Alpha's Secret Bride

The moment she stepped into the foyer, her feet slowed again.

The chamber was enormous. A polished wooden floor reflected the moonlight pouring in through the tall windows. A curved staircase swept gracefully to the second floor, where a wide gallery overlooked the entrance below. Scarlet tilted her head and took it all in.

Greg glanced at her and smiled.

"You can look around as much as you want."

She looked at him and managed a faint smile.

"It’s beautiful."

She wanted to tell him she hadn’t always lived a simple life. She wanted to tell him she had once walked through halls just as grand. But the words stayed where they were.

Greg gently motioned for her to follow.

He led her into the feeding chamber.

The chamber felt warm and welcoming. The polished wooden table was surrounded by elegant chairs upholstered in soft fabric. Fresh white flowers sat neatly in the center, adding just enough color without drawing attention away from the chamber itself.

She looked around before turning to Greg.

"You have great taste," she said quietly.

"Thank you."

He pulled out the chair at the head of the table for her.

"Please."

She sat down, and Greg took the seat opposite her.

Her eyes wandered around the chamber again before settling on him.

"I didn’t see any pictures of your mate."

Greg’s smile faded.

"They used to be on the walls."

He rested his hands on the table and looked toward the doorway for a moment.

"I had them taken down."

Scarlet remained quiet.

"I keep them in a private chamber now," he continued. "Sometimes I go in there and sit with her pictures. I tell her about my day... the things that went right, the things that didn’t."

A small smile touched his lips, though it never reached his eyes.

"I know she can’t answer me. Still... talking to her somehow makes the chamber feel less empty."

"Do you really think she can hear you?" Scarlet asked softly.

Greg looked down at his plate for a moment before lifting his eyes to hers.

"I believe she can."

Scarlet gave a small nod. Neither of them spoke for a few seconds.

"I’m glad you finally decided to move on," she said. "Amaris seemed like a nice person."

A faint smile appeared on Greg’s face, but it faded almost as quickly.

"She is. She’s kind, thoughtful... easy to be around."

He paused, then let out a quiet breath.

"But her family has a strange history."

Scarlet looked at him.

"What do you mean?"

Greg didn’t answer right away. Instead, he reached for the serving dishes and removed the lids one after another. Steam curled into the air, carrying the smell of freshly cooked food.

"I made all of this," he said.

Scarlet breathed in the aroma.

"It smells really good."

"It tastes even better." He smiled and motioned toward the table. "Go ahead."

She picked up her cutlery, and they began to eat in comfortable silence.

After a few bites, Scarlet looked at him again.

"You never answered my question."

Greg set his fork down.

"Two of Amaris’s siblings took their own lives."

Scarlet slowly lowered her fork.

"That doesn’t mean she’ll do the same," she said quietly. "People aren’t their families."

Greg rubbed a hand over his jaw before answering.

"I wanted to believe that too."

He stared at his plate for a moment.

"But after her mate asked for a bond severance and handed her the papers... she tried to end her own life."

Scarlet froze.

Greg let out a slow breath.

"My mind isn’t as strong as people think it is," he said. "I’m still putting myself back together. If I ever fall in love again... I need to know I won’t lose my partner that way."

His voice faded into the background.

Scarlet’s eyes lost focus.

Without realizing it, her fingers loosened around her fork.

Clink.

The sound of the cutlery hitting the plate pulled her back.

She quickly picked it up and forced a small smile.

"Sorry."

Greg studied her face.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah... I’m fine," she said with a small nod, though her voice lacked its usual warmth.

Greg watched her for a moment before speaking again.

"Amaris is just a moonally. I don’t think we’ll ever be anything more."

Scarlet lowered her eyes to her plate. She pushed a piece of food around with her fork before looking back at him.

"If she wanted to be more than your moonally... would you give her a chance?"

For the first time since they had started talking, a smile spread across Greg’s face.

"She’s a beautiful woman, just like you. Most men would have a hard time turning down an offer to become her moonally." His smile faded as quickly as it came. "But her father was convicted of murder last winter. That stain never really leaves a family. That’s why her mate severed her."

Scarlet’s fingers went numb.

The fork slipped from her hand and struck the side of a glass. The sharp clink echoed through the feeding chamber. Greg looked up, then his gaze settled on her.

Greg frowned.

"Scarlet..." He leaned forward. "You look tense. What’s wrong?"

Daniel’s face flashed through her mind, followed by the image of the innocent pup whose life he had taken. Then Theresa’s face surfaced. She remembered the day Theresa had taken her own life.

Her throat tightened.

"I hate murderers."

Greg nodded without hesitation.

"So do I." His voice was firm. "That’s exactly why I could never date a woman whose family has a history of murder."

Scarlet lowered her eyes to her plate. Her fingers tightened around her fork before she set it down.

"I understand," she said softly. "No one wants to carry another person’s family burden."

Gregory watched her for a moment before he leaned back in his chair.

"I didn’t say that," he said quietly. "A person isn’t responsible for what their family did."

He paused, rubbing his thumb along the edge of his glass.

"But when a family has a long history of murder, revenge usually follows. Old enemies don’t stop to ask who was guilty and who wasn’t. They come after everyone. That’s the part I couldn’t live with."

Silence settled between them.

Scarlet stared at her plate for a long moment. She turned the fork slowly between her fingers.

"So..." she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "Even if she was kind... even if she had a good heart... you’d still walk away?"

She finally looked up at him.

"Not because of who she is... but because of the family she was born into?"

Gregory met her eyes without looking away.

"I’d hate doing it," he admitted. "But yes."

He let out a slow breath and rested his arms on the table.

"It wouldn’t be because I thought she was a bad person. It would be because I know what comes with that kind of history. I’ve seen what revenge can do. I wouldn’t want to spend the rest of my life wondering if the next knock on the door was meant for me."

He gave her a small, apologetic smile.

"Some risks don’t end with the person you love. They become yours too."

She picked up her fork again, gripping it so tightly her knuckles turned white. She kept her eyes on her plate, afraid to look at him.

Amaris’s family carried one dark stain.

Mine carries far worse.

Heat crept into her face. Shame settled heavily on her chest, and no matter how hard she tried to hide it, it showed in her eyes.

Gregory kept his eyes on her.

She lowered her gaze to her plate and took another bite, pretending she hadn’t noticed. Looking at him felt dangerous. One look into those gentle eyes, and she feared every secret she had fought to bury would spill out.

He reached across the table and rested his hand over hers.

"I feel like I’ve known you my whole life," he said softly. "You know you can tell me anything about your family, right?"

She stayed quiet.

Her fingers curled around her fork.

Was he trying to get her to open up?

She couldn’t tell him what had happened in her homeland. Those memories belonged in the past, locked away where no one could reach them. Besides, she wasn’t here because she wanted to be. She had only agreed to lunch because Gregory wouldn’t take no for an answer.

He gave her hand a gentle squeeze.

"One thing I’ve learned about life," he said, "is that it doesn’t stop when something happens. It keeps moving, and somehow we’re expected to keep moving with it."

Scarlet looked down at her plate and traced the rim with her fingertip.

"I’ve been trying," she said quietly. "Some days I think I’m moving forward. Then something reminds me of everything I’ve lost, and it feels like I’m right back where I started."

His thumb brushed lightly across the back of her hand.

"A winter ago, I couldn’t even bear hearing my mate’s name. If a wolf mentioned her, I’d walk away. Now I can talk about her. I can share our story without falling apart."

Scarlet lowered her eyes to their hands.

The chatter in the feeding chamber drifted around them, but neither of them spoke.

She parted her lips, then closed them again.

The truth sat heavy in her chest, waiting to be spoken.

But the words wouldn’t come.

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