She curled against my side, fitting perfectly, as always. "But we have to try. We started this."
I pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "No regrets?"
"Not one," she replied without hesitation. "Though I do wonder what comes next."
One Year Later
I stood in the doorway of our expanded dwelling, watching as Kalyndi guided a mixed group of human and mapinguari children through the process of creating healing salves. Her hands moved with practiced grace, her voice patient as she explained the properties of each herb.
Our home had transformed over the past year, expanding to include teaching spaces, meeting rooms, and guest quarters. What had begun as a private dwelling forced upon us had become the region's first Cultural Exchange Center, a place where both species could learn from each other.
Kalyndi glanced up, catching my eye with a smile that still made my heart race. She said something to the children that made them laugh, then made her way toward me, one hand resting protectively on her swollen belly.
"Spying on my class?" she teased, reaching up to touch my face.
"Admiring my mate," I corrected, covering her hand with mine. "How are you feeling?"
"Strong," she replied. "The baby's been kicking all morning. I think she's going to have your stubborn streak."
I laughed, placing my palm against her stomach to feel our daughter's movements. The pregnancy, deliberately chosen when we were ready, not forced upon us, had progressed beautifully, with both human and mapinguari healers marveling at how perfectly Kalyndi's body had adapted.
"The committee members will be here soon," she reminded me. "The quarterly review of the matching reforms."
I nodded, reluctantly pulling my attention away from our growing child. "Elder Marok arrived early. He's in the garden with Selene."
The oversight committee had become a powerful force for change, far beyond what we'd initially imagined. We guided the peaceful dissolution of thirty-seven matches and the voluntary reaffirmation of over fifty. More significantly, the reformed system created twenty-two new matches as couples who chose each other despite their differences, not because of genetic calculations.
We walked together to the garden, where Selene was deep in conversation with Elder Marok. At twenty-one, Kalyndi's sister had blossomed into a formidable advocate for human-monster cooperation, traveling between settlements to share our story and help implement changes.
"Ah, there you are," Marok greeted us, his ancient face creased with a smile. "I was just telling Selene about the latest from the Eastern Territories. Three more mixed settlements established in the past month alone."
"And the children?" Kalyndi asked eagerly.
Marok's expression softened. "All seventeen have been reunited with their families. The last three just last week."
This news brought tears to Kalyndi's eyes. Finding and reuniting the children taken by Magnus Terra had been our most challenging and rewarding work. Each reunion represented a family healed, a wrong righted.
"And how is little Lira adjusting?" I asked, thinking of the bright-eyed girl who had been among the first we rescued.
"Thriving," Selene reported happily. "Her father has opened a school in their settlement. She's teaching the younger children about both cultures."
The sound of approaching vehicles announced the committee members. I squeezed Kalyndi's hand before we moved to greet them.
"Ready?" I asked softly.
She looked up at me, her eyes reflecting everything we'd been through together, the forced beginning, the dangerous journey, the hard-won victories, and most of all, the love that had grown despite every obstacle.
"With you? Always."
As we welcomed the committee members, a mix of humans and monsters who would have never cooperated before our revolution, I marveled at how much had changed in a singleyear. The system that had forced Kalyndi, and me together was being dismantled piece by piece, replaced by something built on choice and respect.
Later that night, after the meetings concluded and our guests departed, we stood together on the balcony overlooking the forest that separated, and now connected, our peoples' territories. Kalyndi leaned back, my arms wrapped protectively around her and our unborn daughter.
"Do you ever think about how differently things might have turned out?" she asked, watching the twin moons rise above the trees. "If they hadn't matched us?"
I weighed the question. "Sometimes. But then I realize that what Magnus Terra never understood was that true compatibility can't be calculated."
"No," she agreed, turning in my arms to face me. "It has to be discovered. Chosen. Fought for."
