As we turned toward the dining room doors, I stole one more glance at her profile. My fingers tingled where they had touched hers, but I felt a warmth in my chest that outshone any physical sensation. Two centuries of waiting, and I had found my mate in this strong, fierce woman who stood her ground against centuries of prejudice with unflinching courage.
The political ramifications would be complex, the path forward uncertain. But in this moment, watching her walk beside me with her chin lifted and her shoulders squared, I knew with bone-deep certainty that she was worth whatever challenges lay ahead.
We returned to the breakfast table in a strange procession—the Lycan King, the werewolf Alpha, and the gamma who had just faced down a royal minister without flinching. The dining room's g
