Ally's POV

　　The air is thick with the scent of pine and the smouldering embers of celebration fires. My heart beats in rhythm with the distant thrumming of drums, a sound that echoes through the Luparian Kingdom's newly erected walls. We stand, Elliot and I, amidst the remnants of revelry, our breaths mingling in the crisp night air.

　　"Ally," Elliot's voice is a low rumble, tethered to the darkness, "Tonight marks the birth of our kingdom, but it won't truly be ...