Zyren didn't allow Aria to pull away from him, no matter how much she tried. His arms remained locked around her, unyielding, even as she watched the tall man with brown hair and piercing blue eyes approach them. The soft fur-covered ears atop his head twitched ever so slightly, drawing Aria's gaze. She couldn't look away from them, not even if she wanted to.
He was taller than anyone she had seen in a while—save for Zyren himself. His presence was hard to ignore, and it only grew more intense as he came closer. Her heart skipped when Zyren's voice cut through the silence, low and firm.
"King Jared," he said, the weight of the title hitting harder than Aria expected.
But she had barely registered the name before something strange and utterly disorienting occurred. A word—one she hadn't expected—echoed over and over in her mind.
Mate.
