Eliora sat there for a moment, feeling the cold settle inside her.
"There's something he said earlier," she murmured. "And it's still bothering me."
Maelina, who had just begun tidying the tent, glanced up. "What?"
Eliora hesitated.
"Isn't he usually losing control to his beast during full moons?"
Maelina nodded. "That's true. Full moons make control difficult for him."
Eliora's fingers curled in her lap.
"But earlier," she continued carefully, "he told me he is the beast."
Maelina stilled completely.
"What do you mean?" she asked in a low voice.
"He said there's no separation," Eliora replied. "That the beast isn't some other entity inside him, and that everything he does is his choice."
Maelina's hand visibly trembled before she caught herself.
"Are you sure?" she asked. "Those were his exact words? You heard him say that?"
"Yes," Eliora said firmly. "Loud and clear."
Maelina swallowed.
"What color were his eyes when he said it?"
Eliora didn't even have to think.
