Their secret meeting place became a sanctuary—a hollow where moonlight poured through the trees like silver water.
Selene arrived one night with fear in her eyes. "They're watching me. My coven suspects."
Kael's jaw tightened. "Mine too. Ryn has already spread whispers."
They stood close, shadows touching. "Then maybe this has to end," Selene whispered, her voice breaking though she tried to stay strong.
Kael stepped forward, his hand brushing her cheek. "Does your heart believe that?"
Selene closed her eyes. No. It didn't.
"Then we fight," Kael said, his voice steady. "For us. For something more than war."
And under the weight of the moon, she kissed him. For the first time, vampire and wolf defied centuries of hatred not with claws or fangs—but with love.
Neither knew if they could survive the storm ahead. But in that moment, they chose each other.