{"Some journeys do not begin with a map, but with a calling. And when the sea calls your name, you answer not with fear, but with fire."}
The sea whispered against the shore, soft and patient, like it had all the time in the world to listen. We lay on the sand where the tide reached and kissed our feet, the stars blinking above us like old sentinels. Fenris was quiet beside me, arms folded behind his head, gaze lost to the skybut I felt him listening. I always did, since the bond had sealed, I did not need his words to feel the tremors of his thoughts. But tonight, I wanted to say mine aloud.
"I wasn't supposed to have this," I began quietly. "A mate. A bond. A future that was not carved from duty."
