<h4>Chapter 164: Chapter 164: Breaking Every Rule</h4>


    The wedding cake exploded across the room.


    Kael ducked as chunks of chocte flew past his head. Maria Santos, still in her white dress, stood frozen in shock. Her new husband Jake, a werewolf from the neighboring pack, growled at the masked figures who had just crashed through the church windows.


    "No mixed marriages!" the lead attacker screamed. "This is against God’s n!"


    "And against nature!" another shouted, pointing a silver weapon at Jake.


    Kael’s heart sank. Today was supposed to be perfect. The first official wedding between a human and a werewolf. A symbol of hope for everyone.


    Instead, it had be a war zone.


    "Get Maria to safety!" Jake yelled, his eyes already glowing as his wolf tried to emerge.


    But Maria stepped in front of her husband. "No," she said firmly. "I’m not hiding on my wedding day."


    "They have silver bullets!" Kael warned.


    "I don’t care," Maria replied. "This is my choice. My life. My love."


    The attackers wore the symbols of three different hate groups. The Human Purity Foundation. The Species Separation Society. And something new - the Divine Order of Natural Law.


    "You’re contaminating the human bloodline!" their leader dered. "Your children will be abominations!"


    "My children will be loved," Maria shot back. "Something you clearly don’t understand."


    Little Emma Santos, Maria’s daughter from her first marriage, peeked out from behind the altar where she’d been hiding. Her eyes were wide with fear.


    "Mommy?" she whispered.


    "It’s okay, baby," Maria called out. "Everything will be okay."


    But Kael could see more attackers surrounding the church. At least fifty people with weapons and torches.


    His phone buzzed with emergency alerts:


    "Attacks on mixed couples in twelve cities."


    "Human-supernatural wedding in Das bombed."


    "Vampire-human ceremony in Miami under siege."


    This wasn’t random. It was coordinated.


    "Ronan, Darian, where are you?" Kael spoke into his earpiece.


    "Protecting the couple in Phoenix," Ronan’s voice crackled back. "Same thing happening here!"


    "Chicago wedding hall is surrounded," Darian added grimly. "They nned this perfectly."


    The leader raised his silver weapon. "You have ten seconds to annul this fake marriage, or we start shooting."


    "Over my dead body," Jake snarled, his canine teeth growing longer.


    "That can be arranged," the leader smiled coldly.


    But before anyone could move, something unexpected happened.


    The church doors burst open.


    Mrs. Peterson rushed in with thirty other humans from the town. They carried shields made from pot lids and baseball bats wrapped in pillows.


    "Sorry we’rete!" Mrs. Peterson called out cheerfully. "Traffic was terrible!"


    "What are you doing here?" the leader demanded.


    "We’re here for the reception," Mrs. Peterson replied innocently. "Wouldn’t miss it for the world."


    Behind the townspeople, Kael saw more figures entering. Supernatural beings from different species. Vampires, fairies, witches, and other werewolves. All carrying homemade weapons and determined expressions.


    "This is a private matter!" the leader snapped.


    "No," said an elderly vampire Kael recognized as Mr. Rosetti. "This is amunity celebration. And we’re part of themunity."


    Emma suddenly ran from her hiding spot. Before anyone could stop her, she hugged the leader’s leg.


    "Hi!" she said brightly. "Are you here for the party too?"


    The leader looked down in shock. "Get away from me, half-breed!"


    "I’m not half anything," Emma said confused. "I’m all me. Just like you’re all you."


    Her innocent words seemed to confuse the attackers. Several lowered their weapons slightly.


    "Children don’t understand theplexity," the leader muttered.


    "Maybe adults make things tooplicated," Emma suggested helpfully.


    Maria’s eyes filled with tears watching her daughter. Even in danger, Emma was trying to make peace.


    "You know what?" Maria announced loudly. "We’re going to finish this ceremony."


    "Are you insane?" Jake whispered. "They’ll kill us!"


    "Then we die married," Maria said simply. "I’m not letting hate win on our wedding day."


    She turned to the minister, who was cowering behind his podium. "Please continue, Father Williams."


    "I... I can’t," the old priest stammered. "It’s too dangerous."


    "I’ll do it," Mrs. Peterson volunteered. "I got certified onlinest week just in case."


    She walked to the front of the church,pletely ignoring the weapons pointed at her.


    "Dearly beloved," she began loudly, "we are gathered here today to witness something beautiful."


    "Stop this mockery!" the leader screamed.


    "You stop," little Emma said firmly, still hugging his leg. "They love each other. Love is good."


    "Love between species is wrong!"


    "Says who?" Emma asked innocently.


    "Says... says the Bible! Says nature! Saysmon sense!"


    Emma frowned thoughtfully. "My daddy says the Bible teaches us to love everyone. And nature makes lots of different animals be friends. Andmon sense means being nice to nice people."


    The leader looked frustrated. How do you argue with a three-year-old’s logic?


    "Do you, Maria Santos, take Jake to be your husband?" Mrs. Peterson continued bravely.


    "I do," Maria said, her voice strong and clear.


    "Do you, Jake Morrison, take Maria to be your wife?"


    "I do," Jake replied, his eyes never leaving Maria’s face.


    The attackers looked uncertain. Some seemed moved by the simple ceremony. Others remained angry.


    "By the power vested in me by the inte," Mrs. Peterson dered, "I now pronounce you husband and wife!"


    Jake and Maria kissed as their friends and family cheered.


    For a moment, love really did conquer all.


    Then the leader raised his weapon again. "Enough!"


    But before he could fire, Emma did something incredible.


    She began to glow.


    Not with werewolf power or fairy magic. With something else entirely. Something that made everyone in the church feel warm and peaceful.


    "Wow," someone whispered. "What is she?"


    Emma looked around at all the confused faces. "I’m love," she said simply. "We all are. We just forget sometimes."


    The golden light spread from Emma to everyone around her. Attackers lowered their weapons without meaning to. Supernatural beings felt their aggressive instincts calm. Humans found their fear melting away.


    "This is impossible," the leader breathed.


    "No," Emma corrected gently. "This is possible. We just have to choose it."


    But then Emma suddenly went rigid. Her glowing eyes rolled back.


    "Emma!" Maria screamed, running to her daughter.


    When Emma spoke again, her voice was different. Urgent. Terrified.


    "They’reing!" she gasped. "The shadow feeders! They’re angry we made peace!"


    "What shadow feeders?" Kael demanded.


    "The ones from between worlds. They eat hate and fear. When people love each other, they get hungry and angry."


    Emma’s small body started shaking. "They’re almost here. And they’re bringing something worse."


    "What could be worse?" Jake asked.


    Emma looked at the newlywed couple with eyes full of ancient sadness.


    "They’re bringing the thing that made them. The First Hatred. The thing that taught people to fear what’s different."


    Outside, the sky began to turn ck.


    "It’s starting," Emma whispered.


    "What’s starting?" Maria asked desperately.


    "The final test. If humans and supernatural beings can really love each other, the First Hatred will die forever. But if we fail..."


    Emma’s voice became very small and scared.


    "If we fail, it will separate every species forever. No more mixed families. No more friendships. No more love between different kinds of people."


    The church began to shake.


    "And it’s going to start," Emma said as darkness


    crept under the doors, "by making everyone forget why they fell in love in the first ce."