The meeting with the Seven had been an exhausting exercise in diplomatic tightrope walking. For three hours, Selene had acted as a human lightning rod, grounding the electrical fury of the Lycan King every time Christian- the ever-skeptical strategist, hurled another barb of distrust her way. Each time Axe's aura began to leak out like poisonous smoke, Selene's hand on his arm or a soft, murmured word had drawn the monster back into the man.
As they stepped away from the war room and back into the cooling twilight of the garden, the air felt lighter, untainted by the scent of ancient politics. Selene's eyes widened as they approached a secluded corner of the royal estate. In the span of a few hours, a miracle of construction had occurred. A small, cozy building of stone and cedar sat nestled under the weeping willows, looking as if it had grown out of the earth itself.
"You actually did it?" Selene whispered, her voice hitching with emotion.
"Well, of course," Axe replied, his voice dropping the hard, imperial edge he used with his generals. He stepped closer, his presence a warm shadow. "Anything for my mate."
"You're not like the rumors," she murmured, walking toward the structure.
"What rumors?" Axe questioned, his hands shoved into the pockets of his black slacks as he followed her.
Selene stepped through the doorway and let out a soft gasp. The building was a masterpiece of thoughtful design. It was climate-controlled, with discreet vents providing a gentle hum of AC to combat the humid evening. The interior was a paradise for her friends: massive cedar bins overflowing with high-quality grain and nuts, shelves of fresh fruit, and plush, hand-woven beds covered in the softest wool blankets and pillows. It was a palace for the wild.
"The rumors say you're mean and ruthless," she said, spinning slowly in the center of the room, her eyes darting to the bird-runs and the low-profile deer stalls. "That you'd kill anyone for looking at you wrong. That your heart is made of the same cold obsidian as your throne."
"The rumors are true," he said simply, leaning against the doorframe. He looked like a predator in a sanctuary, out of place but fiercely protective.
Above them, Joan fluttered off Selene's shoulder, heading straight for the rafters where a cozy, pre-built nest awaited. The sparrow chirped a song of approval that echoed through the room.
"I have a hard time believing that, Axe," Selene said, turning to face him. The glow of the garden lights caught the shimmer of her hair. "You're actually quite... sweet."
Axe went very still. He pushed off the doorframe and took long, deliberate strides toward her. The space between them vanished. He wrapped his large, scarred hands around her waist, pulling her flush against him. "No one has ever called me 'sweet' before, little wolf," he whispered against her ear, his breath a warm ghost on her skin. He inhaled deeply, closing his eyes as the scent of wildflowers and something primal- something her, filled his lungs.
"Well, maybe no one has ever met the real you?" she countered, her heart doing a frantic dance. The tingles from the bond were no longer just a hum; they were an explosion of heat that made her limbs feel heavy.
"Onlyyou are allowed to know the real me," he breathed, his grip tightening just enough to be possessive without hurting. "I am ruthless. I am mean. To the world, I am the Mad King who has held this throne through blood and iron. But I'd never be that way with you, little wolf. Never."
"Never?" she asked, looking up at him through thick lashes.
"Never," he stated with the finality of a death sentence. "I have been looking for you for over four hundred years, my love. I would never chance losing you after waiting so long. I would burn the world down before I let a hair on your head be harmed."
The intensity in his green eyes was staggering. Selene felt her stomach do a slow, dizzying flip. To lighten the weight of the moment, she let out a small giggle. "How old are you, anyway? Exactly?"
Axe chuckled, the sound deep and vibrating against her chest. "The year is 2023, yes?" Selene nodded. "I am four hundred and thirty-eight years old."
Selene gasped, her eyes widening. "Oh, you are much older than me. You're practically an antique!"
Axe raised a dark eyebrow, a playful smirk dancing on his lips. "Do you have a problem with that, little wolf? Are you worried my bones will creak too loud when I hunt?"
"No, I don't have a problem with it," she laughed, leaning her head against his chest. "Besides, you don't look a day over twenty-five. You've aged remarkably well for a grump."
"You're a couple hundred years off, but I'll take the compliment," he laughed, and for the first time, the sound was pure, devoid of the bitterness that usually haunted him. He pulled back slightly, his expression becoming serious again.
"Can I take you out tonight? A private dinner, just us. Away from the prying eyes of the Seven."
Selene smiled, her sky-blue eyes softening. "What kind of mate would I be if I said no?"
While Axe attended to the final duties of the day, he had sent a group of omega wolves to the finest markets in the city with a specific list of requirements. When Selene returned to the King's chambers to prepare, she found three dresses laid out across the vast expanse of the black silk bedspread.
Each one was a masterpiece of Lycan craftsmanship. The first was a shimmering blue that perfectly mimicked the hue of her eyes, adorned with hundreds of tiny white diamonds that looked like fallen stars. The second was a midnight black, sleek and dangerous, with diamond-encrusted straps that reminded her of Axe's lethal elegance.
But it was the third dress that called to her. It was a deep, rich emerald green- the exact color of Axe's eyes when he looked at her with hunger. It had a V-neckline that was daring but classy, and the fabric felt like liquid silk.
Selene, however, couldn't help but add her own touch. She wasn't a girl of silk and diamonds; she was a girl of the earth. She whistled out the window, and a moment later, Joan and several other birds arrived, carrying small vines of jasmine and white forest lilies in their beaks.
With a focused hum of magic, Selene began to sew the living flowers into the hem of the emerald gown. She extended the train, weaving the white blossoms into the fabric so that they appeared to be growing out of the silk.
When she was finished, the dress didn't just flare at the mid-thigh- it cascaded into a living waterfall of greenery and white petals.
She brushed her long, white hair until it shone like a halo, leaving it to hang in loose, ethereal waves down her back. For makeup, she used a handful of crushed winterberries, staining her lips a natural, bitten-red and adding a soft, flushed pink to her pale cheekbones.
She looked at the shoes- the stiletto heels and the dainty flats, and made a face. No, she thought. She pushed them under the bed. If she was going to walk through this palace, she would do it with her feet firmly planted on the ground.
A soft knock at the door broke her concentration. A young maid named Gabby poked her head in, her eyes wide with terror. "Do you need help, my Queen?"
"Please, call me Selene," she giggled, walking over to the trembling girl. "And no thank you. What's your name?"
Gabby blinked, looking as though she expected to be struck for the transgression of being noticed. "Gabby, Miss... Selene."
Selene reached out and placed her hands on Gabby's shoulders, feeling the girl's tension. "Gabby, you look like you haven't slept in a week. Thank you for checking on me, and thank you for helping get these dresses. But tonight is a night for joy. Take the night off. Go home to your family, have a warm meal, and rest."
"Oh, I would love to, but I can't," Gabby whispered, her eyes darting toward the hallway. "The King... his rules are strict. If I'm not at my post- "
"Leave the King to me," Selene said with a wink that was both kind and incredibly powerful. "I'll make sure he knows it was a royal command from the White Wolf herself. Go."
When Selene stepped out of the bedroom and onto the grand marble staircase, the palace seemed to hold its breath. She was the embodiment of the forest's grace. The emerald green of the dress made her pale skin look like alabaster, and her white hair glowed against the dark wood of the banister.
At the bottom of the stairs stood Axe. He had discarded his usual black attire for a tailored suit of the same deep emerald green. He looked magnificent- powerful, lethal, and devastatingly handsome.
As his eyes landed on her, his breath hitched audibly. He stood frozen, his hands half-raised as if he wanted to reach out but was afraid she might vanish if he touched her. "Wow," he muttered, the word barely a breath. "You look... radiant. Like a goddess of the spring."
Selene descended the final steps, her bare feet silent on the marble. She reached the bottom and quirked an eyebrow, pointing at their matching suits. "Did you plan this, Your Majesty? Coordinated outfits on the first date?"
Axe smirked, the familiar spark of mischief returning to his eyes. He took her hand, bowing low over it before twirling her in a slow circle.
"No," he said, his voice a low purr. "But they say great mates think alike. Although, I must admit, you wear the green much better than I do."
"And you clean up nicely yourself," Selene smiled, adjusting his lapel. "But you're missing something. A King should always have a bit of the wild about him."
As if on cue, the heavy front doors of the palace creaked open. Lily, the stark white deer, walked gracefully across the marble foyer. She didn't look spooked by the high ceilings or the echoes; she walked straight to Axe, a small woven basket of white lilies and ferns held gently in her mouth.
The King stared at the deer, then at the basket, then at Selene. A look of pure, unadulterated awe settled on his face. He reached down, taking the basket from Lily and offering the deer a gentle pat on the head.
"A gift from the forest," Selene whispered.
Axe looked at the lilies, then at Selene, and then out at the dark horizon of the kingdom he had ruled with fear for so long. For the first time in four hundred years, he didn't feel like a King standing alone on a mountain. He felt like a man who was finally, truly home.
"Well then," Axe said, offering his arm. "Let's show this kingdom what it's been missing for four centuries."
The animals watching from the garden and the guards standing at attention, Selene felt a surge of hope. But in the back of her mind, a small voice whispered. Nik is still out there. The week was only beginning, and the storm was far from over.