Alpha's Secret Bride

Eira appeared in the doorway a few moments later. She looked from Gregory to Scarlet, then noticed the angry red mark on Scarlet’s cheek.

"You called for me?"

Gregory didn’t answer right away. His eyes stayed on Scarlet’s face for another second before they slowly shifted to Eira.

"Did you do this?"

Eira held his gaze without looking away.

"Yes."

Scarlet took a step forward. "Greg, please. It wasn’t..."

He raised a hand, stopping her before she could finish.

"I’ll hear from you in a minute."

Scarlet fell silent.

Gregory looked back at Eira. His voice remained calm, but it carried a weight that made the chamber feel smaller.

"Why?"

Eira let out a slow breath.

"I was trying to protect you."

Gregory’s expression didn’t change.

"Protect me... from what?"

"I’ve watched women throw themselves at you ever since..." She stopped for a moment before continuing. "Ever since you lost your mate. Some wanted your money. Some wanted your name. Others wanted the life that comes with being close to you."

She looked at Scarlet.

"I thought she was one of them."

Silence settled over the chamber.

Gregory stood without moving, his expression unreadable.

When Eira finished, he asked quietly, "Did I ever ask you to decide who works for me?"

Eira opened her mouth, but no words came.

"You’ve been with me for winters," Gregory said. "You’ve looked after this house, and you’ve stood by me during some of the hardest days of my life. I’ll never forget that."

His voice stayed calm.

"But that doesn’t give you the right to put your hands on another."

Eira lowered her eyes.

"If you believed Scarlet was here for the wrong reasons, you should’ve come to me. You don’t settle it by slapping her."

Scarlet stepped forward again.

"Greg, please don’t be angry with her."

Both of them turned toward her.

"I wasn’t supposed to be in the cookhouse," Scarlet said quietly. "Joe asked me to wait in the living chamber, but I wandered off."

She looked at Eira.

"I only wanted to apologize."

Eira blinked.

She had been ready for an accusation.

Instead, Scarlet was taking part of the blame.

Gregory let out a quiet breath.

"This isn’t about which chamber you walked into."

He looked at Scarlet for a moment before turning back to Eira.

"No one deserves to be hit."

The chamber fell silent.

After a long moment, Gregory spoke again.

"This will go on your employment record as an official warning."

Eira looked up.

"If anything like this happens again, I’ll have no choice but to take further action."

She gave a small nod.

"I understand."

Gregory held her gaze.

"I also expect you to apologize."

The silence stretched.

Eira glanced at Scarlet, then looked away again.

"I’m... sorry."

Scarlet smiled.

"Thank you."

She took a small step toward Eira.

"I don’t want us to be enemies. We’re going to be working together, and I’d rather we get along."

Eira looked at her for a long moment.

She still didn’t know what to make of this woman.

Nothing about Scarlet matched the picture she had built in her mind.

Gregory looked from one woman to the other.

"Good."

He picked up Scarlet’s employment folder from the coffee table.

"Now that we’ve settled this, let’s move on."

He gave Scarlet a small smile.

"I promised I’d show you around."

Scarlet nodded and followed him toward the hallway.

Eira remained where she was.

Her eyes lingered on Scarlet until the two of them disappeared around the corner.

Then she looked down at her own hands.

For the first time, she found herself wondering if she had been wrong.

Five months had passed since Scarlet started working for Gregory, and little by little, she had come to know the man behind everyone’s first impression.

He was generous without making a show of it and kind in ways that often went unnoticed. At work, he laughed with the employees, joined their conversations, and never acted as though he was above anyone else. More than once, she had watched him pull up a chair beside a mechanic or an office assistant, listening to their stories as if he had nowhere else to be.

Yet the moment any staff ignored company rules, that easy smile disappeared.

He never raised his voice unless he had to, but one look from him was enough to make everyone straighten up. Once the matter was settled, he moved on as if nothing had happened.

Scarlet had also noticed that he loved listening to stories. If a staff member had an interesting experience to share, Gregory could keep the conversation going for hours, asking questions and laughing at the right moments.

There was one subject, though, he always avoided.

Whenever a conversation drifted toward sex, relationships, or anything intimate, he quietly changed the topic or found a reason to leave. She had seen it happen too many times to be a coincidence.

She didn’t need anyone to tell her why.

The way his eyes softened whenever he looked at the framed photo in his private chamber told her enough. His late mate still had a place in his heart.

His parents were just as warm and welcoming, though they rarely came to Dublin. Gregory was always the one making the trip to visit them instead.

The more Scarlet saw of his life, the harder it became to believe what Eira and Amaris had once implied.

A man who still carried his late mate in his heart like that... Why would he be looking for another mate?

One thing still puzzled her, though.

Sometimes, Gregory ignored her greetings.

It didn’t happen often, but often enough for her to notice.

The first time, he barely acknowledged her for an entire day. She had gone home wondering if she had done something wrong and had even considered resigning. Then, two days later, he greeted her as though nothing had happened.

Since then, it has happened several more times.

Most days, he answered with his usual calm "Moonrise" or nodded as she passed. Other times, he simply walked by without a word, his face unreadable.

Scarlet had stopped taking it personally. No one was perfect. Every wolf had flaws.

Even so, each time it happened, she couldn’t help wondering what had changed.

Why did he answer her so warmly one day... and greet her with nothing more than a distant, flat voice the next?

Scarlet used to have Saturdays off.

Five months after she started working for Gregory, he asked if she would be willing to work weekends too.

"I’ll increase your salary," he had said. "Only if you’re okay with it."

She accepted without much thought.

Most Saturdays, she stayed home anyway. The quiet apartment felt even quieter on weekends, and keeping busy was easier than sitting alone with her thoughts.

Before long, Saturdays became her favorite day at work.

Once everything was done, Gregory would head into the garden with Eira, Scarlet, Joe, and a few of the household staff. Eira always brought out a stack of board games, and the high moon slipped by with laughter, playful arguments, and game competition.

"You cheated," Joe groaned after losing another round.

"I did not," Scarlet laughed, placing down her final piece. "You just weren’t paying attention."

"I demand a rematch."

"You’ve been demanding one for the last three games," Gregory said, shaking his head.

The others burst into laughter.

By the end of the game, Scarlet had beaten everyone.

Gregory looked at the board, then at her.

"I surrender."

She smiled. "Already?"

"I’ve lost enough for one day."

Joe chuckled. "Boss, your pride is taking a beating."

Gregory leaned back in his chair.

"A deal’s a deal." He looked at Scarlet. "You won every game, so I’ll take you to the opera tonight."

"The opera?" she repeated.

He nodded. "Unless you’d rather choose something else."

"No." She smiled. "I’d like that."

After everyone finished cleaning up, Scarlet waited outside while Gregory went upstairs.

Nearly an hour passed.

When the front door finally opened, he stepped outside, stretched, and spotted her.

"Sorry," he said with a sheepish smile. "I fell asleep."

"I figured."

He walked toward her and motioned for her to follow.

The staff standing nearby exchanged knowing smiles.

"Have fun," one of the maids called.

"And don’t let the boss fall asleep during the performance," Joe added.

Gregory shot him a look.

"I heard that."

The group laughed as Scarlet followed Gregory to the driveway.

He opened the passenger door for her.

"After you."

"Thank you."

She climbed in. Joe took the back seat, and a few moments later, they pulled away from the estate.

As Gregory drove through the moonfall traffic, Scarlet glanced at him, then out the window.

One thing had always puzzled her.

Gregory had several chauffeurs. She had seen them often enough.

Yet Gregory almost always drove himself.

"You know," she said, turning toward him, "I’ve been meaning to ask you something."

Gregory kept his eyes on the road as the car glided through the evening traffic.

"Hmm?"

"You have so many chauffeurs."

"I do."

"Then why are you always the one driving?"

A small smile tugged at the corner of Gregory’s mouth, but his gaze never left the road ahead.

"I like driving."

Scarlet tilted her head. "That’s it?"

"That’s it."

A laugh escaped her.

"I thought there’d be some complicated answer."

Gregory gave an easy shrug.

"Sorry to disappoint you."

"I spend all day making decisions for thousands of people. Driving is one of the few things that lets me clear my head."

Scarlet looked out the window again.

That sounded like him.

For a man who owned one of the biggest automobile companies in the country, Gregory lived surprisingly simply.

He avoided unnecessary attention. Outside the company, most people had no idea he was the CEO of Darkmore Automobile. He seemed perfectly content that way.

Scarlet understood that feeling better than most.

She had once lived under the spotlight herself.

Now, as she watched the city lights drift past the window, she couldn’t imagine ever wanting that life again.

Greg had already bought the tickets online. At the theater entrance, he showed the confirmation number, his ID, and the credit card he had used to make the purchase. A few moments later, they were inside.

Scarlet settled into a seat beside him and looked toward the stage. Music filled the theater as the performers stepped into the spotlight. Their voices blended perfectly with the orchestra, and the entire performance pulled her in. A smile slowly spread across her face.

Three handsome young men sat on her other side. Every few moments, she caught one of them looking at her. When she turned back to the stage, another pair of eyes was already on her. One of them leaned over now and then, trying to start a conversation.

"So... is this your first time here?" he asked with an easy smile.

Scarlet gave him a polite nod before turning back to the stage.

Greg noticed it all without saying a word.

"You like the show?" he asked quietly.

She looked at him with a grin and nodded.

"I love it."

A little while later, during a break between performances, Greg glanced at her again.

"Have you called your sibling yet?"

It was the seventh time he had asked her that day.

She shook her head.

"Not yet."

Her eyes drifted back to the stage, but after a moment she felt his gaze on her. She turned and found him still looking at her.

"W-What?" she asked.

"Why haven’t you called?"

She let out a small sigh.

"I’ll call her as soon as I get home."

Greg held her eyes for another second, then looked back at the stage without another word. The music swelled again as the performers returned, and the theater erupted in applause.

Scarlet stood up when the show was almost over and walked towards the exit as she made her way to get a drink for the three of them. One of the guys who sat beside her followed her.

"Hi, I’m Pat," the young man said with his hands in his pockets. She gave him a prolonged stare and returned his smile.

"I’m Scarlet."

"Nice to meet you, Scarlet," he said and stretched forth his hands for a handshake. She ignored him. He grinned and returned his hands to his pockets. I wanted to speak to you over there but I was scared of your...siblings."

She turned and looked at Greg and Joe. Gregory’s attention was on the performers, but Pat’ s eyes were on her.

"They are not my siblings," she responded and focused on the drink she was ordering.

"Who are they to you?" Pat asked. She kept quiet until her transaction was finalized. She looked up at him when she was about to go back to her seat.

"Well, they are my bosses," she said, turned, and left.

"Can I have your number?...please."

She didn’t answer him.

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