By the time Elara was three, the community had grown to fifty.
They built a school. Not a formal institution—just a room in Garrett and Isolde's house where the children could learn together. Wolf pups, vampire fledglings, and one small girl who was neither.
Helena taught history. Mira taught tracking and survival. Thorne taught music. Lyra taught literature—the books she'd read over a century of solitude, now shared with children who would never know that loneliness.
Kael taught nothing formal. He just showed up. Listened. Answered questions when they were asked.
One day, a wolf pup named Ren asked him: "Why did you love a vampire?"
The room went quiet. Even the children knew this was a big question.
Kael thought about it. "I didn't love a vampire. I loved Lyra. She happened to be a vampire. Just like I happened to be a wolf. The rest was just... details."
"But everyone said it was wrong."
"Everyone was wrong."
Ren nodded slowly. "My mom says the old people were afraid. That's why they hated."
"Your mom is smart."
"I know. She's a wolf."
The room laughed. Kael laughed with them. And somewhere in the back of his mind, he thought: This is what winning looks like. Not a battle. A classroom.