Alpha's Secret Bride

Before going to bed, Elara called and asked Emma to check WhatsApp. When she opened the app, she froze. Elara had sent her several pictures from their beach outing.

Emma scrolled through them slowly, a faint ache settling in her chest as she saw how natural everything had felt that day. Brandon had been close, attentive, and so familiar that, for a few moments, she had almost forgotten how much had changed between them.

She paused at one particular picture. Brandon was leaning toward her, his eyes fixed on hers, and something about the look on his face made her heart skip. The pups had interrupted them before the moment could go any further, and Emma had been grateful for the distraction.

But now, staring at the picture alone in the quiet of her room, she found herself wondering what might have happened if they hadn’t been interrupted.

The days passed quietly.

Nothing seemed to change, yet somehow, everything did.

Brandon continued visiting Moon Estate every day. He helped Bryan with his lessons, played hide-and-seek with Charlotte in the gardens, and stayed for every meal the pups insisted he share with them. Then, just before moonfall, he quietly returned to Nightclaw Estate. The routine remained the same, and so did the silence between him and Emma.

Emma had just finished reviewing a stack of estate documents when one of the maids entered her study.

"My Queen Luna."

She looked up from the papers. "Yes?"

"The swing in the west garden broke while Prince Bryan was using it."

She immediately pushed her chair back and stood. "Was anyone hurt?"

The maid quickly shook her head. "No, My Queen Luna."

She released the breath she had been holding. "Where’s Bryan?"

"Outside."

She left the study and hurried toward the garden.

By the time she arrived, Brandon was already kneeling beside the broken swing. Bryan stood a few feet away, his head lowered as he stared at the damaged seat.

"I’m sorry, Father," he said quietly. "I wasn’t swinging that hard."

He looked up at him with a small smile. "You’ve grown taller and heavier."

Bryan blinked and glanced at the broken swing. "So... it’s not the swing’s fault?"

Brandon chuckled as he examined the loose section. "I think the swing simply decided it had worked long enough."

Bryan’s worried expression disappeared, and he laughed. "I guess it got old."

"It did."

One of the estate workers approached with a toolbox. Brandon accepted it with a grateful nod and turned his attention back to the swing.

"You don’t have to do that," Emma said as she walked closer.

He glanced at her before returning his attention to the broken frame.

"We can have the swing replaced."

"I know," he replied.

"Then why are you fixing it yourself?"

He tightened one of the bolts and checked the joint with his hand before answering.

"Because Bryan wants to use it now."

She fell silent.

He continued working while Bryan watched closely beside him. The estate worker handed him another tool whenever he needed it, and within half an hour, the loose section had been secured and the swing was sturdy enough to use again.

He gave it a firm push and watched as the seat swung back and forth.

"It should hold now."

Bryan immediately climbed onto the seat. "It works!"

Charlotte clapped her hands and hurried over. "My turn!"

He lifted her onto the swing and gave her a gentle push. When she laughed and asked for more, he pushed her a little higher, staying close enough to steady the swing if she needed him. Her delighted laughter carried across the gardens as Bryan waited nearby for his turn.

Emma stood beneath the shade of an old maple tree and watched them quietly.

The workers eventually returned to their duties, leaving Brandon with the pups.

He could have left the repair to the maids. There was no reason for the Alpha himself to spend time fixing an old swing when an estate worker could have handled it.

Yet he had stayed.

He had fixed it himself because Bryan wanted to use it that moment.

Not because he had to, but because he wanted to.

Emma’s gaze remained on him as he pushed Charlotte gently through the air.

A few hours later, Emma stepped into the cookhouse to prepare some tea. She reached toward the highest shelf and stretched onto her toes, but the tin was still just beyond her fingertips. She was about to pull a chair over when another hand reached past hers and easily lifted the tin from the shelf.

She turned and found Brandon standing beside her.

"Here."

He held the tin out to her. Their fingers brushed as she took it, and both of them paused for a moment. She quietly pulled her hand away first.

"Thank you."

"You’re welcome."

Brandon took a small step back, giving her space. He didn’t linger or try to turn the moment into a conversation. After a brief glance at her, he simply turned and walked out of the cookhouse.

She remained where she was, the tin still in her hands. She looked down at it, then slowly curled her fingers around its edge as the warmth of his touch lingered against her skin longer than she wanted it to.

Brandon had wanted to have an audience with her, so he followed a few steps behind. But when he noticed the hesitation in her movements, he stopped himself. He could tell she wasn’t ready to talk yet, and he didn’t want to push her.

---

Later that same day, he helped Bryan finish a difficult history assignment. Bryan looked over the completed pages one last time before holding them up proudly.

"I got everything right."

He smiled and gave the pages a quick glance. "You did the work."

"You taught me."

"I only guided you."

Bryan thought about that for a moment before looking toward Emma, who was reading nearby. "Mother says good teachers don’t give you the answers."

Brandon followed his gaze and nodded. "Your mother is right."

She looked up from her book at the sound of her name. Her eyes met Brandon’s for a brief moment, and a small smile touched the corners of her lips before she lowered her gaze again.

It disappeared almost as quickly as it came, but Brandon had seen it.

And for him, that was enough.

As moonfall approached, he prepared to leave. Charlotte immediately wrapped her tiny arms around his leg and held on tightly.

"Stay."

Brandon crouched beside her and gently rested a hand on her back. "I can’t tonight."

"Why?"

"Because I still have work to do."

Charlotte’s mouth turned down. "I don’t like work."

Brandon laughed softly. "Neither do I."

She thought about that for a moment before looking up at him again. "Tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow," Brandon promised.

She nodded, satisfied, but before he could say anything else, Bryan suddenly stepped closer and wrapped both arms around his father’s waist. "You can’t go yet."

Brandon looked down at him, surprised. "Why not?"

"Because you haven’t told us a bedtime story." Bryan tightened his hold. "You always tell us one before you leave."

Emma glanced at Brandon and smiled. "He’s right. You did promise them a story."

Brandon let out a quiet laugh and looked toward the door, then back at the pups. "All right. One story."

Charlotte immediately came running over and caught his hand. "A long one."

"A long one?" Brandon raised an eyebrow. "I thought we agreed on a short story."

"It can be one very long story," Bryan said quickly.

Emma covered her smile with her hand as Brandon shook his head. "You two planned this."

"No," Bryan said innocently.

Charlotte nodded beside him. "We didn’t."

Brandon looked between them, clearly unconvinced, but the smile tugging at his lips gave him away. "Fine. Show me where we’re going."

The pups immediately led him back toward the sitting chamber, each holding one of his hands. Emma followed behind them, watching as Brandon allowed himself to be pulled along without another word.

By the time Brandon reached the end of the story, Bryan was already struggling to keep his eyes open. His head had slowly settled against his father’s side, and his responses had become nothing more than sleepy murmurs. Charlotte lasted a little longer, blinking heavily as she tried to follow the final part of the story, but she eventually curled up against the cushions and drifted off as well.

Brandon lowered his voice as he finished the last few lines, then paused when he realized neither pup was listening anymore. A faint smile crossed his face as he looked down at them. "And they lived happily ever after," he whispered.

Bryan was completely asleep, and Charlotte barely stirred when Brandon carefully lifted him into his arms. He adjusted the pup against his chest and carried him toward the nursery. Behind them, one of the maids gently picked up Charlotte and followed, while Emma walked a few steps behind, watching the quiet scene with a softness she couldn’t quite hide.

Inside the nursery, he carefully laid Bryan in his bed and pulled the blanket up to his chest. He brushed a few strands of hair away from the pup’s forehead before leaning down to press a gentle kiss there. Across the chamber, the maid settled Charlotte into her own bed and tucked the blanket around her.

He waited until both pups were comfortable before taking one last look at them. They were already deep asleep, their breathing slow and peaceful. He straightened and quietly stepped away from the beds.

When he turned around, Emma was standing near the doorway, watching him.

Their eyes met.

Brandon held her gaze for a moment before walking toward her. "They’re asleep."

She nodded softly. "I can see that."

A small smile touched his lips. "I should probably go."

Emma’s expression softened slightly as she looked at him for a moment before saying, "Safe journey."

A faint smile touched his lips. "Thank you."

He turned and walked toward his waiting vehicle while she remained near the doorway. Brandon reached the first step, then paused and glanced back.

She remained there, watching him.

Their eyes met, and she quickly looked away.

A small smile appeared on Brandon’s face before he turned back toward his vehicle. He knew she hadn’t forgiven him yet, and he wasn’t going to mistake a few small moments for trust. Still, after months of Emma keeping her distance, she had stood there and watched him leave without hiding it.

For now, that was enough.

She remained in the doorway as Brandon climbed into the vehicle. She watched the convoy move slowly through the estate gates until the last set of taillights disappeared beyond them.

Only then did she turn back toward the villa.

As she walked inside, the corners of her lips lifted into a faint smile.

She didn’t try to stop it.

And for the first time in months, the smile on her face was real.