[Frojnholm—Same night—Continuation—Lief's Pov]
The silence after Alvar's kiss was… loud.
Too loud.
Every torch crackled. Every boot crunched on snow. Every villager's jaw dropped like hailstones from the sky. I swear, I could almost hear the sound of fifty necks snapping in unison as they all turned to gape at us.
"…MASTER… WHY DID YOU KISS A MAN?!" Zephyy shrieked in my ear, his tiny blue fur puffed up so much he looked like a disgruntled snowball. Thankfully, only I could hear him—otherwise the entire village would've exploded on the spot.
Meanwhile, my crimson pup growled low, following the wide, scandalized eyes of the villagers like he was in on the gossip.
And Alvar? He didn't care. Not one bit.
To make matters worse, he slid one hand around my waist and glared at the villagers with his piercing ice-blue eyes. His voice dropped low and steady and rolled out like distant thunder:
