Ally's POV

　　"Time will tell," he replies, "and I'm asking you for that time."

　　"Time..." I repeat, letting the word linger in the air, a promise as uncertain as the shifting shadows of the Luparian Kingdom's grand halls.

　　"Ally," his voice is a low rumble, resonating with a new kind of warmth that sends shivers down my spine. "There's something I need to ask you."

　　I approach cautiously, aware of the intensity in his gaze, the way it pins me ...