Luna, however, was still and unblinking. "Will the council let him live that long?" she asked quietly.
Thessa's lips parted as if to protest, but no sound came. She shut her mouth again, her jaw tightening in defeat. There was no comeback, no assurance she could offer. The truth was as merciless as Luna's tone.
Morvakar, who had been silently watching the exchange with his usual unsettling calm, finally spoke. "I will send a message to the Alpha King tonight to come pick you up," he said, as if it were the most practical detail in the world.
"You will stay here with Morvakar, Thessa," Luna said, turning to her with a finality that brokered no argument. "Give him all the help he needs." Then she shifted her gaze to Morvakar, and the queen's steel cracked for just a heartbeat. "Please, Father… help my son."
