The silence between them wasn't cold anymore. It pulsed with something unspoken, something raw—like a wound reopened, but this time, not to bleed. To heal.
Raven stood by the window of the safehouse, moonlight casting silver on her skin. Her arms were crossed, her thoughts a violent storm. Everything she had buried, every truth she swore she'd take to her grave, was slipping through the cracks. The truth of Luna. The truth of her.
Aurelio watched her from the couch, elbows on his knees, fingers locked tight. He had never looked so vulnerable. So human.
"You've been quiet," she said, not turning around.
"Because every time I open my mouth around you, I either lie... or say too much."
She turned. "And what do you want to say tonight?"
He rose slowly, walking to her. "That I can't stop thinking about the moment Luna looked at me and I... I saw myself. Not just my face. Something deeper. Something ancient."
Raven's chest tightened. "What are you saying?"
He lifted his hand, brushing her hair behind her ear. "There's something inside her, Raven. I felt it. When she cried earlier, the air around her shimmered—like the heat wave before a storm. And my skin... it burned. I burned."
She backed away, heart thundering. "No. You're not supposed to know. Not like this."
"What am I not supposed to know?" he demanded softly, stepping closer. "Who I really am? Who she really is?"
Raven hesitated, and for the first time, she didn't run. "Your family... the Santoro name. It's not just powerful because of blood money and violence. There's something else—something buried. Your mother hinted at it once. And now, Luna... she's waking it up."
He stared at her, breath caught in his throat. "Are you saying I'm... what? Some kind of monster?"
She shook her head. "No. Something older. Hidden. Your bloodline has magic—buried so deep it skipped you. Until her."
Just then, Luna padded into the room, her small face twisted in confusion. "Mama?"
Raven rushed to her. "Sweetheart, did you have a bad dream?"
Luna nodded slowly. "I saw fire... and Papa was in it. But he wasn't scared. He was glowing."
Aurelio stiffened. "What did you say?"
Luna looked up at him, her eyes gleaming—his eyes. "I saw you with fire in your hands, Papa. Like this." She lifted her tiny palm. And as if drawn from another world, a faint flicker of light danced across her skin. Glowing. Breathing.
Raven gasped. "Luna—no, not now—"
"It's okay," Aurelio whispered, kneeling in front of her. "It's beautiful."
Luna smiled, then leaned into his arms without hesitation. It was the first time she'd done that since learning he was her father.
As he held her, warmth pulsed through his chest—his veins alight with something he couldn't name. But it didn't feel foreign. It felt like home.
Raven watched them, her heart torn between awe and fear. The secrets were no longer just hers to carry. They were living, breathing... and glowing in their daughter's hands.
And in that moment, she knew—there was no going back.