15: Theodore

I watched Emma disappear behind the massive oak, her silhouette momentarily visible against the midnight blue of her gown before she vanished into shadow. My body hummed with anticipation, Aeson pushing against my consciousness with unprecedented eagerness. Two centuries of waiting, and now my mate would emerge in her wolf form—a sight I had imagined countless times during those long, solitary nights. My hands tingled with that same spark that had ignited when she touched me, but I felt a warmth in my chest, an expanding heat that I recognized as joy—pure and uncomplicated in a way so little in my life had ever been.

"Before she comes back out, my King, you need to know something."

Elijah's voice pulled me from my reverie. I turned to face him, raising one eyebrow in silent question. In the dappled moonlight filtering through the forest canopy, his expression was solemn, his posture straight-backed despite the informal setting. Whatever he needed to share, it clearly mattered.

"Artemis is an Alpha," he said, his voice low enough that only Lycan hearing could catch it. "A true Alpha wolf, and a strong one too. She could take my pack easily if she and Emma wanted to."

This revelation settled over me like an unexpected weight. Alpha females were rare among werewolves—not unheard of, but uncommon enough to be remarkable. True Alphas, those born with inherent skills and qualities needed to be an Alpha rather than acquiring them through position, were rarer still. The knowledge shifted my understanding of Emma, adding new depth to the quiet strength I'd observed in her.

"So why is she your gamma?" I asked, genuinely curious. In werewolf packs, leadership positions typically aligned with natural dominance. For an Alpha wolf to serve as gamma—essentially third in command—was unusual.

Elijah's mouth curved in a small, fond smile. "I already had a beta in place when she came back home," he explained. "She was adamant she didn't want to take his position from him. My gamma was my father's too, and he wanted to retire."

I nodded, absorbing this information and what it revealed about Emma's character. She could have claimed higher rank by right of her wolf's status, yet she chose to honour existing pack structures and relationships. Pride, unexpected and warm, bloomed in my chest—not for any accomplishment of my own, but simply for the remarkable woman fate had connected me to.

A rustling from behind the oak drew our attention. I turned just in time to see her emerge, and the sight stole my breath.

Artemis was magnificent. Her fur gleamed pure white in the moonlight, pristine except for the distinctive black patches that marked each paw like formal gloves. She moved with fluid grace, her powerful form speaking of contained strength rather than brute force. But it was her eyes that captured me completely—yellow-green and luminous, full of keen intelligence and unmistakable awareness.

She padded forward, then sat on her haunches several feet away, her tail sweeping once across the forest floor. Those remarkable eyes fixed on me with expectant intensity. Every line of her posture radiated Alpha energy—not aggressive, but undeniably commanding.

Aeson surged forward in my consciousness, so eager to meet her that I had to exert significant control to maintain my human form. ’Beautiful,’ he rumbled, his mental voice charged with reverence. ‘Strong. Perfect.’

Elijah chuckled beside me. "Artemis asked me to pass on a message to you," he said, amusement warming his tone. "And that is: 'What are you waiting for, mate?'"

The directness of it—so characteristic of wolf communication—surprised a laugh from me.

Taking Artemis's challenge for what it was, I moved toward the shadowed area behind a broad-trunked pine. My fingers made quick work of formal attire I'd worn a thousand times, each button and clasp familiar beneath my touch. As the cool night air met my skin, I felt the familiar pull of the change rippling through me.

Unlike werewolves, who shifted completely from human to four-legged wolf form, Lycans transformed into something between—taller, still bipedal, but distinctly lupine. I closed my eyes, surrendering to the wave of heat that signaled Aeson rising to the surface.

The transformation washed through me like liquid fire, bones elongating, muscles reconfiguring, skin yielding to fur. I felt my face reshape, my senses sharpen dramatically as my body completed its metamorphosis. The forest around me exploded into vivid detail—every rustling leaf, every subtle scent, every whisper of breeze against fur.

I emerged from behind the pine in my Lycan form, standing nearly eight feet tall on powerful hind legs. My fur, dark as midnight with subtle blue undertones that marked the royal bloodline, caught the moonlight with each breath. I knew my eyes now glowed their true purple-blue, a beacon in the forest shadows.

Artemis remained sitting, her head tilted back to take in my full height. The difference between us was stark—her four-legged wolf form reaching perhaps five feet at the shoulder, while my Lycan form towered over her. Yet in her steady gaze, I saw neither intimidation nor submission—only open curiosity and something that looked remarkably like amusement.

She rose in one fluid motion, stretched languorously, then fixed me with a look of unmistakable challenge. Her tail raised, waving once in invitation. Then, without warning, she spun and darted into the deeper forest, a streak of white against the darkness. Her paws made almost no sound against the leaf litter, her movements displaying the perfect efficiency of a born predator.

‘Chase,’ Aeson urged, his excitement a palpable force. ‘Chase mate.’

I needed no further encouragement. I launched forward, my Lycan form covering ground in long, powerful strides. The forest blurred around me as I accelerated, following the flashes of white fur that appeared between trees ahead. Despite my greater size, Artemis moved with remarkable speed, zigzagging between trunks with precision that spoke of intimate familiarity with forest terrain.