63 Hear the Queen!

RETH

Aymora topped Elia by more than a head, but though Reth could smell the fear spike in Elia, she didn't back away.

"You think it's your place to tell me what to do with this man who I have served and protected since he was a cub?" Aymora said in a voice too low.

"Yes," Elia replied. "He's my mate. I won't see you—or anyone else—talk down to him like he's a child when he's the King."

"What about when he has been a very stubborn and stupid King?" Aymora said through her teeth.

"Then I will make sure he knows it," Elia snapped back. "Just like he'll tell me when I'm wrong."

Reth looked back and forth between them, his mouth open. He feared Aymora's wrath—she could make things very difficult for Elia if she chose to—but he was aroused by Elia's strength, her courage to step between him and what she thought was an attack.