42: Emma

The sound of the balcony door opening pulled me reluctantly from these reflections. I turned within the circle of Theo's arms to find Elijah, Elena, and Christian stepping outside, their expressions varying from concern to curiosity.

Elijah stopped abruptly, his eyes widening as he looked at us. "Goddess," he swore, his voice carrying genuine shock. "That feels weird."

I raised an eyebrow at my brother's uncharacteristic reaction. "What does?"

He gestured vaguely toward Theo and me, his normally composed diplomatic expression completely abandoned. "It's like yours and Theo's auras have not quite merged but blurred together," he explained, moving closer with cautious steps. "So my wolf recognizes you as Queen and him as the King, but..." He paused, tilting his head slightly as if listening to an internal voice. "I assume because I'm family, I no longer feel the need to bow, because that, I don't feel."

Theo chuckled, his chest vibrating against my back. "You're correct," he confirmed. "Family members don't experience the compulsion to bow that others will. Elena shouldn't need to either."

Elena moved forward, her warm brown eyes scanning me with that perceptive gaze that missed nothing. "It's beautiful," she said softly. "Your auras together. Like moonlight on forest leaves."

Christian remained slightly apart, his analytical eyes studying us with undisguised fascination. "Interesting that the family exception extends to in-laws," he observed. "That's not documented in any of the historical accounts I've read."

"Probably because those accounts were written by stuffy historians who weren't part of a royal mate-bond," Theo replied, his tone light despite the weight of our situation.

I shifted slightly in Theo's arms, turning to face my brother more directly. "Elijah, there's something else you should know." I drew a steadying breath. "My Alpha aura is now visible. Apparently the mate bond has amplified it beyond my ability to conceal."

Elijah's expression shifted from surprise to understanding to concern in rapid succession. "That changes things," he said quietly. "Not just for us, but for your interactions with other pack Alphas."

"I know," I acknowledged. "We'll need to be careful about how we handle this."

"No more hiding," Elena said, stepping closer to take my hand. "Perhaps that's not entirely a bad thing, Em."

I squeezed her fingers, grateful for her steady presence. Elena had been gently suggesting for years that my hidden Alpha status created unnecessary strain – that I was expending energy concealing something that was intrinsic to who I was. I'd always dismissed her concerns, believing the political benefits outweighed the personal cost. Now that choice had been taken from me.

"It's going to complicate everything," I said, unable to keep the edge of anxiety from my voice.

"Complicate, yes," Theo agreed, his hand coming to rest against the small of my back. "But also clarify. There's power in standing fully in your truth, Emma."

Christian moved closer, his head tilting as he studied me with that clinical gaze that somehow managed not to feel invasive. "The Alpha aura explains much about your presence," he noted. "I suspected from our first meeting, but seeing it confirmed that you’re a True Alpha is fascinating."

"You knew?" I asked, surprised.

He shrugged one shoulder, a gesture reminiscent of his brother despite their different colouring. "I recognized the signs. As Theo mentioned earlier, I have some experience identifying ranks."

"The question now," Elijah said, shifting into the strategic thinking that made him an effective Alpha, "is how do we handle this when you walk back into that ballroom? Every werewolf and Lycan in there will recognize both your status as Queen and as Alpha."

"We walk in together," Theo said simply. "United. Let them see exactly what we are to each other."

"Just like that?" I asked, a thread of uncertainty winding through me.

"Just like that," he confirmed, his amber eyes meeting mine with unwavering confidence. "You are my mate, my Queen, and a true Alpha in your own right. Those aren't weaknesses to conceal, Emma. They're strengths to embrace."

Elena smiled, something knowing in her expression. "Benjamin's face when he realizes will be quite something to behold."

Despite my anxiety, I felt a smile tugging at my lips. "That part I'm almost looking forward to."

Elijah laughed, the sound warming something inside me. How long had it been since I'd heard my brother laugh with such unguarded joy? "I never thought I'd see the day my little sister outranked me," he said, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "Though technically, I suppose I've always known you could."

"You'll always be my big brother," I assured him, reaching out to squeeze his hand. "That doesn't change."

"Just adds a crown," Christian observed dryly.

The simple comment struck me with unexpected force. A crown. Not figuratively but literally – I would be expected to wear the physical symbol of royalty. The thought was so absurd that a slightly hysterical laugh escaped me.

"What?" Theo asked, concern flickering across his features.

"I just realized I'll have to wear a crown," I admitted, the words sounding ludicrous even as I spoke them.

"Not immediately," he assured me, his lips twitching with suppressed amusement. "The formal coronation as Queen comes later. Though I do have a circlet that belonged to my mother that would suit you perfectly."

I shook my head, marveling at the surreal turn my life had taken. "Two days ago, I was worried about training schedules and border patrols."

"And now you're worried about crown fittings and royal protocols," Elena finished for me, her tone gently teasing. "Life does take unexpected turns."

"Speaking of royal protocols," Christian interjected, his expression growing more serious, "we should discuss how to handle the immediate aftermath of your public appearance as mates. The traditional faction will have... concerns."

"Their concerns are noted and irrelevant," Theo replied, a hint of steel entering his voice. "The mate bond is sacred and beyond their criticism."

"Beyond criticism, yes," Christian agreed. "But not beyond political maneuvering. Minister Krea already looked ready to faint when you declared Emma your mate during the confrontation with Benjamin."

I felt my shoulders tense at the reminder of the challenges that awaited us beyond this balcony. The protected bubble of family and acceptance would burst the moment we stepped back into the ballroom. Reality would assert itself with all its complications and resistance.

As if sensing my thoughts, Theo's hand found mine, our fingers intertwining in a gesture that felt both protective and equalizing. "We'll face it together," he said quietly. "All of it."

I looked at our joined hands – his larger one enfolding mine without dominating it – and found myself nodding. My fingers trembled slightly against his, but I felt a warmth in my chest, an expanding heat that I recognized not as fear but as resolve. Whatever awaited us beyond these doors, I would face it not just as Theo's mate or the new Queen, but as myself – Emma Maxwell, wolf and woman, no longer hiding any part of who I was.

"Together," I agreed, the word both promise and declaration.

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 nothing would ever be the same. But for the first time in years, that thought didn't terrify me. Change had come whether I wanted it or not, sweeping away the careful walls I'd built around myself, exposing not just the Alpha I'd hidden but the woman I'd been afraid to become.

And strangely, surprisingly, I was ready.