted slightly. “Me?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because this is already too much,” I said. “And you being here isn’t helping.”
Something flickered in his eyes, it was not anger. It was something quieter and more controlled. “Alright,” he said.
Just like that. There was no fight, no resistance. Then he turned and started walking away. I blinked, because that was… easy. Too easy and Ethan noticed it too. I could tell by the way his posture stiffened.
Kai stopped after a few steps. Didn’t turn around. “Luna.” He said my name softly. I shouldn’t have responded. But I did. “Yeah?”
A pause and then— “Be careful who you trust.”
Ethan let out a quiet breath beside me. “That’s ironic.”
Kai didn’t reply. He just kept walking and didn’t look back. Silence settled again, but different this time. It was heavier. I crossed my arms, staring at nothing.
“Well,” I muttered. “That wasn’t dramatic at all.”
Ethan huffed lightly. “That’s one way to put it.”
I glanced at him. “You’re still here.”
“You sound surprised.”
“I kind of am.”
He nodded slightly. “I told you. I’m not fighting you on this.”
“Mm,” I mumbled. And then another pause. Then— “You still feel it, don’t you?” he asked.
My stomach twisted. I didn’t answer. I didn't need to, but he saw it anyway. “That connection,” he added.
I exhaled slowly. “…yeah.”
There was no point lying. Not about that. Ethan looked away briefly, he was thinking, and then— “We need to figure out what that is.”
I frowned. “We?”
“You don’t have to do it alone.”
That should have comforted me. But instead, it made everything more complicated. Because now… It wasn’t just about Kai and me. Or me and whatever was happening. It was me… Caught in the middle of something I didn’t fully understand. Again I rubbed my forehead lightly. “This is a mess.”
“Yeah,” Ethan agreed. Then added ....“But it’s your mess.”
I looked at him. “What does that mean?”
“It means,” he said, meeting my eyes, “you’re the only one who gets to decide what’s real for you.”
That landed deeper than I expected. Because for the first time since all of this started… Someone wasn’t telling me what to believe. Or what to feel.
Or who to trust.
They were leaving it up to me. And somehow… That was the scariest part of all. Because now, if I made the wrong choice, I’d have no one else to blame. But only myself.