The moon hung low over the city, casting a silver glow on the rooftop garden where they sat, the distant hum of New York muffled by the whisper of wind through the ivy-covered trellises. She shivered slightly, more from the electricity in the air than the cold. The soft glow of lanterns outlined his sharp features, golden hair catching the light like it had been dipped in starlight. Jace’s fingers toyed with the edge of his sleeve, an almost imperceptible sign of his internal battle.

She couldn’t look away from him, the way his gaze pierced her—equal parts longing and restraint. “This isn’t supposed to happen,” he murmured, his voice low, a mixture of regret and defiance. “You shouldn’t even know about this world.”

Her heart ached at his words, each one like a stone thrown into the fragile pond of her hope. She wanted to reach out, to touch his hand, but the invisible barrier between their worlds felt like an unscalable wall.

“Then why did you bring me here?” she asked softly, her voice trembling but steady enough to hold his attention.

Jace’s jaw clenched, his eyes flicking to the skyline. The lights of the mundane world stretched endlessly before them, a reminder of the divide they couldn’t cross. “Because no matter how many times I tell myself I shouldn’t…” His gaze locked onto hers, and for a moment, the weight of his responsibility melted under the intensity of his desire. “I can’t stay away.”

The warmth of his words broke through the chill in her chest, even as his next sentence threatened to steal it away. “But this is dangerous—for you, for me. We’re…wolves chasing a moon we’ll never catch.”

“Maybe we can’t catch it,” she whispered, leaning closer, emboldened by the pain etched in his face. “But we can still run together, can’t we?”

Jace hesitated, his fingers brushing hers in a fleeting, reckless moment of connection. He smiled, small and bittersweet. “Just for tonight.”

The world faded around them as they lingered in that fragile moment, two stars crossing in a sky that wouldn’t let them align.