39: Theodore

Her words hung in the night air between us, ancient and binding, carrying more weight than any royal decree I had issued in two centuries of rule. My fingers tingled where they rested against her waist, but I felt a warmth in my chest, an expanding heat that I recognized as something powerful: belonging. Two centuries of waiting, and now she stood before me, this werewolf woman with forest-green eyes and unimaginable courage, offering the one thing my crown could never command – her choice, her trust, her heart.

"I, Alpha Emeline Maxwell of the Blood Moon Pack, accept you, King Theodore Lykoudis, as my mate."

For a heartbeat, I couldn't move, couldn't speak, could only feel the reverberations of those words traveling through my body like ripples across still water. Emma's voice had emerged steady yet soft, resonating with Artemis's power beneath the human tones. Her eyes – those remarkable green depths that had captivated me from our first meeting – had shifted to Artemis's yellow-green, luminous in the darkness of the balcony.

Aeson surged within me, his joy so overwhelming it threatened to steal my breath. ‘MATE!’ he howled, the single word carrying centuries of longing. ’OUR MATE CHOOSES US!’

I studied her face in the moonlight, memorizing every detail of this moment – the slight flush of her cheeks, the determined set of her jaw, the faint tremor in her hands that betrayed the courage this declaration had required. After everything Benjamin had taken from her, after the ways her trust had been betrayed, she was choosing to trust again. Choosing me.

The realization humbled me in a way no royal duty ever had.

I leaned forward, pressing my lips to her forehead in a gesture that felt simultaneously reverent and protective. Her skin was warm beneath my touch, carrying that scent that had become as essential to me as breathing – wild honey and mountain herbs, strength and resilience captured in fragrance. I lingered there a moment, gathering words worthy of her offering, before moving to whisper in her ear.

"And I, King Theodore Lykoudis, accept you, Alpha Emeline Maxwell, as my mate."

As the words left my lips, something shifted between us – not a gradual change but an immediate transformation, like two puzzle pieces finally clicking into place after centuries of misalignment. The bond snapped into existence with such force that I gasped, my arms tightening around Emma as the connection flooded through me. Warm and brilliant, it flowed between us like liquid sunlight, binding our souls together in ways that transcended physical touch.

Aeson howled with triumph within me, practically dancing with joy. ‘BOND!’ he crowed, radiating such happiness that I couldn't help but smile. ‘STRONG BOND! PERFECT MATE!’

Emma's breath hitched, her body swaying slightly as she experienced the same rush. I steadied her, one hand moving to cup the back of her neck, cradling her against me as we both adjusted to this new reality. The mate bond, no longer just magical recognition but a conscious choice on both our parts, hummed between us with vibrant intensity.

"Can you feel it?" she whispered, her voice filled with wonder.

"Yes," I breathed, amazed by the clarity of the connection. Through it, I could sense the edges of her emotions – her joy, her lingering apprehension, her determination. Not her thoughts, exactly, but the shape of her feelings, the texture of her presence. "It's... extraordinary."

She nodded against my chest, her hands coming up to rest against my heart. "Different than before," she said softly, and I knew she meant Benjamin – the false bond that had brought her such pain. "This feels..."

"Right," I finished when she hesitated. "Like coming home to a place you've never been but somehow always known."

Her smile against my chest was answer enough. We stood together beneath the stars, the cool night air carrying the scent of night-blooming flowers from the gardens below. The formal gardens gave way to wilder growth at the edges, where carefully tended beds yielded to the natural forest beyond – a boundary between civilisation and wilderness that seemed to mirror our own position, standing between centuries of division and the possibility of unity.

The bond between us was strong yet incomplete – lacking only the physical marking that would finalize our connection. That would come later, when the time was right. For now, this conscious choice, this deliberate binding of our souls, was enough. More than enough.

"Thank you," I murmured against her hair, inhaling her scent with each breath. "For giving me a chance. For giving us a chance."

She shifted in my arms, looking up at me with eyes that had returned to their natural forest green. "I should be thanking you," she said quietly. "For your patience. For respecting my boundaries. For seeing me as more than just a duty."

The simple gratitude in her voice struck something deep within me – the recognition of how little she had come to expect, how accustomed she had become to having her needs dismissed rather than prioritized. Benjamin's shadow still lingered between us, not as a barrier now but as a reminder of the trust I needed to continually earn.

"Emma," I said, my voice emerging rougher than intended, "you could never be just a duty to me. From the moment I scented you across that ballroom, you have been a gift I never dared hope for." I traced the line of her jaw with my thumb, marveling at the softness of her skin. "A queen worthy of standing beside me, not behind me."

Her eyes widened slightly at the word "queen" – a reminder of the political realities that awaited us beyond this balcony. The traditionalist faction of my council would resist, the werewolf packs would have their own concerns, and Benjamin... Benjamin would not surrender his claims easily, despite having no true right to them.

"We'll face challenges," she acknowledged, reading my thoughts without needing our bond to do so. "Your council won't be pleased."

"My council serves at my pleasure," I reminded her, a hint of the king entering my voice. "And my pleasure now includes a werewolf queen at my side."

She smiled at that, though a shadow of concern still lingered in her eyes. "It won't be easy."

"Few things of value are," I replied, my hands moving to cup her face between them. Her skin was warm beneath my palms, alive with the pulse of her determination and courage. "But we'll face whatever comes together. Not as king and subject, not as Lycan and werewolf, but as mates. Equals."