55: Emma

I glanced over to meet Theo's eyes, finding them already fixed on me. He rose smoothly, brushing popcorn from his hands.

"I'd love to help with this demonstration," he said, his voice carrying across the training ground. "I'd rather do it than let someone else."

The significance of his offer wasn't lost on anyone present. The Lycan King, volunteering to be taken down by a werewolf in front of both species – it was unprecedented.

"Are you sure?" I asked as he approached, aware of every eye upon us.

His smile was warm, intimate despite our audience. "Yes."

Elijah patted him on the back as they passed each other. "Hope you know how to fall, Your Majesty."

I laughed, shaking my head at my brother. "We'll do it slowly first," I told Theo, "like I did with Elijah. It's easier than doing something at full speed."

Theo nodded, then leaned in to kiss my forehead, his lips brushing my skin like a whisper. "I look forward to you kicking my ass," he murmured in my ear, his breath sending a shiver down my spine that had nothing to do with the morning air.

I raised an eyebrow, fighting the smile that threatened to break through my professional demeanor. "Interesting approach, my King," I replied, stepping back to put some distance between us before my wolf could get any ideas about a different kind of physical contact.

I positioned Theo as I had Elijah, acutely aware of the differences between them. Where my brother was familiar territory, Theo was uncharted – the hard planes of his body, the way he moved with feline grace despite his size, the heat that radiated from him. I pushed these thoughts aside, focusing on demonstrating how to use a larger opponent's momentum against them, how to identify the moment of vulnerability when weight becomes a disadvantage rather than strength.

"Like this," I guided his arm, feeling the controlled power in his muscles. "When I move here, your instinct will be to push back, but that's exactly what I want you to do. It creates the opening I need."

We moved through the sequence slowly, step by step, every eye in the crowd following the dance of position and counter-position. I was hyper-aware of every point of contact between us, each touch sending tiny sparks across my skin.

"Do it properly, please!" Elena called out between audible crunches of popcorn, echoing her earlier command.

I caught Theo's eye, finding amusement and something else there – something darker, more primal. "Ready?" I asked.

He nodded, a grin spreading across his face. "Ready."

This time, we didn't hold back. Theo came at me with controlled aggression, not patronizing me with pulled punches or slowed movements. I dodged, weaved, looking for my opening. He was good – better than I'd expected – his movements efficient and powerful. Where Elijah had taken seconds to bring down, Theo presented a genuine challenge.

But I found my moment when he overextended slightly on a lunge. I ducked under his arm, using his forward momentum to throw him off balance, then swept his legs just as I had with Elijah. The difference was that I had to put my full weight and strength behind it, and even then, he managed to control his fall better than my brother had.

Still, the result was the same – the Lycan King on his back on the training mat, with me standing over him. The crowd's reaction was a mixture of gasps, cheers, and stunned silence.

I extended my hand to help him up, just as I had with Elijah. His fingers wrapped around mine, warm and strong. Once standing, I walked him through what had happened.

"You overreached here," I demonstrated the motion. "It created an opening. If you had kept your weight more centered, like this, I would have had to work harder to find a different angle."

I showed him the proper defensive stance. "And if you wanted to counter me, you could have done this—" I demonstrated a move that would have put me in a vulnerable position instead.

"Or," I continued, "once I had you down, you could have used your legs to sweep mine, then rolled to pin me, like this."

Before I could complete the demonstration, Theo moved with lightning quickness, executing exactly what I'd just described. Suddenly, I found myself on my back, his body above mine, his hands pinning my wrists to the mat. The move was executed perfectly – firm enough to demonstrate the technique, gentle enough to ensure I wasn't hurt.

I squealed in surprise – an embarrassingly un-warrior-like sound that drew laughter from the crowd. His face hovered above mine, eyes dancing with triumph and something else that made my heart race.

"Behave, my King," I said, unable to keep a smirk from my face despite my compromised position.

He leaned closer, his voice for my ears alone. "I can't help it."

The double meaning in his words sent heat coursing through me. Artemis howled her approval, practically doing cartwheels inside me.

"I need a shower," I said, suddenly aware of how sticky and gross I felt after the training session. "I feel disgusting."

Theo released my wrists and rose smoothly to his feet, extending his hand to help me up. As I stood, he didn't immediately let go, keeping me close enough that I could feel the heat radiating from his body.

Then, with a casualness that belied the significance of the gesture, he leaned down and kissed me. Not a passionate embrace, but not a chaste peck either – something in between that spoke of possession and promise. The crowd around us erupted in excited murmurs and a few playful whoops.

I broke the kiss first, smiling up at him as the world seemed to shrink to just the two of us, despite the dozens of eyes watching. In that moment, Benjamin Thorne and his threats felt distant, inconsequential compared to the certainty growing between us.