Three days passed. Marcus Valerius remained at the Silvanus estate, asking questions, examining the tunnel entrance, finding nothing. The altar was whole again. The symbols were dark. Whatever evidence the ritual had left behind was buried too deep for a casual investigation.
Kael and Lyra met in secret. Not at the park anymore—too exposed. They found other places. A rooftop overlooking the river. A closed library in the university district. A coffee shop in a neighborhood where no one knew their names.
On the fourth night, Lyra arrived with news.
"He's leaving tomorrow. He didn't find anything conclusive. But he's not satisfied."
"He'll be back."
"Yes. And next time, he'll bring more resources." She paused. "My father wants to meet. All four of us. He says there's something we need to discuss."
They met at the warehouse. Aldric had cleared the building—only Mira remained, watching from the upstairs window. Cassius arrived alone, his coat dark against the gray evening.
"The Council's attention is on Portland now," he said without preamble. "Marcus Valerius may have left, but he'll report his suspicions. The investigation will continue. We need somewhere to meet that isn't here."
"The Pearl Coast," Aldric said.
Kael looked at his father. "What's the Pearl Coast?"
"A neutral territory. A small town on the Oregon coast, protected by an old agreement that predates the treaty. Neither vampire nor wolf can act aggressively there. It's been a sanctuary for centuries."
Cassius nodded. "My family has a house there. It's been in our possession since the 1920s. No one would question my visiting. And if Aldric's pack has business nearby..."
"We do," Aldric said. "The Makah territory extends to the coast. I can arrange a reason."
Lyra looked at Kael. He met her eyes. The Pearl Coast. A place where they could meet without fear. Without hiding.
"When?" Kael asked.
"Next week," Cassius said. "I'll travel first. Lyra will join me a few days later. Aldric, you can arrange your own arrival. We'll need to be careful—if anyone suspects we're meeting deliberately—"
"They won't," Aldric said. "We've been enemies for three hundred years. No one will believe we're allies."
The irony wasn't lost on Kael. Three centuries of hatred, undone by a single night in a tunnel.
After the fathers left, Lyra lingered. She stood at the window, looking out at the gray city.
"The Pearl Coast," she said. "I've never been."
"Neither have I."
"My mother used to talk about the ocean. She grew up near the water. She said it was the only thing she missed after she married my father."
Kael moved to stand beside her. "What do you miss?"
She was quiet for a long moment. "Warmth. Real warmth. Not the memory of it."
He reached out and took her hand. His skin was warm—wolves ran hot, a furnace beneath the surface. She didn't pull away.
"Is this real?" she asked.
"I don't know. But it feels real."
They stood together at the window, watching the city lights flicker on, one by one.