---
Miryam chimed with mental curiosity, Kai felt warmth. But she didn't say anything. She was still hesitant. He knew Miryam needed time to adjust.
So, He guided Luna to the crystal bench. "Rest. You're safe here."
She cupped his cheek. "And you?"
"This monarch has a kingdom to build." He looked over the cavern. "First decree, no one chains hearts."
Luna smiled with fatigue and hope. She lay to sleep under owl watch.
Kai turned to tasks, prepare double milk ration, assign Silvershadow to scout orphan star-deer herds, order boars to expand tunnel larders. War brewed, Silvertail retaliation inevitable.
He gazed across the hollow mountain, the throne-sky his to claim. In the distance thunder rumbled, the world sensing the rise of a new force.
"Come," he whispered to the storm, to the wolves, to an empire yet to be born. "Step into my web."
