Gregoris watched Rafael laugh, and something inside him stilled, like a blade pauses just before being drawn.
It wasn't a loud laugh or the careless, but that devastating expression Rafael wore when he decided charm was the sharpest weapon available to him. His eyes were bright, his posture open, and his body angled just enough toward the alpha noble beside him to suggest interest without promising anything at all. It was planned to provoke him and it worked.
The man next to him, young, tall, and bred for court and confidence, leaned closer than necessary. His hand hovered near Rafael's elbow, nearly touching, testing the boundary with the arrogance of someone who believed the space already belonged to him.
Gregoris felt something stir his insides.
