Grayson's eyes were fixed on him with an unsettling gaze when Neville glanced back. The playful haze of rut was still there, but there was something sharper beneath it now.
"Your scent changed," Grayson said, leaning as he sniffed directly from his secondary gland, making him shudder in contact. "Something must be bothering you a lot."
Neville stiffened and opened his mouth to deny it, then closed it again.
"It's nothing," he weakly muttered in denial.
Grayson didn't respond immediately. He straightened just enough to look Neville in the eye, studying him in silence.
"Neville."
It was the first time Grayson had called him by name since his rut began.
But Neville wasn't budging. He clenched his jaw and said, "I said it's nothing."
This time, Grayson only responded with a slow, dark smile that didn't allow anyone to challenge his patience.
"Liar," he whispered.
