Laughter

Dennis nodded, his cheeks tinged with pink. "Ah… minus the curse word… exactly what he said."

The room filled with laughter, a brief respite from the gravity of their situation.

Zoe threw her arms around him. "Yes! Yes! Yes!"

*****

Lucas stared at the letter as if it might burst into flames. It had arrived in the early hours, hand-delivered by the King's courier himself who refused to give it to anyone else but Lucas.

With a heavy sigh, he broke the seal and unfolded the parchment. The script was elegant:

'Alpha Lucas Raventhorn,

Quite a lucky man. I didn't know the Daughter of the Moon was taken. I will respect that though your letter could have been less rude. I accept I wasn't proactive in searching for her.

On the matter of Zoe, deserters aren't welcome in my kingdom anyway.

Good luck.

King Herod of the North.'