The Lunar Rotunda was a marvel of wolf aristocracy, a circular hall of polished black stone so reflective it resembled standing on the surface of a dark lake. Thousands of humans filled the lower pews, their faces turned upward in a quiet, collective hum of reverence. They were not there out of obligation; they gathered to witness the heart of the kingdom beat for the first time in a long while.
At the altar, Valex stood like a pillar of obsidian against the sun-drenched marble. To his subjects, he was a force of nature, a ruler whose singular focus kept the borders safe and the laws ironclad. But as the trumpets signaled the Odesse's arrival, that iron began to crack.
He didn't just turn; he leaned toward her, his eyes, those striking molten gold unique to his bloodline, igniting with a warmth he reserved only for her.
