40: Theodore

The promise settled between us, weighted with both challenge and possibility. Aeson rumbled his approval within me, his earlier exuberance settling into steady contentment. ’Good mate,’ he observed with satisfaction. ‘Strong mate. Our mate.’

I leaned down, drawn to her as inevitably as tide to shore. Her eyes fluttered closed as our lips met, the contact igniting sparks that raced through my veins like lightning. The bond between us flared brighter, stronger, feeding on our physical connection until it felt like standing at the centre of a star. My hands remained gentle against her face, but the kiss itself deepened, carrying hunger and promise and relief.

Emma's arms wound around my neck, fingers threading through my hair as she pressed closer. The simple trust in that gesture – in allowing herself this vulnerability after everything she'd endured – made something twist painfully in my chest. I would spend centuries proving myself worthy of that trust, if she would let me.

Aeson rolled with joy within my consciousness, broadcasting images of running through moonlit forests, of building a life, a future, a legacy together. His happiness was so pure, so uncomplicated by the political concerns that still lingered at the edges of my awareness, that I envied him. To a wolf, mate meant everything – pack and home and purpose all wrapped in a single, sacred bond.

For me – for the king as well as the man – it meant that and more. It meant reformation, revolution, the living embodiment of the unity I had been working toward since taking the throne. Emma wasn't just my personal happiness; she was the future I envisioned for our kingdom, where artificial divisions gave way to recognition of shared strength.

When we finally parted, both slightly breathless, I rested my forehead against hers. The night air cooled my heated skin, the stars above bearing silent witness to this moment that would change everything. Behind us, the summit continued – diplomats and dignitaries weaving their careful dances of words and power, unaware that the most significant diplomatic alliance of the century had just been forged on this quiet balcony.

"Benjamin won't accept this easily," Emma said quietly, her practical nature addressing what we both knew to be true. "He still believes he has a claim on me."

"Benjamin Thorne has no claim on you," I replied, unable to keep the edge from my voice. "Not legally, not morally, not in any way that matters. And should he attempt to assert one..." I let the implication hang in the air between us.

She studied my face in the moonlight, her eyes searching mine. "I don't need you to fight my battles for me, Theo," she said, though there was no reproach in her tone. "I've been handling Benjamin for years."

"I know," I assured her, my thumb brushing across her lower lip in a touch that made her breath catch. "Your strength is one of the things I admire most about you. But being mates means your battles are now our battles – not because you need me to fight them, but because you deserve to never face them alone again."

Something shifted in her expression then – a subtle softening that made my heart beat faster. "I've been alone for a long time," she admitted, the simple statement carrying years of carefully maintained independence.

"Not anymore," I promised, sealing the words with another gentle kiss.

The bond between us thrummed with renewed vigor, as if affirming the declaration. Aeson settled into smug contentment, curling around the connection like a wolf guarding a precious treasure. ‘Never alone again,’ he agreed, his mental voice soft yet certain. ‘Always together now.’

Emma shifted in my arms, turning to look out over the gardens below, though she remained within the circle of my embrace. The Royal City spread beyond the hotel grounds, its concentric circles of light arranged like ripples in a pond, the palace rising at its heart like a beacon against the night sky. My kingdom – soon to be hers as well.

"It's beautiful from up here," she said quietly. "So ordered, so perfect."

"And far more complicated up close," I acknowledged, understanding the parallel she was drawing. "But worth protecting. Worth improving."

She nodded, leaning back against my chest as we gazed out at the future that awaited us. The mate bond settled between us, no longer the shocking presence it had been moments before but a warm, steady connection that felt as natural as breathing. Not yet complete without the marking, but a promise – a foundation upon which we would build whatever came next.

"When we return inside," I said, pressing a kiss to her temple, "everything will change. Are you ready for that?"

She turned in my arms, her green eyes meeting mine with the quiet determination that had first caught my attention across a crowded ballroom. "I accepted you as my mate, Theo," she said simply. "I've already chosen change."

I smiled, struck once more by her remarkable courage. My fingers traced the curve of her cheek, memorizing the warmth of her skin, the slight flush that coloured it in the moonlight. Artemis's joy radiated from her, mirroring Aeson's contentment within me – our wolves as perfectly matched as we were beginning to believe we might be.

"Then shall we face it together, my queen?" I asked, offering my arm as I had that first night, when she had been simply a werewolf gamma and I merely the Lycan King, before fate and choice had bound us to a shared path.

Emma's smile bloomed like a rare flower, transforming her face with a light that outshone the stars above us. "Together," she agreed, placing her hand on my arm with a confidence that made Aeson purr with satisfaction.

As we turned toward the ballroom doors, toward whatever challenges and triumphs awaited us beyond this peaceful moment, I knew with bone-deep certainty that whatever came next – prejudice, politics, Benjamin's resistance – we would face it side by side. Not as king and subject, but as partners. As mates.