Third Person POV Selene smoothed out the silky fabrics of her black dress as she looked in the mirror. She stood in her walk-in closet, the one that Zachary had built for her years ago. Her dark and thick hair was draped over my shoulder; she had just finished brushing it out. It’s been a little over an hour since Judy and Gavin left, and she couldn’t get Gavin’s words out of her mind. She thought about her day with Judy Montague; she was a strange girl, but Selene couldn’t deny the feelings she had around Judy. It was almost like she had known Judy her entire life. There was a knock on the door, drawing Selene’s attention from her mirror to the doorway. “Yes?” She called out, glad that her voice didn’t waver. The door creaked open, and her loving husband and mate poked his head in, a concerned look in his eyes. “You’ve been quiet. I was getting worried,” Zachary said, stepping into the walk-in closet. “Everything okay?” Selene gave him a faint smile. “How was your meeting with Mr. Landry?” Selene asked, deflecting the question. Zachary frowned, but he went along with the change in subject. “It was good,” he replied. “I think I was finally getting through to him. We might be able to come out of this after all.” Selene nodded, though her doubts weighed in. “That’s good,” she breathed. “That’s really good. Maybe we won’t have to go back into hiding after all.” “No, we won’t go back into hiding,” Zachary assured her, stepping closer. “Are you sure everything is okay?” Selene swallowed, her eyes finding his. She knew she couldn’t hide anything from her mate, but she wasn’t sure what to say to him that wouldn’t worry him. So, she forced a smile she knew didn’t reach her eyes. “I’m fine,” she lied. “Have you seen Lila around?” He frowned, but then he lifted his shoulders in a shrug. “I’m not sure,” he admitted. “I think I heard her with a friend earlier. But I’m not sure where they had gone.” Selene nodded. “Perhaps I’ll go look for her then,” she said, patting her husband's chest before she stepped around him. “We’ll talk later, okay?” She didn’t wait for his response; she continued to walk until she was out of her walk-in closet. She left the bedroom and started towards the hall towards the stairway. As she made her way down the steps, she heard distinct voices, and she knew right away that one of the voices was Lila. “You need to go before my brother gets here. If he catches you here, it’ll be a death sentence for all of us.” “When are you going to realize our attempts are futile?” the other voice, a woman, said, sounding aggravated. “It clearly doesn’t belong to you…” “Keep your voice down; you know these walls hear everything. We will figure it out, but getting caught here is no good for you. You need to leave. Now!” The woman sighed. “Fine, I’m gone. Only because I don’t need Noah catching me here.” With that, the woman started towards the door, and Selene boldly inched closer, trying to get a glimpse of the woman arguing with her daughter. When she caught sight of her face, Selene’s heart stopped. She knew that woman; it was Daisy Baldwin. Daisy had helped get the Moon Gem back from Lila, but she had no idea that Daisy was still in contact with her daughter. She wasn’t sure why, but she had a nasty feeling in the pit of her stomach.Lila’s footsteps grew quieter as well, and Selene let out the breath she hadn’t known she was holding. She walked the rest of the way down the stairs and rounded the corner. She was heading towards Lila’s bedroom. She knew her daughter was up to something; Gavin Landry wouldn’t lie about such a thing. She knew that Lila had been keeping something from her. Zachary and Selene agreed to let Lila figure out her roots and magic on her own, and only to intervene if Lila asks. She had always been an independent girl and good at figuring things out on her own. However, Selene had found it strange that she continued to wear her pendant instead of extracting the magic from it. Selene knows that Lila hadn’t gotten the magic out of it yet, and she isn’t sure why. Nobody really talks about it, and Selene isn’t sure why. But she was done sitting quietly in the corner; she was going to find out the truth, even if it killed her. Without knocking, she grabbed the door handle of Lila’s bedroom door and pushed it open, welcoming herself inside.Lila nearly shrieked at the intrusion, whipping around from her dresser, eyes wild and hair a mess. “Mom?” Lila gasped, her eyes wide with alarm. “What on earth are you doing?” “Who were you just with?” Lila’s eyes grew even wider if that was possible. “W…what?” “Don’t lie to me, Lila Marie Blackwell,” Selene said, folding her arms across her chest. “I heard you talking to someone. You were telling her she needed to leave before she got caught. Who are you hiding her from, and who is she?” Selene already knew the answer, but she wanted her daughter to admit it. “It was nobody,” Lila said, her brows pinching together. “She was just someone who used to be my friend but isn’t anymore…” Selene knew she was lying and that hurt her more than anything. “You’re lying to me, but I don’t understand why,” Selene said, pressing her lips together in a thin line. “I’m not lying…” Lila tried to exclaim. “And even if I was, I’m an adult. I don’t need permission to see my friends.” “When your friend is Daisy Baldwin, you downright need to inform us when you invite her into our home,” Selene all but snapped. She hadn’t meant to name-drop Daisy like that, but there was no turning back now. Lila looked like she had just been slapped. She stepped back and let out a breath. “That’s right,” Selene said, owning up to her words. “I know exactly who you were with. You cannot deny it, Lila.” Lila opened her mouth to say something, but no words came out. Then, she finally settled on something. “She wanted to get her hands on my magic… so she’s been hanging around ne. That’s why I kicked her out because I’m sick of her using me for my magic,” Lila said, tears filling her eyes. They were nothing but crocodile tears, though; Selene could see through it almost right away. “Where is your magic?” Selene asked, her eyes narrowed. “Why haven’t you restored it? It shouldn’t still be in the pendant. It should be inside of you where it belongs.” Lila pressed her lips together and stared at the ground. Selene narrowed her eyes again, her eyes shifting from Lila’s face to her neckline. It was bare… the pendant wasn’t on her. “Where is it?” Selene asked again. “I’m keeping it safe in the jewelry box,” Lila said, wrapping her arms around herself like she was holding herself together. “Let me see it.” “What?” Lila asked, stepping away from her mother. “No… I…”“Lila, I swear to the Moon Goddess… you are going to get that Moon Gem so I can see it with my own eyes. We did not go through all this trouble only for you to lose it.” “Of course I didn’t lose it!” “Then, let me see it,” Selene shouted. “What's going on in here?” Zachary asked as he stepped into the room. “Dad, Mom has gone completely psycho,” Lila said, her eyes never leaving Selene’s. “Can you tell her to leave my room?” Selene felt Zachary’s questioning eyes on her, but she wasn’t standing down. “I need to see the pendant with my own eyes. I’m not asking for much. If you didn’t lose it… Then let me see it,” Selene said. “Are you talking about the Moon Gem?” “Yes,” Selene replied. “I need to see it, Zachary. Please, don’t go against me on this.” After a short pause, Zachary turned to his daughter. “Go get it.” His order was a demand, and he left no room for argument. Lila let out a breath, knowing the argument was futile. She turned to the dresser and grabbed the jewelry box. She opened it, revealing the gorgeous moon gem that held a faint glow. “There, happy now?” Lila asked, seconds away from snapping the box closed again. “Take it out,” Selene said without batting an eye. “What?” Lila asked, raising her brows. “Why?” “Because I said so.” “Selene… what’s going on?” Zachary asked, but Selene ignored him. “Take it out of the box,” she demanded again. “Dad, please,” Lila said, turning her pleading eyes to her father.He sighed and stepped forward. “I’ll grab it,” he suggested, but Selene grabbed his arm. “No, it has to be her,” she said to him before she looked back at Lila. “Take it out of the box.” Lila licked her dry lips before she let out a shuddering breath and nodded slowly. She reached into the box and attempted to grab the moon gem, hoping that it wouldn’t burn her like it had earlier. She thought that maybe if she gave the gem some time, it wouldn’t be as bad, but she was mistaken. The gem burned her hand so badly that she yelped and dropped it to the ground. She hugged her hand to her chest and held it as tears spilled down her cheeks. She could hardly look at her parents, who were staring at her with wide eyes and slack-jawed. “What just happened?” Zachary asked, disbelief evident on his face and in his voice. “Did it just burn you?”“Yes, it did,” Selene replied. “Zachary… I’m not sure how it’s possible… but Lila isn’t our daughter.”