17: Theodore

I watched Artemis through Aeson's eyes, her white fur gleaming like captured moonlight against the dark forest floor. My Lycan's senses registered every detail with heightened clarity – the subtle rise and fall of her sides as she breathed, the occasional twitch of an ear picking up sounds beyond even my perception, the particular wild-honey scent that was uniquely hers. Two centuries of waiting, and now she sat beside me, this magnificent creature who carried half my mate's soul. My claws tingled with residual energy from our run, but I felt a warmth in my chest, an expanding heat that I recognized not as guilt, but as its opposite – hope.

Beside us, the lake stretched dark and still, mirroring the star-studded sky above. The natural clearing where we'd settled offered a perfect vantage point – forest at our backs, open water before us, the night air cool against our fur. The quiet symphony of night creatures had resumed after our energetic arrival, crickets and night birds providing gentle counterpoint to our slowing breaths.

Elijah's wolf – Lyall, Emma had called him – sat a short distance away, his midnight-black coat punctuated by the silver chest markings that proclaimed his Alpha status. His amber eyes, intelligent and watchful, hadn't left his sister since he settled by the lakeside. The protective instinct was one I understood intimately, though it came from a different place. His was brotherly concern; mine, the desperate protectiveness of a mate bond still new and raw.

I observed through half-lidded eyes as Artemis tilted her head toward her brother, her distinctive yellow-green gaze fixing on him with what appeared to be mild exasperation. The subtle movements between them carried the unmistakable signs of silent communication – a mindlink between pack members, her brother likely checking that she felt safe, that I had behaved honourably during our run.

‘She's reassuring him,’ Aeson rumbled within me, his perceptions as always more attuned to wolf language than my human mind could fully grasp. ‘Telling him she's fine.’

I wondered what Emma was saying through that silent connection. Was she merely placating her brother's protective instincts, or was there genuine contentment behind her reassurance? The question stirred an unexpected vulnerability in me, a need for confirmation that Aeson received with something like amused tolerance. After centuries of diplomatic calculation and careful political moves, here I was, worrying about the impression I'd made during a simple forest run.

Lyall rose suddenly, powerful muscles rippling beneath his ebony fur. He dipped his head once in my direction – not submission, but acknowledgment, leader to leader. The gesture carried weight coming from a werewolf to a Lycan, particularly to one in royal lineage. Then with a final glance at his sister, he turned and bounded into the forest, a departing howl trailing behind him like a silver thread through the darkness.

‘He allows us time alone with her,’ Aeson observed, satisfaction rumbling through our shared consciousness. ‘He trusts us.’

’Or he trusts her ability to handle herself,’ I countered, remembering what Elijah had told me about Emma's true Alpha status.

Artemis shifted beside me, rising to her feet in one fluid motion. She stretched languorously, then met my gaze directly. Something passed between us in that moment – not a mindlink, but a form of understanding that transcended species differences. Then she stepped back, her form beginning to shimmer with that peculiar distortion that preceded transformation.

The change rippled through her white fur like wind across a snow-covered field. Her four-legged form elongated, reshaped, the magnificent wolf dissolving into the equally captivating woman. The transformation complete, Emma sat on the grass beside me.

Her face tilted up toward me, expression curious and slightly vulnerable in the moonlight. "Thank you for that," she said softly. "Artemis had fun."

Her words were simple, but they triggered a cascade of emotion within me. Aeson pushed, eager to reclaim our human form, to speak with our mate face to face. I surrendered to the familiar heat of transformation, feeling my massive Lycan body contract and reshape. The process was swift but intense – bones reconfiguring, muscles redistributing, fur receding into skin. The world around me momentarily blurred as my senses recalibrated from Lycan to human perception.

The night air felt cooler against my human skin, though the warmth radiating from where our arms nearly touched more than compensated.

"Aeson did too," I replied, my voice slightly rough from the change. "More than he has in... decades, probably."

Emma smiled, the expression small but genuine. Something had shifted between us during that run – some barrier had thinned, if not entirely dissolved. Her posture remained careful, maintaining that slight distance she seemed to need, but her eyes held mine with less wariness than before.

"I didn't realize you're a true Alpha until your brother told me," I said, watching her reaction carefully.

The smile faded, replaced by something more measured. She didn't appear upset by my knowledge, merely thoughtful, as if assessing how much to reveal.

"It's not something that's public knowledge," she said finally, her fingers absently combing through grass beside her. "Not really. The fact I could challenge my brother and win isn't something that we need people knowing." She looked out across the dark water, her profile sharp against the night sky. "My brother and I agreed on that a long time ago. If more wolves knew, especially the Alphas, they'd all suddenly see me as more of a threat."

I nodded, understanding the politics immediately. Female Alphas were rare enough to be remarkable; a female Alpha with the strength to potentially defeat the established male pack leaders would be viewed with fear and suspicion by many traditional packs.

"I'm surprised Artemis is happy answering to Alpha Elijah," I observed. Aeson, who answered to no one but me, found the concept nearly incomprehensible.

Emma's laugh was unexpected – a brief, warm sound that rippled across the still night air. "Elijah and I have an agreement that technically yes, I'm in the pack, but I'm more off to the side of the pack hierarchy rather than in it, if that makes sense." Her hands moved expressively as she explained, her earlier caution momentarily forgotten. "It means he can't even accidentally try to command me, which is for the best because if he did, I don't know if I could stop Artemis from challenging his wolf."

She chuckled again, the sound sparking something warm in my chest. "Artemis can be quite hot-headed sometimes, but I guess that comes with the territory of being an Alpha."

"A trait she shares with Aeson," I admitted, smiling at the irony. My own Lycan had been uncharacteristically accommodating tonight, so eager to please our newfound mate that his usual dominance had softened into something almost gentle. "Though tonight he was on his best behavior."

"I noticed." Her gaze dropped briefly to her hands before returning to my eyes. "Artemis was impressed. She's... not used to strong males who don't try to dominate her."