I looked at them, their smiles, their politeness, and I just had to keep a calm mind.
"Thank you, Phil. Put it on the side table," I replied, forcing my expression into a neutral, polite calm. I didn't smile, but I didn't scowl either.
The moment they lifted their heads, Fenric's white and black-striped tail stopped its playful swishing.
His ruby eyes narrowed slightly, a low, barely audible rumble passing through his chest as he instinctively shifted his massive frame to stand directly in front of Raiden and Phina.
Noah's hand didn't leave my waist, his grip tightening just a fraction in silent support. They felt it too—that primal, protective guard that immediately went up whenever Veyra's bloodline walked into our sanctuary.
But the children? The children didn't carry the baggage of the past.
"Phil! Philippe!" Raiden cheered, completely ignoring the tension as he scrambled out from behind Fenric's legs. "Come look at the drawing Phina made! It has a giant wolf!"
