Alpha's Secret Bride

A convoy of black SUVs pulled through the gates of Moon Estate shortly after midday. The guards recognized it immediately and opened the gates without delay. When the vehicles came to a stop in front of the villa, Lord Ashley stepped out. His silver hair stirred gently in the highmoon breeze as he looked around the estate.

It had been some time since his last visit, yet the familiar grounds brought him little comfort. Instead, they reminded him of the secret he had carried for far too long, one he had promised King Eldric he would never reveal until the danger had passed. Now the danger was over, yet the silence remained.

A maid approached him with a respectful bow. "Welcome, Your Majesty."

Ashley returned the greeting with a polite nod before looking toward the villa. "Is my Soft Fang home?"

"Yes, Your Majesty," the maid replied. "She’s in the west garden."

"And the pups?"

"They’re in the west garden too."

He paused and glanced toward the garden. "Alpha King is here?"

"Yes, Your Majesty. He comes every day." A small smile touched the maid’s lips as she added, "Without fail."

He thanked her before making his way toward the garden. Long before he reached them, he heard laughter drifting through the trees. Bryan’s laughter mixed with Charlotte’s delighted giggles, growing louder as he approached.

He rounded the hedge and stopped.

Brandon was kneeling in the grass, pretending to struggle as Bryan Oliver ran circles around him.

"You’ll never catch me!" Bryan shouted as he darted behind a tree.

"Oh, I don’t know about that," Brandon replied, his voice full of exaggerated seriousness.

Before Bryan could peek out again, Brandon turned and scooped Charlotte into his arms.

"I caught the little princess."

Charlotte squealed and kicked her feet. "It’s not fair!"

Bryan came running back, laughing as he pointed at his father. "You cheated!"

He adjusted Charlotte against his arm and gave him a solemn look. "I prefer to call it strategy."

Ashley smiled despite himself. For a brief moment, it looked like nothing had ever happened.

Then he noticed Emma.

She sat beneath the shade of an old oak tree, watching quietly. She wasn’t laughing, but she wasn’t looking away either.

He slowly walked over, and Emma turned at the sound of his approaching footsteps.

"Father."

He leaned down and kissed her forehead. "It’s good to see you."

"You too."

They stood together in silence, watching the pups play. Bryan darted across the grass while Brandon chased after him, and Charlotte’s laughter carried through the garden.

He finally spoke. "They’ve missed him."

She didn’t answer immediately. She kept her eyes on the pups before quietly saying, "I know."

"And you?"

She lowered her eyes and folded her arms loosely across her chest. For a moment, she watched the pups playing in the grass before answering quietly, "I’ve missed the man I thought I knew."

Ashley looked at her, his jaw tightening slightly. He said nothing at first, but the words settled heavily in his chest. His daughter had no idea how close she was to the truth.

She wasn’t mourning the wrong man. She was mourning a lie.

"He’s trying," he said quietly.

She nodded, keeping her eyes on Brandon. "I can see that."

"But trying doesn’t erase the past." Her fingers tightened around her arm as she glanced at her father. "Does it?"

Ashley looked back toward Brandon. "It doesn’t."

She folded her arms and watched the pups for a moment before shifting her attention elsewhere, clearly trying to move the conversation away from Brandon. "Where’s Emily? She promised to come here this moonrise."

"Something came up, but she’s still planning to come," Ashley replied. His gaze briefly moved toward Brandon, who was still playing with the pups. "She wants to see the two of you find your way back to each other."

"Every moonrise, I tell myself not to wait for him."

A soft laugh escaped her, but there was no amusement in it. She lowered her gaze before looking toward the estate gates.

"And every moonrise..." She paused, her fingers tightening around her arm. "...I find myself listening to the sound of his convoy."

Ashley remained silent.

"There are moments when I almost forget everything."

She watched Brandon lift Charlotte high into the air, making the little girl laugh as she reached for his face.

"When I found out I was pregnant again, I was happy, but I was also sad." She lowered her gaze and blinked quickly, trying to hold back the tears. "He promised he would be there. He promised he would spoil me if I gave him a princess. But he left when I needed him most."

She rubbed her thumb slowly over her fingers before looking back at the pups. "Now I’m trying to figure out how to move forward without letting what happened between us affect the pups. They love their father, and I don’t want my pain to make them feel like they have to choose between us."

Ashley watched Brandon for a moment as he lowered Charlotte back onto the grass. The little girl immediately grabbed his hand again, and he laughed as he followed her across the grass.

"Then don’t make your decision based only on what happened before," Ashley said quietly.

She looked at him, her brows drawing together.

"You’ve seen how hard he’s been trying," Ashley continued. "He’s here every day. He helps Bryan with his lessons, plays with Charlotte, fixes things when they need him, and stays as long as the pups want him to. He hasn’t asked you to forget what happened. He’s simply giving you the time to see who he is now."

She lowered her gaze.

Ashley rested a hand gently on her shoulder. "You don’t have to forgive him all at once, Soft Fang. But if you still love him, don’t push him away just because you’re afraid of what might happen if you let him back in."

She looked toward Brandon again, watching him as he helped Charlotte chase Bryan across the garden.

"What if I trust him and he leaves again?"

Ashley was quiet for a moment. Then he looked at her. "Then you’ll deal with that if it ever happens. But don’t punish both of you for something that hasn’t happened yet."

Emma’s fingers tightened around her arm.

"I know he’s trying," she said softly. "I can see that. But every time I start to let myself get close to him again, I remember what it felt like when he left."

Ashley didn’t interrupt.

"The rumors said he was tired of me. Some even said he had found another woman." She swallowed hard and looked down at her hands. "I believe there was more to it because I couldn’t understand why the man I loved would just disappear without giving me any explanation. We never hid things from each other, so when he left without a word, I started wondering if maybe he wasn’t happy with me anymore."

He listened without taking his eyes off her.

She glanced toward the pups again. "I don’t know how to trust him without being afraid of losing him again."

Ashley took a slow breath. He knew the truth, but he wasn’t ready to reveal it yet.

"Then don’t force yourself to trust him overnight," he said. "Just give him a chance to show you who he is now. You’ve already seen him trying to be there for the pups. Maybe it’s time you let him show you what he still feels for you, too."

He closed his eyes briefly.

He had been there when Brandon made the impossible choice. He had agreed that Emma could never know the truth, and he had watched his daughter grieve while saying nothing.

At the time, it had been necessary.

But now, standing beside her and hearing the hurt still lingering in her voice, he opened his eyes and looked at her again.

The danger was gone, yet his daughter was still suffering because of a secret he had promised to keep. Ashley’s fingers curled slowly at his side as he watched her standing beside him, her eyes still fixed on Brandon and the pups.

He had spent winters believing there would be a better time to tell her. Now, seeing how much she was still struggling to trust the man she loved, he wasn’t sure he could keep waiting.

Maybe it was time she finally knew.

Before he could say anything, Bryan suddenly came running across the garden.

"Grandfather!"

Ashley turned toward him, and the heaviness in his expression immediately softened. He smiled and bent down to catch Bryan in his arms.

"There’s my brave young prince."

Bryan grinned as he pulled back and looked up at him. "Father fixed my swing yesterday."

Ashley glanced toward Brandon before looking back at Bryan. "Did he?"

Bryan nodded enthusiastically. "And tomorrow we’re going fishing."

He glanced toward Brandon. The young man had devoted every spare moment to rebuilding his relationship with his mate and pups, not with promises or grand gestures, but by showing up, spending time with them, and patiently being there whenever they needed him.

Ashley looked back at Emma.

She was still watching Brandon. The anger wasn’t there anymore. Instead, she kept her eyes on him with a hesitation Ashley recognized all too well. She wanted to believe him, but the fear of being hurt again kept her from taking that final step.

Ashley slowly lowered his gaze.

He had kept the secret because he had believed silence was the safest choice. But watching his daughter struggle to find her way back to Brandon made him wonder how much longer that silence could protect her.

As the day wore on, Brandon prepared to leave. He said goodbye to Bryan, kissed Charlotte’s forehead, and then turned toward Ashley.

"Your Majesty."

Ashley returned the nod. "My High Alpha King."

Brandon nodded respectfully

Their eyes met for a brief moment.

Neither man said anything more. They didn’t need to.

His expression softened when his gaze settled on Emma.

"Emma, I’ll take my leave."

"Safe journey," she said, offering him a small smile.

Brandon nodded respectfully before he walked towards the convoy and climbed into his car, and the convoy slowly rolled toward the gates. Ashley stood where he was and watched until the last SUV disappeared from sight.

Only after the last vehicle disappeared beyond the gates did he turn toward Emma. She was still standing where he had left her, her eyes fixed on the empty driveway as though she were waiting for one more glimpse of the convoy.

"My soft fang."

She finally looked at him. "Yes father?"

He took a slow breath and glanced toward the gates once more before turning his attention back to her. His hands remained at his sides, but his fingers tightened slightly.

"There’s something I need to tell you."

Emma’s brow furrowed as she studied his face. "What is it?"

He held her gaze for a moment, then looked toward the gates again.

"It’s about Brandon."

Emma’s fingers tightened around the edge of her sleeve as she watched him. "What about him?"

He held her gaze for a moment. His expression remained serious, and he seemed to weigh his next words before finally taking another slow breath.

"The time has finally come..."

He paused, then stepped a little closer to her, his voice dropping to a quiet murmur.

"...for you to know the truth."