I stood by the bar, watching Theo interact with his minister with an authority that was firm yet measured. There was something different about him—something I couldn't quite name but felt in the subtle warmth spreading through my chest whenever our eyes met. My wolf, Artemis, paced restlessly within me, broadcasting her certainty with the persistence of a stubborn child: ‘Mate. Good mate. True mate. Nothing like Benjamin.’ The contrast between her unwavering confidence and my lingering doubts created a strange dissonance within me, like standing with one foot on solid ground and one on shifting sand.
The night had taken an unexpected turn. What had begun as a diplomatic summit had transformed into something far more personal, more consequential. I found myself standing at the edge of poss
