Kyllian snorted, amused despite himself. "You bite me, and I might bite back. Don't test me."
She playfully narrowed her eyes. "Alpha or not, I will win. I always win."
They both laughed, and for a brief moment, the thick tension between them lightened. But even laughter couldn't cover the undercurrent of what remained unsaid between them.
"Fine," Kyllian said, relenting. "But if you need me, we need to find a way to get word across, Luna. Fast."
Luna nodded and changed the subject. "Why didn't you come with your Luna?"
At that, Kyllian instantly stiffened. His shoulders locked, his hands slid into his coat pockets, and he stared ahead. "We cannot all leave town for a royal wedding."
Luna didn't speak right away. She studied him, the small twitch in his jaw, the way he avoided her gaze. "Is that the real reason," she said slowly, voice silk with an edge of suspicion, "or is it the same reason you didn't make her your queen?"
