"The sea knew us before we knew each other, two storms drawn by fate, destined to calm only in each other's arms."
The moon hung low, draped in silver and secrets, as Ashmere slumbered beneath its light. I held Fenris in my arms, his breath warm against my neck, his heartbeat syncing with mine, steady, deep, like the sea that called to both of us. He did not protest when I lifted him. He did not speak, and he just trusted. Outside, the forest gave way to the shoreline, the hush of the world broken only by the rhythmic pull of the waves. The sand was soft beneath our feet, and the sea stretched before us endlessly, waiting.
I set him down gently, hands lingering on his waist. He looked up at me, the wind tossing strands of silver-blonde hair across his brow. His eyes were darker than usual, stirred with something old and wanting his beast close beneath the surface, but not wild. Not this time.
"Here?" he whispered.
