Nara's shoulders slumped in defeat. There was no hiding such things from a matriarch, especially not her own mother. "His name is Arthur Lionheart. King of Lyranth."
"The Incubus King," Mara said, her eyes lighting with interest. "His reputation reaches even our territories. They say he takes queens of many species, that his appetite is insatiable." She studied her daughter's face. "And you've tasted this appetite firsthand."
It wasn't a question, but Nara nodded anyway, a flush coloring her cheeks. "It was... different from Cassius."
"Better?" Mara asked bluntly, beast clan directness leaving no room for modesty.
"Yes," Nara admitted, her voice barely a whisper. "Stronger. More... primal. He understood what I needed without being told."
Mara nodded, unsurprised. "And Cassius knows nothing of this?"
"He suspects something has changed, but not what." Nara's hands twisted in her lap. "The divine light blinds him to what's directly before him."
