The desire to flee, to find Çiçek and return her safely home, jostled with nervous energy at the back of his mind. As much as this conversation was both important and worthy of his full attention, he found himself split into different sections of thought. Part of him was already leagues down the beach, rushing to tell the Ridge queens of the news. Another part of him had already plunged into the ocean, hellbent on a path for home, eager to investigate the unlikely possibility that Çiçek had returned home. The rest of him was still here, trying to navigate the game of tug o' war that they were playing.

But he is not so far gone to miss the not-so-subtle challenge in Rougaru's tone. Turning his sharp gaze back to the wolf king, he offered a hard smile and a nod. "There is." In truth, his relationship with Marzanna was as rocky as ever, but they had a shared goal and purpose in protecting Flyns. That shared goal had been enough to draw them together into an alliance, but Solomon would not go so far as to say it was friendship. Both of them still harbored too much resentment over the outcome of the queen battle to regard each other warmly.

But Rougaru didn't need to know that. All Rougaru needed to know was that Solomon would be inclined to step in if any challenges came her way.

They move quickly on to the topic of Faolain and Solomon carefully notes the phrasing that Rougaru uses. Sort of alliance you could say, as though such a relationship was tenuous at best and hinged on something unpleasant. As if such an alliance was hinged on the same colt that Rougaru claimed a moment later. A smile twitched along his lips and he inclined his head, not entirely sure how he felt about such a possibility. It felt like only a sideways step away from rape, and yet the Ridge Queens had still considered themselves allied to Paradise, so surely there couldn't be too much bad blood there yet. "Congratulations on your son, and your alliance," he says with an inclination of his head.

Deciding to store away these scraps of information for later, Solomon turns slightly as an indication of his departure. "Take care," he murmurs by way of parting and turns back to the ocean, his course set on the Cove. As much as he would like to run to the Ridge now, he knew that he needed to visit them anyway to deliver Finch and a swim would give him plenty of time to ruminate over his newfound knowledge.

Solomon