Al heard that whine. His breath caught slightly. As soon as Edmund yielded, he backed off quickly, the normal, prudish lion returning.

At least Edmund’s response was more like the pushy, impudent panther Al remembered, and not the meek omega he was being replaced by. Al shook off, giving a huff that rippled his mane.

“I don’t know what you mean, Majesty,” he nudged Edmund again, following the style of his earlier greeting. Now that he’d won, he was back to being an obedient steward. One who wouldn’t think overly much about what it felt like to have his king underneath him, at his mercy.