Selene jumped off the desk, her heart racing. She saw the purple hue creeping into Kristie's face and the way Leo's claws were beginning to prick her skin. "Leo! Stop!"
She ran to his side, placing her hand over his. "Leo, calm down. Look at me. She's just worried about the kingdom, okay? I understand why she's hesitant. I'm a stranger to her. Let her go."
Leo's chest heaved, his eyes glowing like embers. He stared at Kristie for a long, agonizing second before his fingers uncurled. "Yes, my Queen," he huffed, his voice thick with the effort of control.
Kristie fell to the floor in a heap, coughing and gasping for air. She looked up at them, her eyes watering, but the defiance was still there, buried under the fear.
"Stay away from Selene," Leo growled, standing over his sister like a mountain. "Because next time, even she won't be able to stop me from ending this lineage right here."
Kristie scrambled to her feet, throwing one last look of pure, unadulterated hate at Selene before scurrying out the door, her heels making a frantic, uneven clatter on the stone.
The office fell into a ringing silence. Selene walked up to Leo and pulled him into a tight hug, her head resting against his heart. "Calm down, my love. I know you're protective. I know the hate is coming from all sides- the Council, the packs, and now your family. But it's okay. People are afraid of what they don't understand."
Leo sighed, his arms winding around her, his chin resting on top of her head. "I know, My Queen. It's just... it's hard to control Phoenix when we were brought up in such an ill manner. My father didn't teach us mercy; he taught us dominance."
"Well," Selene said, pulling back to look at him, her blue-violet eyes sparkling. "Tell that big, bad Lycan of yours that I can handle myself. I'm not a porcelain doll."
"Maybe I don't want you to handle things yourself," a new voice rumbled- deeper, more resonant, and vibrating with a primal power. It was Phoenix. Leo's eyes swirled into a solid, molten gold as the Lycan pushed through to the surface. He moved with a sudden, jerky intensity, spinning Selene around and pinning her back against the office wall.
"You are pure," Phoenix growled, his face inches from hers, his breath smelling of wild mint and earth. "You are the embodiment of Love. You are not built for the filth and the hate that these lesser creatures throw at you. That is my burden to carry, Selene. I am your shield. I am your sword. You are simply meant to be."
"That may be true, Phoenix," Selene said, her voice steady even as her heart hammered against her ribs. She didn't shrink back; she leaned into his heat. "But I am a grown wolf. I am a Luna, a Queen, and a Goddess. I can and will handle myself. I don't want you slaughtering everyone who looks at me wrong. That isn't love; that's tyranny. And that isn't what I want."
Phoenix leaned in even closer, his nose brushing against hers, his golden eyes searching for any sign of weakness. "And what is it that you want, My Queen? What is it you want me to do while they spit on your name?"
"Listen to their concerns," Selene spoke with a confidence that made her skin feel like it was humming. "Let me defend my own honor. If I call for you to step in, then you can tear the world apart. But until then... keep the beast on a leash."
Phoenix stared at her, his pupils dilating. He let out a low, vibrating purr that rumbled in Selene's own bones. "Understood, my Goddess. I will do my best to keep my hands... and my words... to myself."
"Well," Selene breathed heavily, her gaze locked on his. The tension in the room had shifted from anger to something far more dangerous and intoxicating. "Best to do that with others. Maybe not so much with me."
Phoenix's hands slid down to her hips, his fingers digging into the soft curve of her waist, pulling her flush against his hard, muscular frame. "And what is that supposed to mean, my Goddess?"
Selene placed her hands on his chest, feeling the frantic, powerful thrum of his heart. Her fingers trailed up, tracing the corded muscles of his neck. Suddenly, Phoenix let out a sharp hiss. Leo's consciousness pushed back, fighting his own Lycan for control. He didn't want to share this moment- not even with the beast in his own head.
Selene leaned in, her lips grazing the shell of his ear. She felt the shiver that went through him. "Why don't you tell me what it means?" she whispered, before biting his earlobe with a gentle, playful nip.
Leo let out a low, guttural groan. The fight for control was over; the man and the beast were suddenly in perfect, hungry alignment.
He hoisted her up, her legs wrapping instinctively around his waist, and slammed her back against the wall with a passionate, desperate kiss. It started as a slow exploration but quickly spiraled into a frantic, breathless need. They tasted of salt and desire, their souls colliding in a way that made the room around them fade into a blur of gray stone.
Leo didn't waste another second. With a snap of displaced air, he teleported them back to the royal bedroom. He threw her onto the bed, the silk sheets rippling as she bounced against the plush mattress.
Before she could even catch her breath, he was on top of her, his mouth trailing fire down the column of her neck. He reached for her dress, the fabric tearing with a sharp, decisive sound as he stripped it away, followed quickly by his own clothes.
"We're going to have to buy new clothes weekly, aren't we?" Selene giggled, her voice breathy as she ran her hands over the landscape of his scarred, beautiful chest.
"Make that daily," Leo rumbled, his voice dark and heavy with intent.
He leaned in to capture her lips again, his weight pressing her into the mattress, but Selene was faster. With a fluid, graceful twist of her hips- a move that spoke of her growing confidence, she maneuvered them. In a flash, Leo was on his back, and Selene was hovering over him, her silver hair falling like a curtain around them.
Leo gave her a questioning, surprised look, his hands coming up to rest on her thighs.
"It's my turn to be in charge," she whispered against his ear, her voice a seductive promise. She leaned down, her eyes glowing with a soft, violet light, before she slowly, deliberately lowered herself onto him.
The world outside could howl for war. Kristie could scream for the old ways. The Council could plot in the dark. But here, in the heart of the palace, the only thing that mattered was the heat, the heartbeat, and the ancient, unbreakable rhythm of a Love that refused to be quiet.