Alpha's Secret Bride

"Mother, did he kill somewolf?" She asked.

"You will find out what he did on Monday." She responded and began to walk towards the door. She shrugged and followed her.

"If he dies before the next meeting, I must get his corpse arrested!!" She yelled again and Emma grinned.

"Mother, I’m glad you are back. I guess my father unleashed your inner wolf last moonfall."

Emily slowed down and laughed.

"My heart swelled with a feeling I had thought was long dead yesterday when he sat close to me. My wolf stirred awake instantly, heightening every sense..." she paused and fixed her eyes on the floor as though she was reliving the moment.

"I bless the day you formed in my womb," Emily said, pulling her close and gazing into her eyes. "I cried like a newborn pup the first time I held you in my arms. Emma, you were such a beauty to behold that fear gripped my wolf. I didn’t want anything to happen to you. I poured all the love I had for your father into you. When I looked at you, I felt I was looking at him. My wolf... crumbled the day Daniel laid his filthy hands on you," she said, wiping tears that streamed down her face.

"Mother, it’s okay," Emma said and gently wiped her tears.

"Your strength, your persistence, and your rare wolf gifts brought us back together," she grinned softly. "Brandon is blessed by the Moon Goddess to have you. You are a rare gem."

Brandon had said something similar... something about her having a gift only she could give. Yet the words refused to settle in her mind. A slight frown creased her face, confusion tightening in her chest. What exactly was she? Why did everyone speak as if she were something special... when she felt so ordinary?

"My soft fang, you will understand that you’re not an ordinary wolf very soon. Many will seek your help. Don’t hesitate when it’s time."

"I owe Brooklyn too," she added after a brief pause. Her voice softened with gratitude. "She is always there for me. There was a day I almost killed somewolf... she helped me control myself."

Inside, her chest tightened at the memory. If she hadn’t been there... she might have lost everything. What if it happens again? What if she can’t control it next time?

"Please, take her to Ken. He needs a grounded she-wolf like Brooklyn in his life. I pray the Moon Goddess aligns their paths."

"Ken looks like a reckless playpup," she smirked.

"He doesn’t just look like one; he is a playpup and will remain so until his wolf recognizes the one whose soul resonates with him. It might be Brooklyn," she said and continued walking towards the exit.

"Brooklyn is such a wonderful moonally, and I want the best for her. She has stood by me through fang and claw. She is the perfect definition of a true moonally."

"Are you insinuating that your sibling is not the best? Listen, love begins with a spark—an instinctive pull from your wolf. An unexplainable feeling deep within that makes you crave some wolf’s presence. That spark grows, deepens, and may blossom into a soul-bond. Kenneth might be a playpup, but he is kind. His wolf is gentle."

"Ahh, Mother... There was a time I felt exactly as you described toward Oliver, yet I couldn’t understand what was happening to me. I needed some wolf to explain my feelings back then, but no one could give them a name."

Her voice faltered as the memories surfaced, heavy and unkind. She lowered her gaze, her chest tightening as if the past still had claws in her heart. Why did it still hurt this much? Why did the confusion linger even now? Tears slipped quietly down her cheeks as she struggled to steady herself.

"Who’s Oliver?"

"He’s young Brandon—that’s the only name I knew him by back then."

"It’s okay, my soft fang," she murmured gently. "I’m here now... even though I wasn’t there when you needed me the most."

A flicker of guilt crossed her face, subtle but deep. She wished she could rewrite those lost moments, erase the loneliness her moonpup had endured—but all she could do now was stay, and hope it was enough.

"Like I said, take Brooklyn to Ken—I’m sure he’ll like her."

"I noticed that a few hours ago. His mind feels... unguarded."

"Take her to him."

"Only the Moon Goddess knows where my moonally is right now," she grinned as she dialed her number.

"Emma, I want to go back to the estate," Brooklyn said immediately as she picked up the call. Her voice carried a hint of urgency, though she tried to keep it steady, as if admitting fear would somehow make it worse.

"Why?" She asked, her brows knitting together, unease creeping in before she could stop it.

"This place is too confusing; my wolf can’t even map it. I don’t know where I am, and I can’t find the exit," Brooklyn replied. A spark of frustration edged her words, but beneath it lay something softer—panic she was struggling to contain.

"Can you find your way back to the virtual meeting chamber?" She asked, trying to sound calm, even as a quiet worry pressed against her chest.

"No!" Brooklyn snapped, then inhaled sharply, as if steadying herself. She hated sounding helpless, yet the silence around her made her feel smaller by the second.

"Where are you?" She asked, her voice tightening despite her effort to remain composed.

"I don’t know, and the door refuses to open. I looked above the door and saw the ’entrance’. I’ve been searching for the exit for ten minutes," Brooklyn said. Her grip on the device tightened, her thoughts spiraling—how could an entrance feel so much like a trap?

"Oh, Moon Goddess!" Emma screamed and burst into laughter.

"Great Moon Goddess!!" Brooklyn cried out, and Emma stiffened.

"Brooklyn, what is it? Brooklyn!!"

"My moonlit."

"Oh thank the Moon Goddess! Ken, where is she?"

"She is in my lounge, trying to tear my wall apart with her bare claws," he grinned, and Emma laughed too. "You didn’t want me near her, right? Well, fate brought her straight into my chamber."

"I’m coming there right away," she said in a rush.

"Hold on! You’re needed in the sitting chamber. There are questions to answer and parchments to seal with your signature. Meet us later in the recreation hall," Ken said and hung up. She looked around but Emily was nowhere in sight. She turned and began walking towards the main sitting chamber.

"Emma," a she-wolf’s voice called from behind just as she was about to enter the sitting chamber where her father, several legal enforcers, and pack border wardens were gathered. She turned—and disbelief sparkled in her eyes.

Morgan is Evan’s elder sibling, a she-wolf aligned with one of the most powerful law packs in the territory. When Evan called off their engagement, she tried to reach him, but she refused her presence. Morgan had once threatened to drag Emma before the pack council if she ever crossed paths with her sibling again. Emma had withdrawn and hardened herself.

"Morgan," Emma said with a cautious smile, lifting her hand in greeting. Her shock was obvious. She had expected hostility—or worse, cold indifference.

"I tried to catch your attention earlier in the chamber, but you didn’t see me."

"What are you doing here?" Emma asked.

"We represent Ashley Ashford," she said with pride. She had always been ambitious—a rising she-wolf advocate, called to the bar two winters ago, though still far from the rank of High Fang Regent’s counsel.

"I heard you are his moonpup."

"Yes."

"Congratulations."

"I didn’t think you would ever speak to me again," she admitted with a soft grin. "I’m sorry for how I treated you before. Something happened... and Evan forbade us from speaking of it beyond our pack house."

"What happened?" Emma asked, pulling her slightly aside.

"Our father sold his company to Moon Prince Brandon Oliver Frostbane—and kept it hidden from Evan. That day, when my father forced you out of the gathering for slapping the Moon Prince, Evan was furious with our father. He approached the Prince and demanded he leave the hall, unaware of who he truly was... and unaware that the company already belonged to him.

The Moon Prince left in anger. Later that moonfall, our father revealed everything and begged Evan to go to the Prince’s private estate and seek forgiveness."

"Evan went to the Nightclaw estate and apologized. The Moon Prince agreed to forgive him—but on one condition."

"That he ends the engagement."

"Evan told you?"

"No. I simply figured it out."

"You are right. But there was more... Evan realized that the Moon Prince was obsessed with you. His wolf refused to let go. He was determined—you would become his, no matter what."

"I would have preferred hearing that from him."

"Emma, you wouldn’t have accepted it then. We both know your wolf was restless—always ready to fight shadows," she said with a faint smile.

"I blame my terrible upbringing," Emma replied, a faint smile brushing her lips. "Where is Evan now?" she asked, silently praying he wouldn’t become a problem—especially during her mating bond ceremony with Brandon.