Alpha's Secret Bride

It had been two months since Scarlet left home. She had called Emma only once since leaving and still hadn’t opened the new bank account Emma had urged her to get. If she was going to start over, she wanted to do it on her own. She even changed her device number so she wouldn’t be tempted to reach out. Her lease had already been paid, and she refused to become anyone’s burden again.

Working at Amaris Celtic Hearth & Brew House in Dublin wasn’t easy. She had spent the last nine winters living in the palace, where maids and other domestic workers handled almost everything. Now she was learning the simplest tasks from scratch. Some days she spilled drinks. Other days she mixed up orders or struggled to keep up when the café filled with customers. She made mistakes, apologized, and came back the next day determined to do better.

But the hardest part of her day didn’t happen inside the café.

Whenever business slowed and her hands finally became still, memories crept in. Theresa’s face. Her mother’s tears. The life she had thrown away. The smile that sometimes found its way onto her lips faded without warning. Guilt settled deep inside her chest and refused to leave. She believed that if she hadn’t run away from home, her mother would still be alive. What if I had stayed?

She stopped eating as much. Her uniforms grew looser with each passing week. Some moonfalls she lay awake staring at the ceiling, missing home so badly that it hurt to breathe. More than once, dark thoughts whispered that it would be easier to give up. She would squeeze her eyes shut, curl her fingers into the blanket, and wait for moonrise to come.

Most people around her never seemed to notice.

They laughed with her when she forced a smile and thanked her when she served their coffee.

Only Greg—the arrogant billionaire, as everyone at the café called him—paid attention. Every time he stopped by, his eyes lingered on her for a second longer than everyone else’s. He noticed the dark circles beneath her eyes. He noticed how little she spoke. He noticed that her apron seemed to hang a little looser every week.

He always asked if she was okay.

She always brushed him off.

As far as she was concerned, he was still the same arrogant man who looked down on everyone else.

One Saturday moonfall, just as the moon slipped below the horizon, Greg walked into the café as usual.

Scarlett carried his coffee to his table and set the cup down in front of him.

"Your usual," she said quietly and turned to leave.

"Wait."

Greg looked up at her instead of his coffee. He pulled out the chair across from him and nodded for her to sit.

"Sit."

Scarlett glanced around the café. There were still customers, but the rushing hour had eased.

"I should get back to work."

"It’ll only take a minute."

She stood there for a few seconds before slowly adjusting the chair and sitting across from him.

No one paid them any attention. No one would have guessed the arrogant billionaire wasn’t as cold as the world believed.

"What is it?" Greg asked.

"Nothing."

She didn’t bother forcing a smile. Her fingers stayed wrapped around the warm mug as she stared at the table between them.

Greg watched her for a moment before speaking again. "What’s your name again?"

"Scarlet."

He nodded. "Scarlet... have you lost a wolf recently?"

"Yes."

"Who?"

"My parents."

Daniel was still alive, but to Scarlet, he was no different from the dead. The day she learned he had killed a pup and walked away without remorse, she buried him in her heart and never looked back.

"Were they both gone at the same time?" Greg asked gently.

She shook her head. "No."

"What happened?"

She lowered her gaze. The rim of the mug brushed against her thumb as she turned it slowly in her hands.

"My attitude."

Greg let out a quiet breath. A small, knowing smile crossed his face.

"I know that kind of guilt," he said. "I carried it with me for more than a winter."

Scarlet slowly raised her eyes to meet his.

"You lost a wolf too?"

He nodded.

"My mate and her younger sibling. They died on the same day."

He lowered his eyes. "I was supposed to pick her up, but I didn’t. I was too busy getting ready for my birthday." His voice grew quiet. "I keep thinking that if I’d gone to get her myself, they’d both still be here."

His voice stayed calm, but his eyes drifted toward the café window for a moment before returning to her.

"For an entire winter, I barely spoke to anyone. I stopped smiling. I thought that was how I was going to live for the rest of my life." He rested his arms on the table. "Then a wolf came along and refused to leave me alone. They listened, they checked on me, and little by little, I found my way back."

He gave her a warm look.

"I’d like to do the same for you."

Scarlet didn’t answer. She simply looked down at the mug again.

"I’m not saying everything will change tomorrow," Greg continued. "But you don’t have to carry all this by yourself. Talking won’t erase the pain, but it can make it a little easier to bear."

He held out his hand.

"Can I have your device number?"

She reached into the pocket of her work apron, took out her new device, unlocked it, and placed it in his hand.

Greg entered his number, then called his own device. A moment later, the device in his pocket vibrated. He ended the call, handed the device back to her, and smiled.

"Save that number."

She looked at the contact on the screen before glancing back at him.

"What’s your name?"

"Alex."

She looked at him without saying anything.

He laughed softly.

"Gregory is my first name. Alex is my middle name. Most people call me Greg."

She nodded and saved the contact before slipping the device back into her pocket.

Greg pushed his chair back and stood.

"I’ll call you tomorrow," he said.

"Trying to drink our pain away will only make us feel worse in the long run, but when the cup is empty, the pain is still there. I know because I tried it myself."

He rested a hand on the back of the chair.

"Sometimes all we need is a person willing to listen without judging us. If you’ll let me, I’ll be that person."

Scarlet looked up at him for the first time since they started talking. She didn’t promise anything, but she gave a small nod.

Greg returned the nod, turned, and walked toward the exit.

---

At exactly eight that moonfall, Scarlet’s device buzzed on the small table beside her bed.

She picked it up and looked at the screen.

Gregory.

A faint sigh escaped her lips before she answered the call and lifted the device to her ear.

"Moonfall," she greeted.

"How are you doing, Scarlet?" he asked.

"I’m fine."

There was a brief silence before he spoke again.

"Do you have any plans tomorrow?"

She shook her head. "No. Why?"

"I’d like to invite you over for lunch."

Scarlet hesitated. "I’d love to, but..."

"I’ll pick you up at noon," Gregory said before she could finish.

She blinked. "Do you even know where I live?"

A grin spread across his face.

"I’m looking at your location right now."

She lowered the device from her ear and glanced at the screen. His location wasn’t there, but hers was. A small icon showed that she was still sharing her live location. She brought the device back to her ear, and his soft chuckle drifted through the speaker. She had forgotten to turn off location sharing after using the map to look up places around Dublin she wanted to explore.

"Don’t worry," he said. "I’ll be there."

A small smile finally touched her lips.

"Alright. See you tomorrow."

The call ended, and the apartment fell quiet again.

Scarlet had planned to explore Dublin. She’d wanted to disappear into the city and bury the thoughts that had been pushing her toward the edge. Now, Gregory wanted to help her step out of the shell she’d built around herself.

---

Sunday arrived.

Just as the clock struck noon, the doorbell rang.

Scarlet walked to the door and opened it.

Gregory stood outside with both hands tucked into the pockets of his jacket. A relaxed smile rested on his face.

"Good day," she said.

"Good day."

He stepped inside after she moved aside, his eyes drifting around the apartment for a quick look before settling on her again.

"You ready?"

Scarlet nodded.

He nodded back, as if that was all the answer he needed, then motioned toward the door.

She picked up her bag and walked out first. Gregory pulled the door shut behind them, waited while she locked it, and together they headed toward the elevator.

As they waited, Scarlet stole a quick glance at him.

He was undeniably handsome, but that wasn’t why she had agreed to go with him. Right now, a kind voice meant more to her than a handsome face. She needed a wolf who could remind her there was still a reason to keep moving forward.

Scarlet couldn’t find the right words to describe Gregory’s mansion.

She had grown up in a mansion back home, but this was different. The estate stretched far beyond what she could see from the driveway, and every corner seemed carefully planned.

The car came to a stop beneath the grand entrance. One of Gregory’s guards stepped forward and opened the door for her.

"Thank you," Scarlet said as she climbed out.

She stopped without realizing it.

Her eyes traveled across the towering stone walls, the tall windows, and the neatly trimmed gardens surrounding the mansion. For a long moment, she simply stood there.

Gregory walked around the car and joined her.

"Come on," he said with a smile.

Scarlet nodded and followed him inside.

She had accepted nothing more than an invitation to lunch.

She didn’t know that stepping into Gregory’s mansion would become the beginning of a new Chapter in her life.

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