Brandon pulled over in the parking lot and alighted, his wolf instincts already attuned to the stillness that ca with moonfall. He knew his father would be in his favorite cottage, likely deep in pack matters or silent reflection beneath the falling moon. Not wanting to cross paths with him—or any mber of his pack-kin—he chose a different route. He headed south, moving with quiet precision, his senses alert, his aura carefully masked. He used one of the lonelier entrances that led directly to the High Luna’s chamber, a path rarely taken unless summoned.
He stood at the door, his presence steady yet restrained, staring at the High Luna as she kept examining a silver-like object in her hand. The glint of it caught the soft moonlight filtering through the chamber, but he couldn’t make out its full shape or purpose. His wolf stirred faintly with curiosity, but he held himself still, composed.
The Luna was a very sensible she-wolf, one who relied heavily on her heightened senses. Brandon knew she must have already sensed his presence long before he arrived at the door. Still, he remained where he was, hands tucked into his pockets, his posture relaxed but guarded. His wireless call receiver remained in his ear, though he wasn’t listening to anything anymore.
"I fixed this up for her," she said, her voice calm as she turned around. He stepped forward slightly, his gaze falling on the silver object she now held out to him. He took it, examining it closely. "She smashed it here the first day she visited the royal house."
"I got a new one for her," he replied simply, his tone indifferent but carrying a hint of underlying aning only he could understand.
"You are rich," the High Luna said, her voice layered with quiet judgnt, as though he had wasted valuable resources on sothing unnecessary—especially for a mate whose place was still uncertain in her eyes.
"Thank you," he said, tilting one of his eyebrows slightly, a faint smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. The Luna remained calm, her sharp gaze fixed on him, studying him like she always did—like she was trying to read the truth buried beneath his surface.
"You know I love you and Elara very much, right?" she asked, her tone softening just a little, though her authority never wavered.
"I know," he answered, his voice steady, though his wolf stirred uneasily at where this was heading.
"Co inside. We are going to have a lot of conversations about your intimate life."
"What?" He glared, his brows knitting together instantly. His wolf bristled at the thought. The last ti he and Elara had such a conversation with her was three winters ago, and it had been nothing short of an interrogation—one that left him thoroughly uncomfortable.
"Brandon, shut the door," she said firmly as she turned away, already walking toward her inner chamber. At the sa ti, she received a call on her device, her expression unreadable.
He stepped forward reluctantly, shutting the door behind him before following her deeper into the chamber. His eyes scanned the chamber—and then he saw them. Mating ensembles carefully arranged, shimring fabrics and ceremonial pieces laid out with precision. His brows lifted slightly in surprise, his wolf reacting with mild disbelief at how far she had gone with the preparations.
His gaze shifted to the table where several unsigned mating cards lay. Curiosity got the better of him. He picked one up, his lips curling faintly as he read it aloud.
"Lunara Greens mates Moon Prince Brandon Oliver Frostbane," he read audibly, then dropped the invitation card back onto the table, letting out a soft snicker. To him, it all felt unreal—like a staged illusion he hadn’t agreed to be part of.
"The mating planner needs more silver, but the outco of our conversation will decide my next action," she said, tossing her device onto the table with controlled frustration.
She began checking all the intercoms in her chamber, moving with deliberate caution to ensure none were open for transmission. Brandon watched her silently, his curiosity deepening. Whatever conversation they were about to have, it was serious enough for her to seal the chamber entirely—even closing windows and reinforcing privacy with the instinctive caution of a high-ranking she-wolf.
"Oh, my Moon Goddess... I hope she won’t ask how I sleep with my mate, because she won’t get an answer," he murmured under his breath, his voice barely audible, though his wolf tensed in anticipation.
"Brandon, I have invested more than ten million silver crowns into the upcoming mating ceremony already," she began, turning to face him fully now. "And I am doing it because of the love I have for you. The only thing that will make feel appreciated is your openness. I want you to be honest with . Answer all my questions without feeling embarrassed—I am your mother."
"Mother, I have always been sincere with you," he replied, his tone tightening slightly. "But you just suddenly stopped believing ."
"Are you in love with Lunara?" she asked directly, her eyes piercing through him.
"No!" he responded imdiately, without hesitation.
"But you have been sleeping with her."
"Mother, I haven’t been sleeping with her. I think she is sleeping with one... of the... I don’t know," he sputtered, the lie heavy on his tongue. His wolf resisted the deception, making it harder for him to speak smoothly. He had considered shifting the bla onto the dostic staff—anything to protect his mother from the truth—but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. Ever since Emma gave him that hint, he hadn’t been himself. And he refused to let his mother feel the sa crushing weight.
"Brandon, I don’t believe you haven’t slept with her," she said, her tone lowering, carrying disappointnt.
He sat down, crossing one leg over the other, his posture controlled as he fixed his gaze on her.
"Mother, listen. I want to be honest with you," he said, exhaling slowly. "When I ca back from the academy, I went after the only she-wolf I love. But she didn’t recognize . She rejected ... and tried to prove she had a mate. I never knew she was just putting on an act to push away."
"I tried to move on with Lunara, but I couldn’t. I slept with Lunara once—and that was three winters ago."
The Luna stood up coldly, her movents slow and controlled as she walked toward the mating gown displayed within the chamber. Her fingers brushed against the glass casing, tracing its surface absentmindedly. There was sothing flickering in her eyes—sothing complex and unreadable. Even Brandon couldn’t tell if it was sorrow or relief.
"Where were you four hours ago?" she asked suddenly, turning her icy gaze back to him.
"I was with my mate," he replied with a small shrug, his tone casual—but his wolf stood firm behind those words.
The Luna turned her face away, her gaze returning to the gown, her silence heavy.
"Are you being honest with right now? Brandon... you have never disrespected your father."
"Well, I did today," he answered bluntly.
"Who slept with Lunara today?"
"I... don’t know... I’m not the one," he replied, his voice quieter now. He couldn’t expose the truth—not like this. Not to her. Her ntal well-being mattered more to him than the raw truth ever could.
The Luna let out a strained smile, one fueled by frustration, and shook her head slowly.
"Brandon, this is so unbelievable..."
"Mother, I know it is," he said, his voice steady but firm. "But you have to believe . I’m not the one."
She walked toward her table as though her strength was slipping away, like she was sinking beneath unseen waves. Grabbing a face towel, she began wiping her eyes and nose quickly, trying to maintain composure.
"I’m not supposed to ask you what I’m about to ask," she said, her voice trembling slightly despite her effort to remain strong. "But I am your mother. Please, Brandon... don’t be offended. I have spent a lot of silver crowns on this upcoming mating."
"Don’t worry, Mother," he replied gently. "You can ask anything. I will tell you nothing but the truth—as always."
"She confided in ... that you deflowered her the first ti you slept with her," she said slowly, her voice heavy with emotion. "And she made it seem like you are already committed to her..."
"That’s not true! I did not claim her first howl," he said. She frowned and looked at him in perplexity.
"You did not? Brandon, I raised her for you. When she opened up to that she was in love with you, I made sure she never bonded with any other he-wolf."
"Well, it is obvious she doesn’t love and she is seeing sowolf else," he shrugged. His mother bit her lip. She knew he was speaking the truth because he had never lied to her, but she just found it difficult to accept.
"Brandon, you were just twenty-two winters old three winters ago and I want to assu that you haven’t claid any she-wolf and do not really know..."
"Mother, a twenty-two-winter-old wolf is an adult."
"Yes, but you never had any moonmate when you were in the academy, so I doubt you knew when a she-wolf still carried her first purity."
"Mother, I am an adult! I told you I shared intimacy with a she-wolf while I was in the academy. It was just casual."
"She was not your moonmate and I’m sure she was not untouched."
"She was not," he said, with a flat tone because he was tired of the conversation already.
"Brandon, I’m sure you claid Lunara."
"I did not!"
"Does it an she is also a liar?"
"Two moons of living and sharing the sa chamber with my mate, she isn’t easy to penetrate yet."
"Are you saying Lunara was easy to penetrate?"
"Can we end this conversation, mother?"
"No, Brandon! I can’t believe such a disgrace has been happening under my nose! I want to deal with those involved and I want to make sure you are not part of it!"
There was a brief silence in the chamber. Her questions were truly embarrassing, but it was an opportunity for him to free himself.
"Was Emma untouched?"
"Yes."
"Lunara told she lost her purity nine years ago to a random he-wolf when she was just fourteen."
"Well, she lied as well. Emma and I didn’t have sex that day."
"Which day?"
"The day I traveled to far Springfield territory."
The Luna opened her eyes widely.
"Is she the one you traveled all the way to see?"
"Yes."
"What?" She asked, narrowing her eyes. "You told your father that the she-wolf’s pack-kin sent her away because they no longer wanted her. Seemingly, Lunara’s pack-kin were the ones you were referring to."
"Yes, mother."
"Why did you invite them for dinner!!!"
"I wanted to convince them to take Emma back because her new guardian refused to let take her away!"
"Oh my Moon Goddess! Why did you hide the truth from , Brandon?"
"She was warned not to tell anyone and I promised her I wouldn’t reveal it. Elara and I had to find a way to convince them to take her back."
"You and your sibling deserve a round of applause!"
"What?"
"Yes! You just invited the devil into your royal den! Clap for yourselves! Now she sleeps with all my dostic wolves!" The Luna yelled and stood up angrily. He smirked because of the ’all’ in her last sentence.
"Brandon, if you try that again, I swear to the Moon Goddess, I will spank the hell out of you! Do you know how much I have wasted? What did I ever do to you and Elara? How could you allow to waste so many silver crowns on a mating that was never ant to happen!" She yelled and paced around the chamber.
"Mother," he called and pointed at her intercom. She grabbed the remote angrily, struck it, and tossed it aside.
"My High Luna."
"Mrs. Thalia, what is it?"
"Lunara would like to have you on today’s program."
"Tell her the show has ended permanently! I will address her audience later." The Luna sighed and walked toward her window.
"I’m sure your father did not know Emma was the she-wolf you visited nine years ago."
"He knows! He had her investigated and didn’t like what he found. He recomnded her sibling, Lunara—the one that had dinner with us—but I refused. He gave conditions I must et if I ever wanted to see Emma again. When I returned from England, he created another task and both of you insisted I must mate with Lunara."
"The king gave you a task?"
"Yes."
"He didn’t tell . What is the task?"
"Finding Emma’s blood parents."
"Brandon! You never told all these things!"
"You never asked, mother! When I tried to tell you, you didn’t listen!"
"Oh my Moon Goddess! What am I going to do now?"
"Call the mating bond off."
"You know it is not in my power to break a mating bond. Only the king has that authority. I can’t even convince him because he...."
"Knew a mistake had been made and probably wants to continue to avoid humiliation." He cut her off quickly, stopping her thoughts from going further.
"Are you sure that was his reason?" She asked, frowning.
"That is just his reason."
"Well, I’m going to hand everything over to him. I’m done, prince. You, Elara, and Emma brought this curse upon the royal house. Now, clean it up!"
"Now, I know who was behind the gunshot at your estate!" She said after a few minutes of staring into space. "She must tell which of the dostic wolves she has been sleeping with!"
"Mother, please, let the innocent wolf be."
"Innocent, you say? Brandon, I have spent ten million silver crowns already because they made believe it was you. She calls your na all the ti—even today!"
The Luna turned angrily and began to walk toward the door. He already knew where she was heading and quickly stopped her.
"Mother, please..."
"If this ss is not properly cleaned, I won’t forgive the three of you!" The Luna yelled and stord out of her chamber.
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