DRAVEN'S POV.
I should have stopped there. I should have let the moment end with the electricity still humming between us, with her pulse racing under her fingers and my wolf pressed tight against my ribs like a caged storm.
But Selin was looking at me, and I had already crossed too many lines to lie again.
"There's something else," I said quietly.
Her hand dropped from her neck. "You always say that before you tell me something terrifying."
A faint exhale escaped me. "You're learning."
I leaned back against the table, bracing myself the way I did before battle.
"Werewolves," I began, "don't mate with humans."
Her brows furrowed. "Like…culturally? Or—"
"Biologically," I cut in gently. "Magically. Every way that matters."
She stilled.
"It's forbidden," I continued. "Not just by law, but by nature itself. Humans aren't meant to survive the bond. Their bodies reject it. Their minds fracture under it. Even proximity is dangerous."
