Orion gazed into the distance, ignoring Dirtclaw's sycophantic praise. Instead, he raised the one topic the hound had been so carefully avoiding.
With Dirtclaw now an upper-tier legend and Delilah an Alphapeak, their power dynamic had completely inverted. To maintain the contract under these conditions was… improper.
And now that Dirtclaw was a Warden, Orion, as King of their race, had to consider the optics. It was a matter of personal dignity and the honor of the horde.
Dirtclaw and Delilah had never brought it up, mostly because the final word rested with Orion. Without his initiative, the bond could never be broken.
A long, low howl escaped Dirtclaw's throat. It wasn't loud or sharp, but a smooth, mournful cry that seemed to hang in the air.
