The massive, intricately carved doors of the throne room swung open. The kings guards ushered Alpha Kylan inside.
They announced the presence of the Alpha with their heads lowered in respect for their king.
Then, with an almost imperceptible nod, they left, leaving Kylan to move across the polished obsidian floor alone.
Kylan took a few deliberate steps further into the echoing silence before he spoke, his voice a low, respectful rumble. "My King." He bent his head in a deep, formal bow.
Then, his gaze shifted, and he offered a similarly deferential bow to the regal figure seated beside the monarch. "My Queen."
A low grunt, almost a growl, broke the solemnity. "Oh, Kylan! Enough of this!" King Hati waved a dismissive hand, his voice gruff but edged with a warmth that only a select few were privy to. "I know we're in the throne room, but for someone who has seen me maskless more than a thousand times, there's no need for such formality."
