The moment shattered without warning.
The massive doors of the throne room burst open.
A low, feral growl tore from Raven's chest—raw, deranged, and lethal.
Vanella flinched instinctively.
The reaction was small, barely there, but Raven felt it.
His body went still.
Is she… afraid of me?
The thought displeased him far more than the interruption itself. She dare not fear him. Not after what had just passed between them. Not after the way her body had trusted his without question.
Raven's gaze snapped to the doors, murderous intent rolling off him in waves.
Whoever dared enter his throne room without permission had a death wish.
And of course—
Kallen.
The idiot stood frozen just inside the threshold, eyes wide, mouth slightly open, staring at the scene before him as if his mind had simply stopped working.
This—of all things—was the least he had expected to walk in on today.
Kallen's soul very nearly left his body when Raven's growl deepened, turning possessive, dangerous, and unmistakably territorial.
Oh. I'm going to die, he thought faintly.
Recovering whatever sense of self-preservation he had left, Kallen immediately bowed—deeply, hastily.
"Your Majesty," he blurted out, voice rushed. "My apologies. Profound apologies. I—I didn't mean to—"
He took a careful step backward.
"For the sake of my life," he added quickly, "I will take my leave immediately."
Raven did not move.
"Speak," he ordered coldly.
Kallen swallowed.
"Yes—yes, of course." He straightened just enough to deliver the message, eyes firmly fixed on a neutral spot far away from Vanella, who had instinctively shifted closer to Raven, half-hidden in front of him, her face burning with embarrassment.
"The First Lady of the Eagle Clan requests an audience," Kallen reported. "And… the operation has been handled. As instructed."
The words landed heavily in the air.
Raven's eyes darkened, his jaw tightening imperceptibly.
"Dismissed," he said.
Kallen did not wait to be told twice.
He bowed again—nearly tripping over himself—and retreated from the throne room with impressive speed, the doors closing behind him with a resounding thud.
Silence returned.
Vanella remained where she was, still hiding against Raven's chest, very deliberately avoiding eye contact.
Raven looked down at her.
The growl was gone, replaced by something quieter, deeper—something dangerous in a different way.
"You have nothing to be embarrassed about," he said softly, though the authority in his voice remained absolute.
She did not answer, only nodded faintly, her fingers still gripping his clothes as if letting go would unsteady her.
Raven's gaze lingered on her for a moment longer than necessary.
Then his attention shifted back to the closed doors, his mind already moving.
The Eagle Clan's First Lady.
The game was far from over.