The moon rose full and bright, casting silver light across the fields. Inside the house, tension thickened. Lukas Schneider had warned them: the wolf stirred strongest on nights like this. He had lived among humans long enough to control it, but control was never absolute.
Étienne sat in the corner, his expression calm but watchful. Adrian kept his journal close, ready to record what he saw. Callum lingered near the door, nervous, his hand twitching as though he wanted to reach for his baton.
Lukas paced the living room, his breath uneven, his eyes flickering with something wild. His calm demeanor cracked, replaced by the restless energy of the wolf. His hands clenched, his shoulders trembled.
"Stay back," Lukas warned, his voice low, strained. "It's stronger tonight."
Étienne rose gracefully. "We are prepared."
But Lukas's body shifted, his movements sharper, his eyes glowing faintly in the firelight. He growled, teeth bared, and for a moment it seemed the wolf would break free. Callum stiffened, fear flashing across his face. Adrian set down his journal, his diplomat's calm steady even now.
Lukas lunged forward — not at Étienne, not at Callum, but toward Adrian.
Adrian braced himself, expecting claws, teeth, violence. But instead, Lukas collapsed at his feet, his body trembling, his breath ragged. He pressed his head against Adrian's lap, not in attack, but in surrender.
The room froze. Étienne tilted his head, amused. Callum blinked, stunned. Adrian stared down at Lukas, his hand hovering uncertainly.
Then, slowly, Adrian placed his hand on Lukas's head. The wolf stilled. His growls faded into quiet whimpers. He lay there like a dog seeking comfort, his wildness subdued by Adrian's calm presence.
Adrian exhaled, his voice soft. "You are not my enemy."
Lukas closed his eyes, his breathing steadying. The wolf had tried to surface, but instead found peace in Adrian's lap.
The night passed without bloodshed. Lukas remained close to Adrian, his wolf side soothed by the dhampir's rare balance. Étienne watched with quiet amusement, sipping from his glass. Callum, though still shaken, began to see that perhaps these creatures were not monsters at all.
The house in the fields had survived its first full moon together. Not with violence, but with unexpected tenderness.