Nova's POV
She heard Orion before she saw him.
A low, steady growl coming from the direction of the east wing corridor not aggressive, not threatening, the specific register of a wolf who had encountered something unexpected and was giving it a warning before deciding what to do about it.
Nova set down her pen and went to find him.
He was in the corridor outside his room, facing one of the palace's older guards a man named Aldric who had worked the east wing night rotation for six years and who was, to his considerable credit, holding very still.
"Orion," Nova said.
Orion looked at her. He was doing the thing he did when he was startled weight forward, shoulders up, the wolf's readiness living in a body that was human again but hadn't entirely caught up with that fact yet.
"He came around the corner," Orion said. Explaining, not apologizing. "Fast."
"He lives here," Nova said. "He works here."
"I know that now."
"Aldric," Nova said. "This is Prince Orion. He's adjusting."
