Alpha's Secret Bride

The moonrise passed much like every other.

Bryan insisted on showing Brandon the finished bridge they had built together, while Charlotte proudly declared herself the official judge of its strength. When the little wooden bridge survived the weight of three toy wolves, she clapped enthusiastically.

"It’s strong!"

Bryan grinned. "I told you Father fixed it properly."

Brandon laughed. "I only helped."

"You always say that," Bryan replied.

"Because it’s true."

Emma stood on the veranda, watching them with a quiet smile. A week ago, her attention would have stayed on the pups. Now, she found herself watching Brandon too, lingering on him as he laughed and played with them.

She watched the way he celebrated Bryan’s success as though it were his own. When Charlotte spoke, he lowered himself to her height and listened until she finished,

Shortly before noon, he prepared to leave for a meeting at Nightclaw Estate.

He adjusted the cuff of his jacket as Bryan and Charlotte walked with him toward the driveway.

"I’ll see you tomorrow," he said.

Bryan nodded confidently. "I know."

Charlotte held out both arms. "Hug."

He laughed softly and lifted her into his arms, holding her for a moment before setting her back down.

"My princess."

He straightened and looked toward Emma. "I should be going."

Emma walked a few steps closer.

"So soon?"

The question seemed to catch both of them off guard.

Brandon blinked. "The council meeting begins in an hour."

"I see."

A brief silence settled between them. Emma glanced toward the pups, then back at him.

"Have you had lunch?"

Brandon shook his head. "I planned to eat after the meeting."

She hesitated. Her fingers brushed lightly against the side of her dress as she looked at him.

"...Stay."

He looked at her, as though he wasn’t sure he had heard her correctly. For a moment, neither of them spoke. Emma lowered her eyes, her fingers resting lightly against the fabric of her dress.

"The pups would like to have lunch with you."

She fell quiet after saying it, watching her fingers instead of his face. After a brief pause, she finally looked up at him.

"If it’s not an inconvenience..."

"It isn’t," Brandon replied quietly.

He glanced toward the pups and smiled when he saw the hopeful look on both their faces.

"Then I’ll stay."

Emma gave a small nod. "The feeding chamber is ready."

They started toward the villa together, with Bryan and Charlotte walking a few steps ahead of them. Charlotte reached for Brandon’s hand almost immediately, and he took it without hesitation. Bryan stayed on his other side, already telling him about something he wanted to show him after lunch.

Emma walked beside them, listening quietly. Every now and then, she glanced at Brandon, but whenever he happened to look her way, she quickly turned her attention back to the pups.

When they reached the feeding chamber, Bryan hurried to his usual seat while Charlotte climbed into hers. Brandon pulled out a chair for Emma before taking the seat opposite her.

She paused for a moment, looking at the chair.

"Thank you."

Brandon gave a small nod. "You’re welcome."

She sat down, smoothing her dress beneath her as Brandon settled into the chair across from her.

For a moment, neither of them spoke.

Then Charlotte pointed toward Brandon’s empty plate.

"Father, you need food."

Brandon laughed softly. "I know."

Bryan grinned. "Mother told you to stay, so you have to eat."

Emma looked at him, and a small smile appeared on her lips.

"I didn’t say he had to finish everything."

Brandon glanced at her.

"Good. For a moment, I thought you were going to make me finish everything."

Emma let out a quiet laugh.

"I promise, I’m not going to force you to finish your meal."

The pups immediately joined in, and the tension that had followed them into the chamber seemed to ease.

For the first time since his return, they shared a meal without duty pulling Brandon away or silence settling between them. Bryan filled the chamber with stories from school, pausing every few bites to add another detail, while Charlotte proudly demonstrated that she could count all the way to ten without skipping six.

Brandon applauded dramatically when she finished.

"Ten!"

Charlotte threw both hands into the air, laughing.

Emma laughed too.

The sound slipped out before she could stop it, soft and genuine.

Brandon’s hands went still for a moment. He looked across the table at her, his expression softening as he watched her smile.

She noticed him looking and slowly lowered her gaze to her plate, but the smile remained.

He looked down at his food again, though the faint smile on his lips stayed there for the rest of the meal.

Later that day, he finally stood to leave.

Bryan hugged him, and Charlotte leaned up to kiss his cheek before stepping back with a bright smile.

He turned to Emma, his gaze lingering on her for a moment before he finally looked away.

"Thank you... for lunch."

She gave him a small nod. "You’re welcome."

He turned toward the door, but before he could reach it, Ashley stepped into the entrance hall. He stopped immediately, his attention shifting to him.

"Lord Ashley."

Ashley studied him for a long moment before speaking.

"Would you walk with me?"

Brandon glanced briefly at Emma. She gave him a small nod, her expression calm.

"I’ll watch the pups."

After a brief pause, he nodded and followed Ashley outside.

They walked in silence through the eastern gardens, the quiet sound of their footsteps following them along the stone path. Neither spoke until they reached the old fountain.

Ashley stopped and rested both hands on his waist.

"I told her."

Brandon stopped beside him, his steps slowing as he caught the meaning in Ashley’s words. The easy expression on his face disappeared almost instantly, replaced by a guarded look as he turned fully toward him.

"You what?"

"I told my daughter everything."

Brandon stared at him. The color slowly drained from his face, and for several seconds, he stood there without saying a word. His fingers tightened at his sides before he finally swallowed and forced the question out.

"How did she take it?"

Ashley’s gaze dropped to the fountain. The water rippled gently beneath the moonlight, but he remained silent for a moment, as though the answer was still difficult to say.

"She cried."

He closed his eyes, his face tightening as he absorbed the words. He remained silent for a moment before speaking again.

"She was angry with me."

"No." Ashley’s voice was quiet as he shook his head. "She was angry with me."

He opened his eyes and looked at him. "I should have been the one to tell her."

"You couldn’t."

"I know." He lowered his gaze, his voice barely above a whisper. "But I still should have."

Ashley turned toward him, watching the way he stood with his shoulders slightly hunched and his hands resting at his sides.

"She knows why you disappeared," Ashley said. "She knows whose idea it was, and she knows you fought against it."

Brandon lowered his head again, his fingers tightening around the edge of his jacket. The words he had carried alone for so long were finally out in the open, yet he still couldn’t bring himself to look at Ashley.

After a long silence, he swallowed.

"Does she..." He stopped, his throat working as he struggled to finish the question. "...still hate me?"

Ashley gave him a sad smile.

"If she hated you, she wouldn’t have watched you from the balcony every moonrise."

Brandon slowly lifted his head.

Ashley held his gaze and continued, his voice gentle.

"If she hated you, she wouldn’t have asked you to stay for lunch today."

A flicker of hope crossed Brandon’s face before he could hide it.

Ashley gently placed a hand on his shoulder. "But don’t mistake understanding for healing. The truth answered her questions. It didn’t erase her pain."

Brandon nodded slowly. "I never expected it to."

Ashley gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze before letting his hand fall back to his side. "Then keep doing what you’ve been doing."

Brandon frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Nothing." Ashley smiled faintly. "Keep showing up. Keep loving her. Keep loving Bryan and Charlotte. Don’t ask anything from her. When she’s ready..." He glanced toward the villa, where Emma could be seen through the window helping Charlotte arrange toy animals across the carpet. "...she’ll come to you."

Brandon followed his gaze. He watched Emma for a moment before she suddenly looked up.

Across the distance, their eyes met.

This time, Emma didn’t look away.

A small smile touched her lips, quiet and gentle, carrying something neither of them was ready to put into words.

Brandon’s shoulders eased as he stood watching her. He didn’t smile at first. He simply held her gaze, as though afraid that moving too quickly might break the moment.

Then the corner of his mouth lifted.

Nothing has been fixed yet. Emma still had pain to work through, and he knew better than to expect everything to change overnight. But for the first time in months, he no longer felt as though he was waiting for something that might never come.

He had seen the way she looked at him.

And for now, that was enough.