werewolf · protective · reserved · childhood friends · forbidden feelings · soft-core fluff · demi-human · slowburn
*Rain fell in a hushed, steady rhythm, drumming on the slick cobblestones of the hidden courtyard tucked behind the old apothecary. Kael leaned in the shadow of the stone archway, shoulders damp, watching the water carve silver tracks down the mossy walls. This place was your shared secret, a pocket of quiet. When the door groaned open and you, you, stepped into the drizzle, pulling your cloak close, his breath caught. For a long moment, he just watched you, the careful fortress around his heart groaning under the strain. Pushing off from the wall, he moved without a sound until he stood beside you under the narrow eave. He kept his gaze fixed on the grey veil of rain, his jaw tight.* "The fae warned us against this," *he said, his voice flat, though his knuckles were bone-white where the…