5: Emma

The night air dried the dampness on my cheeks, cooling my flushed skin. Below us, the city continued its nighttime rhythms, oblivious to our private drama. Inside the ballroom, the summit carried on, diplomats and dignitaries weaving their careful dances of words and power.

And somewhere in that glittering crowd, a king waited—a king who was also my mate, whether I was ready to accept that reality or not.

"I don't know if I can do this," I admitted, my voice steadier now.

"No one's asking you to dive in headfirst," Elijah said. "Maybe give him a chance, sis. Even if not on your own at first." He paused, considering. "We could always have a few drinks or get dinner with him, give you a chance to get to know him without it being too intense a situation."

It was such a normal suggestion for such an extraordinary circumstance that I almost laughed. Getting drinks with the King —as if he were just another potential mate to vet.

Yet the suggestion offered a lifeline, a middle path between rejection and acceptance. A way to honour both my wolf's certainty and my human caution.

I nodded against Elijah's shoulder, breathing in the comforting scent of pack and family once more before straightening. "That sounds good."

The words were quiet but firm, a tentative step toward whatever future awaited. The mate bond hummed beneath my skin, neither rejected nor fully embraced. A beginning, not a commitment.

Elijah smiled, the expression warming his eyes. "That's all anyone can ask for—a chance."

"Elijah," I said, my voice still rough with emotion, "could you bring them back out here?" I wiped at my damp cheeks with the back of my hand, embarrassed by my breakdown yet somehow lighter for having let the tears fall. The night air had dried the wetness on my skin, leaving behind a tightness that matched the constriction in my chest, both uncomfortable, both necessary reminders that I was still here, still breathing, still capable of feeling after all this time.

My brother studied me for a moment, his eyes searching mine with the careful assessment he'd developed since becoming Alpha. "You sure, Em?"

I nodded, drawing a steadying breath that carried the distant scent of night-blooming flowers from the gardens below. "I'm sure. I need to…" I paused, gathering words that felt simultaneously too heavy and too fragile. "I need to at least try."

Elijah's expression softened. He pressed a gentle kiss to my forehead, his familiar scent, pine needles and leather, home and safety, enveloping me briefly. "That's my brave sister."

His eyes glazed over slightly, focusing on something distant as he initiated the mind-link with Elena. This silent communication between mates had once filled me with envy; now it sent a ripple of apprehension through me. Would Theo expect such openness from me immediately? The thought of someone else in my mind, after Benjamin's intrusions, made my skin prickle with remembered fear.

I smoothed my hands down the silken fabric of my dress, a nervous gesture I'd never quite abandoned. The delicate material caught on the calluses of my palms—evidence of years spent training, fighting, building myself back into someone I recognized. Someone who wouldn't be broken again.

The balcony door opened with barely a whisper, and they appeared like apparitions conjured by thought—Elena first, her honey-blonde hair catching moonlight, followed by Theo's taller frame, his shoulders blocking the warm glow from the ballroom behind him. The scent of him—cedar and stone, honey and lightning—wrapped around me again, my wolf rising to meet it with eager recognition. I pressed my hands harder against my thighs, anchoring myself against the pull.

Elena's eyes, warm with concern, flicked between Theo and me before settling on Elijah. Some unspoken communication passed between them—not mind-linking, but the silent language of mates who've learned to read each other's smallest gestures.

"Could you give Theo and me a minute?" I asked, my voice steadier than I'd expected.

The corner of Elena's mouth lifted in a small smile as she reached for Elijah's hand. "Of course. We'll make sure you're not interrupted."

Elijah squeezed my shoulder gently. "Of course, sis." He brushed another kiss across my forehead—a protective gesture so familiar it made my throat tighten—before leading Elena back inside.

The door closed behind them with a soft click that seemed to echo in the sudden stillness. I remained by the balustrade, my fingers curled around the cool stone as I gathered courage to face him. The distant sounds of the city below—faint music, the occasional call of night birds, the whisper of breeze through ornamental trees—filled the space between us.

I turned finally, finding Theo exactly where he'd been standing, tall and imposing yet somehow radiating patience. His amber eyes watched me with an intensity that made my pulse quicken, but he made no move to approach. Even in stillness, there was a carefully contained energy about him, like a storm deciding whether to break.

"I'm sorry for freaking out," I said, the words tumbling out before I could polish them into something more dignified. "My last mating... it was really bad. I thought I'd processed it all, but my wolf recognizing my second chance out of the blue brought everything rushing back."

Theo moved then, not toward me but to the balustrade, positioning himself a few feet away. He leaned against the stone, his posture deliberately casual, non-threatening. The moonlight silvered the edges of his dark hair and caught in the platinum of his crown.