INICIAR SESIÓNThe helicopter’s rotors were already turning when we reached the pad, slicing the morning into long, shuddering pulses that flattened the manicured grass and sent the edges of Lola’s cream shawl snapping against her shoulders. The air smelled of cold stone and aviation fuel, with the green, wet scent of the waking gardens underneath. I shifted Meira higher on my hip and tucked her small head beneath my chin, shielding her ears from the noise with the flat of my palm. She, naturally, took this as an insult and tried to wriggle free.“Patience, little tyrant,” I murmured into her dark, wavy hair. “Your mother is about to abandon you for five whole days. You’ll want to savour the drama.”She grabbed a fistful of my collar and yanked, which I interpreted as agreement.Emma stood a few paces from the helicopter door with her arms wrapped around her own ribs, as though she were holding herself together by force. She’d dressed for travel in soft grey trousers and a loose cream sweater, her d
Theo laid me on the bed like I was made of spun glass, his amber eyes never leaving mine as he followed me down. The mattress dipped beneath his weight, familiar and comforting as his body covered mine—not crushing but sheltering, a living reminder that after everything we'd endured, we had found our way back to each other. His lips found mine in the dim light, the kiss deepening as his hands framed my face with exquisite tenderness. I felt the absence of our bond like a physical ache, the hollow space where his thoughts should have mingled with mine. Tonight, we would try to bridge that gap, to reclaim what Benjamin had stolen from us."I've missed you," I whispered against his mouth, the words carrying layers of meaning beyond the obvious. We had been together every day since the twins' birth, partners in parenthood and monarchy alike, but that deeper connection—the soul-deep knowing of each other—had been severed, leaving a phantom pain that never quite subsided.
The mountains held a silence unknown in the palace—a profound quiet broken only by the gentle bubbling of the hot tub and Emma's occasional contented sigh. I watched her through the rising steam, her head tilted back, dark hair piled loosely atop her head, droplets of water clinging to her throat where the scar from Benjamin's attack had faded to a silvery line. In this moment of perfect peace, Aeson stirred within me, his golden presence reaching instinctively toward where Artemis's consciousness should have been—that familiar void still raw after all these months. But tonight, perhaps, that emptiness would finally be filled."What are you thinking about?" Emma asked, her green eyes opening lazily to find mine. The water lapped around her collarbones, her skin flushed pink from the heat."How beautiful you are," I replied honestly. "How much I've missed this—just being with you, without interruptions."She smiled, stretching her legs until her foot brushe
The first three months with the twins had been a beautiful chaos—a haze of midnight feedings, tiny fingers wrapped around mine, and the indescribable scent of new life that clung to their soft skin. Through it all, Theo had been my anchor, his hands finding mine in the darkness when Astra's cries woke us at three in the morning, his lips pressing against my temple when Meira finally settled after hours of fussing. We functioned as a team, as mates, even without the bond that Benjamin had torn from us. But today—today everything would change. Dr. Amelia's words still rang in my ears: "You're cleared, Your Majesty. Your body has healed enough for you to reestablish the mate bond."The memory of her pronouncement sent a flutter of anticipation through my chest as I gazed out the helicopter window, watching the palace shrink beneath us. Artemis paced excitedly within me, her golden presence more vibrant than it had been in months. *Soon,* she insisted, the thought tinged with l
The hours after Astra and Meira entered the world dissolved into a hazy blur of wonder and exhaustion. Medical staff came and went, checking vitals, helping me feed the twins their first bottles, explaining techniques I immediately forgot and would need to be shown again. Somewhere in that dreamlike state, Theo sheepishly admitted I'd broken one of the bones in his hand during labour, though the way he cradled the twins with such tender precision, you'd never know he was injured at all. "Worth it," he'd said with a grin when he returned from having it checked, his hand bandaged but healing quickly with his Lycan abilities. "A small price to pay for our daughters."I dozed intermittently, waking each time with a momentary panic until my eyes found the twins—usually in Theo's arms as he paced the room, whispering to them in a mixture of English and ancient Lycan that sounded like poetry. Without our bond, I couldn't sense his emotions directly, but the reverence in his eyes a
I pulled the sterile blue scrubs over my boxers, fingers fumbling slightly with the drawstring as another of Emma's pained gasps reached my ears. The sound twisted something in my chest, that instinctive need to protect her warring with the knowledge that this pain was necessary, productive—bringing our daughters into the world. With a deep breath, I grabbed my phone from the counter, typing a quick message to Christian: "Emma in labour. Twins coming. Let Elijah know." I didn't wait for a response, already moving back to where my mate needed me, even if she could no longer feel my presence through our severed bond.Aeson stirred restlessly within me, his golden energy pulsing with a mixture of anticipation and lingering grief. *Pups coming,* he insisted, his thoughts sharp with excitement. *Mate needs us.*Five weeks had passed since the trials, five weeks of learning to navigate the strange emptiness where our mate bond had been. In those weeks, Emma and I had dev







