Alpha's Secret Bride

After a while, Emma looked up again and caught Brandon watching her. She raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

He gave her a small smile and shook his head. "Nothing."

She held his gaze for another moment before turning back to her plate, but the faint smile on her lips remained.

After lunch, everyone headed down to the beach. The pups ran toward the sand as soon as their shoes were off, with the adults following more slowly behind them. Elara called after them, "Don’t go too far!"

Bryan turned around long enough to answer, "We won’t!" before returning to the others.

The pups gathered their buckets and shovels and began building a sandcastle together. Bryan carefully packed wet sand into a bucket while Zoey decorated the top with seashells. Nearby, the maids kept a quiet watch, staying close enough to step in if the pups needed help.

Charlotte handed Zoey another shell. "Put this here." Zoey placed it crookedly on top and smiled. "Perfect."

Bryan stared at it for a moment. "That’s not straight." She put both hands on her hips. "It is." Bryan pointed at the leaning shell. "It’s leaning." She looked at it, then back at him. "Castle can lean." Lottie burst into giggles, and Bryan finally shook his head. "Fine."

A few feet away, the pups worked together on their lopsided castle while Brandon stood beside Emma, his arms folded as they watched them. Emma glanced toward the crooked structure and smiled. "They’re going to build the strangest castle in the kingdom."

Brandon looked at the girls before turning back to her. "At least they agree on one thing."

She raised an eyebrow. "What?"

He nodded toward Charlotte and Zoey. "They’re both stubborn."

Emma turned toward him with an amused look. "You’re one to talk."

Brandon smiled. "I’ve heard that before."

A laugh slipped from Emma before she could stop it. She quickly looked back at the girls, but when she glanced at Brandon again, his expression had softened as he watched her.

Their eyes held for a moment until Charlotte suddenly called from the sand. "Mother! Father! Look!" They both turned toward the pups. The girls had managed to build a crooked little sandcastle with shells scattered across the top and around its base. Brandon walked over and crouched beside them. "That’s impressive." Bryan pointed proudly at the castle. "We need a king and queen in our castle."

Zoey immediately grabbed Brandon’s hand. "Uncle Brandon is king." Charlotte reached for Emma’s hand. "Mother is queen." Emma’s smile faltered as she looked at Brandon. He met her eyes, and neither of them said anything. Before either could object, Charlotte tugged at Brandon’s hand, pulling him toward the castle, while Zoey took Emma’s hand and led her in the same direction.

"Sit together!"

Emma laughed softly. "Why?"

Zoey looked between them as though the answer were obvious. "Because you’re the king and queen."

Brandon lowered himself onto the sand beside Emma. "Apparently, we don’t get a choice." She sat down beside him and shook her head with a small smile. "Apparently not."

The pups continued decorating the castle while Brandon and Emma sat shoulder to shoulder. Charlotte reached across them for another shell at the same moment Brandon leaned forward to help Bryan with one of the towers. Their movements brought their faces unexpectedly close, and both of them stopped.

For a second, neither moved. Emma’s breath caught as she looked into his eyes, and Brandon’s gaze dropped briefly to her lips before returning to her face. Neither seemed willing to break the moment, but before either of them could move closer, Bryan’s voice came from the other side of the castle.

"Father! The tower is falling!"

Brandon pulled back with a quiet laugh and turned toward the pups. "Coming."

Emma laughed too, lowering her gaze as he hurried over to help Bryan steady the tower. A short distance away, Elara glanced toward Bernard, and the two exchanged a knowing look before turning their attention back to the pups.

After spending the day enjoying the beach with the pups, everyone began heading home. High Luna Alexandra had already left earlier, while Elara, Bernard, Nina, Evan, and Emily returned to their homes. Brandon went back to Moon Estate with Emma and the pups.

Brandon and Bryan walked through the gardens while Charlotte chased butterflies a short distance ahead of them, with two maids following closely behind. Bryan kicked a small pebble along the stone path, watching it roll several feet before nudging it forward again with the toe of his shoe.

"Father?"

Brandon glanced down at him. "Yes?"

"When are we coming home?"

Brandon’s steps slowed.

He looked at him. "What do you mean?"

Bryan shrugged, then pointed toward the distant mountains where Nightclaw Estate stood beyond the horizon.

"I mean... home."

He followed his gaze for a moment before looking back at him.

"Our big home," Bryan added quietly.

He was silent for a moment. His hand settled gently on Bryan’s shoulder, and his thumb moved once across the fabric of his shirt.

"That’s something your mother and I have to decide together."

Bryan frowned. "But I miss sleeping there."

Brandon’s eyes softened. He looked toward the estate in the distance before crouching slightly so he was closer to Bryan’s height.

"You do?"

He nodded. "I miss my chamber. And I miss having you read to me before bed."

A faint smile touched Brandon’s lips.

"I miss those things too."

He looked up at him. "Then why don’t we go back?"

Brandon’s smile faded slightly. He rested both hands on his prince’s shoulders and held his gaze.

"Some things take time, Bryan."

Bryan seemed ready to ask another question, but he gently squeezed his shoulders.

"You don’t need to worry about them. Your mother and I will figure it out."

He nodded slowly, accepting the answer even though he clearly didn’t understand it completely.

Brandon stood again and looked toward the garden, where Charlotte was still chasing a butterfly between the flowers.

He didn’t say anything more.

He wouldn’t put the weight of his relationship with Emma on his pup’s shoulders.

That moonfall, after Brandon had returned to Nightclaw Estate, Emma tucked Charlotte into bed. The little princess hugged her stuffed wolf tightly against her chest as she pulled the blanket up to her shoulders.

"Mother?"

"Yes, sweetheart?"

"When will Father come?"

She smiled and smoothed Charlotte’s hair away from her face. "Tomorrow in the moonrise."

Charlotte nodded sleepily. "Good."

She closed her eyes, but just before she drifted off, she murmured, "I want Father to stay."

Emma’s hand paused briefly in Charlotte’s hair before she continued stroking it gently. Within minutes, the little princess’s breathing settled into a steady rhythm, but her words remained in Emma’s mind.

After putting Charlotte to bed, she quietly closed the nursery door behind her.

When she turned around, she found Bryan sitting alone in a chair on the veranda, his elbows resting on his knees as he stared out into the distance. The garden lights cast a soft glow across the grounds, and as she walked closer, she noticed Iris squatting a short distance away, her head dipping as she struggled to stay awake.

The moment Iris noticed her, she quickly stood and bowed.

"My Queen Luna, I’m sorry. I begged His Highness to go to bed, but he refused. I... I tried."

Emma gave her a small shake of her head. "Iris, it’s okay. Go back to your quarters and get some sleep. I’ll take care of him."

"Thank you, my Queen Luna."

She bowed again before hurrying away toward the servants’ quarters.

She walked over and lowered herself into the chair beside him. "What are you thinking about?"

Bryan leaned against her shoulder without answering at first. After a moment, he looked up at her.

"Mother, can I ask you something?"

She rested a hand over his. "Of course."

He hesitated, rubbing his thumb against the edge of his sleeve before finally looking at her.

"Mother..."

"Yes?"

"When are we going home?"

Emma’s fingers went still against the edge of the veranda seat. She looked out toward the gardens for a moment before turning back to him, forcing a small smile onto her face.

"We are home, Your Highness."

Bryan slowly shook his head. He lowered his gaze for a moment, then looked back up at her with the same innocent expression.

"No. I mean our real home."

Emma’s smile faded.

Bryan turned his eyes toward the distant mountains, where the lights of Nightclaw Estate could barely be seen beyond the horizon. His voice softened as he pointed in that direction.

"The one where Father lives."

Emma followed his gaze but said nothing.

The moonfall breeze moved through the trees surrounding the estate, and he waited quietly beside her for an answer.

She searched for an answer, but none came.

He lowered his head and traced small circles on the wooden floor with one finger. "I like it here."

"So do I."

"But..." He paused, his finger still moving against the wood. "It doesn’t feel the same."

She looked at him. "Why not?"

He answered without hesitation. "Because our family isn’t together."

The words were simple, but Emma’s fingers tightened around the edge of a chair on the veranda. She looked away for a moment before drawing him gently against her.

Bryan rested his head on her shoulder. After a moment, he looked up at her.

"Did I say something wrong?"

She blinked several times and brushed a strand of hair away from his forehead.

"No, sweetheart. You didn’t."

She pressed a kiss to the top of his head and held him a little closer.

Bryan yawned against her shoulder. "I miss Father."

"I know."

He was quiet for a moment before murmuring, "I think you miss him too."

Emma’s arms went still around him. She looked toward the garden, then down at Bryan. For once, she didn’t try to deny it.

After putting him to bed, she walked onto the balcony outside her chamber. Nightclaw Estate glittered faintly in the distance, its lights barely visible beneath the moonlit sky. She folded her arms against the cool air and kept her eyes on the horizon.

Was she protecting herself, or was she keeping her pups away from the home they still longed for?

Emma’s fingers tightened around her arms.

For the first time since Brandon’s return, she couldn’t tell which one frightened her more.

Losing Brandon again...

or realizing she might still want him back.