Lucivar stepped beside her. He looked at her, not as a king, not even as Damien's father, but as someone who had long since sacrificed personal dreams at the altar of duty.
"Luna," he began, "one thing in life is constant. And that's change. Centuries ago, vampires and werewolves wouldn't have shared the same continent without trying to rip each other's fangs and fur out. Now? Look at us. Allies."
"Yeah," Luna muttered.
"My point is more change can come through you. Through this… bond. You call it a burden, but maybe it's the very thing that can forge a better future. Think of what you could do for your people with the resources we have here. The strength of two kingdoms. The knowledge, the protection. Your people wouldn't just survive. They'd thrive."
Luna turned to face him now. "What are you saying?"
"I'm saying, you think this mate pairing is a curse… but maybe, just maybe, it can be a blessing."
******
