13: Theodore

I watched Emma disappear behind the massive oak, her silhouette momentarily visible against the midnight blue of her gown before she vanished into shadow. My body hummed with anticipation, Aeson pushing against my consciousness with unprecedented eagerness. Two centuries of waiting, and now my mate would emerge in her wolf form—a sight I had imagined countless times during those long, solitary nights. My hands tingled with that same spark that had ignited when she touched me, but I felt a warmth in my chest, an expanding heat that I recognized as joy—pure and uncomplicated in a way so little in my life had ever been.

"Before she comes back out, my King, you need to know something."

Elijah's voice pulled me from my reverie. I turned to face him, raising one eyebrow in silent question. In the dappled moonlight filtering through the forest canopy, his expression was solemn, his posture straight-backed despite the informal setting. Whatever he needed to share, it clearly mattered.

"Artemis is an Alpha," he said, his voice low enough that only Lycan hearing could catch it. "A true Alpha wolf, and a strong one too. She could take my pack easily if she and Emma wanted to."

This revelation settled over me like an unexpected weight. Alpha females were rare among werewolves—not unheard of, but uncommon enough to be remarkable. True Alphas, those born with inherent skills and qualities needed to be an Alpha rather than acquiring them through position, were rarer still. The knowledge shifted my understanding of Emma, adding new depth to the quiet strength I'd observed in her.

"So why is she your gamma?" I asked, genuinely curious. In werewolf packs, leadership positions typically aligned with natural dominance. For an Alpha wolf to serve as gamma—essentially third in command—was unusual.

Elijah's mouth curved in a small, fond smile. "I already had a beta in place when she came back home," he explained. "She was adamant she didn't want to take his position from him. My gamma was my father's too, and he wanted to retire."

I nodded, absorbing this information and what it revealed about Emma's character. She could have claimed higher rank by right of her wolf's status, yet she chose to honour existing pack structures and relationships. Pride, unexpected and warm, bloomed in my chest—not for any accomplishment of my own, but simply for the remarkable woman fate had connected me to.

A rustling from behind the oak drew our attention. I turned just in time to see her emerge, and the sight stole my breath.

Artemis was magnificent. Her fur gleamed pure white in the moonlight, pristine except for the distinctive black patches that marked each paw like formal gloves. She moved with fluid grace, her powerful form speaking of contained strength rather than brute force. But it was her eyes that captured me completely—yellow-green and luminous, full of keen intelligence and unmistakable awareness.

She padded forward, then sat on her haunches several feet away, her tail sweeping once across the forest floor. Those remarkable eyes fixed on me with expectant intensity. Every line of her posture radiated Alpha energy—not aggressive, but undeniably commanding.

Aeson surged forward in my consciousness, so eager to meet her that I had to exert significant control to maintain my human form. ’Beautiful,’ he rumbled, his mental voice charged with reverence. ‘Strong. Perfect.’

Elijah chuckled beside me. "Artemis asked me to pass on a message to you," he said, amusement warming his tone. "And that is: 'What are you waiting for, mate?'"

The directness of it—so characteristic of wolf communication—surprised a laugh from me.

Taking Artemis's challenge for what it was, I moved toward the shadowed area behind a broad-trunked pine. My fingers made quick work of formal attire I'd worn a thousand times, each button and clasp familiar beneath my touch. As the cool night air met my skin, I felt the familiar pull of the change rippling through me.

Unlike werewolves, who shifted completely from human to four-legged wolf form, Lycans transformed into something between—taller, still bipedal, but distinctly lupine. I closed my eyes, surrendering to the wave of heat that signaled Aeson rising to the surface.

The transformation washed through me like liquid fire, bones elongating, muscles reconfiguring, skin yielding to fur. I felt my face reshape, my senses sharpen dramatically as my body completed its metamorphosis. The forest around me exploded into vivid detail—every rustling leaf, every subtle scent, every whisper of breeze against fur.

I emerged from behind the pine in my Lycan form, standing nearly eight feet tall on powerful hind legs. My fur, dark as midnight with subtle blue undertones that marked the royal bloodline, caught the moonlight with each breath. I knew my eyes now glowed their true purple-blue, a beacon in the forest shadows.

Artemis remained sitting, her head tilted back to take in my full height. The difference between us was stark—her four-legged wolf form reaching perhaps five feet at the shoulder, while my Lycan form towered over her. Yet in her steady gaze, I saw neither intimidation nor submission—only open curiosity and something that looked remarkably like amusement.

She rose in one fluid motion, stretched languorously, then fixed me with a look of unmistakable challenge. Her tail raised, waving once in invitation. Then, without warning, she spun and darted into the deeper forest, a streak of white against the darkness. Her paws made almost no sound against the leaf litter, her movements displaying the perfect efficiency of a born predator.

‘Chase,’ Aeson urged, his excitement a palpable force. ‘Chase mate.’

I needed no further encouragement. I launched forward, my Lycan form covering ground in long, powerful strides. The forest blurred around me as I accelerated, following the flashes of white fur that appeared between trees ahead. Despite my greater size, Artemis moved with remarkable speed, zigzagging between trunks with precision that spoke of intimate familiarity with forest terrain.

The primal joy of the chase flooded through me, washing away the complexities of royal duties and political maneuvering. In this moment, I was simply Aeson, pursuing his mate through moonlit woods as our ancestors had done for countless generations. The cool night air filled my lungs, carrying the mingled scents of pine resin, damp earth, and the distinct wild fragrance that was uniquely Artemis.

I heard Elijah in the distance, his paws striking the ground in rhythmic counterpoint as he followed at a discreet distance—present but not intruding, offering security while respecting privacy. The awareness faded to the background as I focused entirely on the white tail flicking tauntingly just ahead.

Suddenly, Artemis vanished. One moment she was there, a ghostly form weaving between shadowed trunks; the next, she had disappeared completely. I slowed, my senses expanding outward in search of her. The forest had gone oddly still, as if holding its breath in anticipation.

‘Where is she?’ Aeson growled, turning in a slow circle. ‘Where is our mate?’

I scented the air, ears swiveling to catch any betraying sound. Nothing. The clearing where I stood was ringed with ancient trees, their gnarled roots creating shadows deep enough to hide in. Moonlight dappled the forest floor through breaks in the canopy, creating puzzling patterns of light and dark.

In the distance, I heard Elijah approaching, his pace unhurried. But of Artemis, there was no sign—not a rustle of movement, not the slightest scent trail to follow. She had vanished as completely as morning mist.

‘MATE,’ Aeson projected, the word tinged with frustration and longing. ‘Where—‘

The thought cut short as something solid collided with my side—a white blur moving so fast I had no time to brace. The impact wasn't painful, but it was forceful enough to unbalance me, sending me stumbling sideways in surprise.

Artemis landed lightly a few feet away, her posture playful, tail waving in clear delight at having successfully ambushed me. Her yellow-green eyes sparkled with mischief, her mouth open in what could only be described as a wolfish grin.

Aeson's initial surprise transformed instantly to joy. ‘Clever mate,’ he rumbled with approval. ‘Strong mate.’

I feinted left, then lunged right, my reflexes allowing me to change direction with a speed that would have been impossible in human form. Artemis anticipated the move, dancing away with a graceful pivot that spoke of years of combat training. We circled each other, each testing the other's responses, learning patterns and preferences through this ancient dance of play-fighting.

She darted forward, nipping at my forearm before retreating, her movements quick as summer lightning. I growled in mock outrage, the sound rumbling from deep in my chest. The playful challenge sparked something primal in me, something that had little to do with being king and everything to do with being Lycan.

I dropped to all fours, bringing myself closer to her height, and lunged. This time I was fast enough to catch her, my larger form carefully controlling its strength as I pinned her briefly to the forest floor. She squirmed beneath me, her fur sliding like silk against mine for one heart-stopping moment before she somehow slipped free, leaving me holding nothing but moonlight.

Our playfight continued, each exchange teaching us more about the other than hours of conversation could have. In her movements, I read determination and cleverness. In the careful control of her considerable strength, I recognized compassion. In her fearless engagement with a form twice her size, I saw courage that stole my breath.

Aeson thrived on this connection, more content than I'd felt him in decades. ‘Good mate,’ he repeated, the simple phrase conveying worlds of approval. ‘Strong, smart, perfect mate.’

Eventually, our energetic exchange gave way to a more companionable chase, racing side by side through the forest rather than against each other. I adjusted my pace to match hers, finding a rhythm that allowed us to move in synchrony. The simple joy of running with my mate beneath the moon filled me with a peace I hadn't known I was missing.

In a small clearing beside a burbling stream, Artemis finally slowed, her sides expanding with exertion, tongue lolling in what appeared to be satisfied exhaustion. She moved to the water's edge and lowered her head to drink. I joined her, the stream cool and sweet against my tongue. Our reflections wavered side by side on the rippling surface—dark and light, massive and sleek, Lycan and wolf, yet somehow belonging together.

She finished drinking and looked up at me, her expression unreadable yet somehow softer than before. For a long moment, we simply existed together in the quiet forest, the barriers between king and subject, Lycan and werewolf, dissolved into meaninglessness.

Then she pressed her shoulder briefly against my side—a fleeting pressure, there and gone, yet it conveyed more than words could have. Acceptance. Recognition. The beginning of trust.

The gesture, small as it was, filled me with quiet wonder. After centuries of diplomatic maneuvering, of careful words and political calculation, this simple, honest wolf-language struck me as the most profound communication I'd experienced in decades.

In the distance, I caught the sound of Elijah approaching, giving us space but maintaining protective proximity. Artemis's ears swiveled toward the sound, acknowledging her brother's presence without taking her attention from me.

I settled onto my haunches beside her, content simply to share this peaceful moment. Tomorrow would bring councils and policy discussions, the complicated work of addressing the corruption in my government and beginning to build the more equitable kingdom I envisioned. But tonight—tonight was for this simpler connection, this ancient language of wolf and forest, moon and mate.

Artemis leaned slightly against me, her warmth seeping through my fur. In that moment, looking down at her white form glowing like captured moonlight against my darker shape, I knew with bone-deep certainty that whatever challenges lay ahead, they would be worth facing for the chance to build something true with this remarkable wolf and the equally remarkable woman who shared her soul.