"W-Why?" Luna's voice cracked as she stepped off the bed, her bare feet touching the cold floor as she instinctively moved toward Bastiel. Her heart pounded against her ribs, uncertainty coiling in her chest like a serpent.
'Why would they punish him? What did he do?'
Nohlan quickly stood and stepped between them, gently pushing Bastiel back with a firm hand to his chest. "It's nothing, Luna. Really. Bastiel is just—"
"He's being punished because he said something to you last night that he shouldn't have said," Bastiel interrupted, voice calm but cutting. "Which led you to run and—"
"Bastiel!" Nohlan's voice erupted into a sharp, animalistic growl that echoed through the walls. Even Luna flinched, her breath catching as the temperature of the room seemed to shift.
Bastiel only scoffed, unfazed. "So, now you're finally baring your fangs?" he sneered, stepping forward with that maddening smirk. It wasn't just mockery—it was provocation.
