Julian's head snapped back, his hand instinctively dropping toward the space where his dress sword would usually hang, his ice-blue eyes widening as he faced the raw, half-beast fury of the senior instructor.
"Instructor Mahir," Elara's voice cut through the rising heat like a sheet of glass falling onto stone. It wasn't loud, but it carried the absolute, freezing weight of a master commanding a hound. "Return to your coordinate."
Mahir froze. His chest heaved, his teeth bared slightly as he stared down at the silver-haired prince, his beast instincts screaming at him to tear the male apart for even speaking the word 'heir'. But as Elara's vacant gaze remained fixed on him, the iron weight of her authority crashed down on his spine. Slowly, his fingers uncurled from the wood. He pulled his hand back, his tail lowering behind him as he retreated exactly one step back into his designated corner, his chest still tight with suppressed rage.
