Alpha's Secret Bride

She opened the door as soon as the bell rang.

Gregory stepped inside without a word. She closed the door behind him while he walked over and sat on the couch. The sadness she had seen earlier still lingered in his eyes.

Scarlet took the seat across from him. For a moment, neither of them spoke.

Finally, she reached across the space between them and slipped her hand into his.

"Gregory... you’re my moonally. You saved me, and I’ll always be grateful for that. I care about you. I really do."

He looked down at their joined hands before lifting his eyes to hers.

"I want more than that."

She blinked in surprise.

"You want more than that? What exactly do you want?"

His fingers tightened around hers.

"I feel like I’ve known you forever, even though it hasn’t been that long." A faint smile touched his lips before it disappeared. "I really like you, Scarlet. I want you to be my moonmate."

Her heart skipped, but she slowly shook her head.

"My father is a murderer." Her voice barely rose above a whisper. "My mother took her own life. There was a time I put a gun to my head... and a a man stopped me." She looked away for a second before meeting his eyes again. "Gregory, I’m not the woman you need. You deserve a better woman who..."

He leaned in and kissed her.

His lips brushed hers gently, giving her every chance to pull away.

She didn’t.

Her fingers curled around his shirt as she kissed him back. The kiss lasted only a few seconds before he slowly drew away, resting his forehead lightly against hers.

"When I was a teenager," he said quietly, "I used to tell all my moonallies that I’d never choose a woman whose mate bond had been severed."

Scarlet blinked.

"Why?"

He let out a soft laugh.

"Because my mother severed her bond with my father when I was seven."

She stared at him, surprised.

"Mrs. Darkmore isn’t your biological mother?"

"Yes," Gregory said.

He leaned back and looked at the ceiling for a moment before speaking again.

"My parents lived close to my father’s second-in-command, the vice president of Darkmore Automobile. After I was born, they slowly fell in love."

He paused, rubbing his thumb against the back of her hand.

"After I was born, they kept seeing each other, but they stopped being intimate. They wanted to end the affair for good, so the vice president resigned. He planned to return to his home country without telling my mother."

Gregory let out a quiet breath.

"My father believed he’d already left, so he handed my mother severance papers. She didn’t argue. She signed them right away." A faint, bitter smile crossed his face. "She’d wanted that bond severance for seven winters."

He lowered his eyes.

"She packed her things and left. I cried. I begged her to take me with her." His voice grew softer. "She never looked back."

Scarlet tightened her grip on his hand but said nothing.

"Then something unexpected happened," Gregory continued. "As she was leaving, she saw the vice president driving by. He had canceled his flight. Instead of leaving alone, he applied for a visa for her. A month later, they left the country together."

He swallowed hard.

"I almost didn’t make it through that time. I was just seven, and I couldn’t understand why my own mother could leave me behind."

Silence settled between them for a few moments.

"When I got older, I made myself a promise. I told all my moonallies I’d never choose a woman whose mate bond had been severed."

He gave a quiet, humorless laugh.

"Then I met Michela."

His eyes drifted to the window.

"She had already severed her bond. I kept my distance because of the promise I’d made to myself. I was sure I’d never make her my mate."

He looked back at Scarlet.

"But love doesn’t care about promises or differences."

A small smile touched his lips before fading.

"I finally understood my mother... and the man she loved. Feelings don’t always listen to reason."

His fingers laced with hers.

"I stopped caring about Michela’s past. All I knew was that I loved her, and that love became more important than everything else... including the fact that her matebond had been severed."

"When she died, I found something else to be afraid of."

His voice dropped.

"I was afraid of losing a woman I loved. Afraid of..."

He couldn’t finish.

"It’s okay," Scarlet whispered.

She slipped her arms around him and rested her head against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close.

After a long moment, she looked up at him.

"The day I said I hated murderers..." A small smile tugged at her lips. "You told me that’s why you could never be with a woman whose family had a history of murder."

She searched his face.

"And now you want to become part of that history."

A quiet laugh escaped him.

"I knew something was weighing on you, so I said that to get you talking. I wanted you to let it out." He brushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "More than anything, I wanted you to be free of whatever you’ve been carrying."

His eyes stayed on hers.

"I really like you, Scarlet."

She lowered her gaze.

"I’m not sure, but what if Eira..."

"I already told you," Gregory said. "Eira is like a sibling to me. There’s nothing between us, and there never will be."

A relationship was the last thing Scarlet had planned for. She had wanted time—more time to put her life back together and learn how to breathe again.

But as Gregory held her, she realized she didn’t have to rush into anything.

She looked back at him.

"I like you too."

A smile slowly spread across his face.

"I’m still not ready for a relationship, but I’d like us to take things one step at a time."

He nodded without hesitation.

"As slowly as you want."

She smiled.

"Then... yes. I’d like to be your moonmate."

Before she could say another word, he pulled her into his arms.

She laughed as he held her tightly, and a moment later, he was laughing with her. The chamber that had felt so heavy only minutes earlier was suddenly filled with warmth.

He leaned closer until his lips brushed her ear.

"How’s your sibling?"

"She’s doing well."

"I want you to send an invitation to her and her mate. Do you think they’d come?"

She gave a small shake of her head.

"I don’t think so. I told you she’s pregnant, and her due date is next week."

"Then we’ll go see them instead."

Her head lifted at once.

"You’ll come with me?"

A smile spread across his face.

"Of course. I love traveling."

"Does Eira know you’ll be traveling with me?"

Gregory looked at her. "I don’t need my staff’s permission to travel, and yes, I’ll let her know when the time is right."

She slipped back into his arms and rested her head against his chest, holding him a little tighter.

She was glad she had never sold the house. At least they would have somewhere to stay.

Gregory rested his chin lightly on the top of her head.

"It’ll be good to see your family again."

A smile lingered on her lips. She had been away for so long. In just a few days, she would finally see Emma again. And if the pup arrived on time, she would get to hold her little niece or nephew for the very first time.

"So," Gregory said, "when are we booking the flight?"

"On Wednesday. We’ll leave on Thursday."

"Sounds good."

They stayed together for another hour, talking about the trip, laughing over little things, and making plans.

By the time Gregory left, he was smiling.

Scarlet lay awake long after moonfall, staring at the ceiling. Every time she closed her eyes, another thought slipped into her mind. Emma’s smile. The old house. A tiny pup wrapped in a blanket.

She turned onto her side, hugged a pillow to her chest, and smiled to herself.

She couldn’t wait to see her family again. Most of all, she couldn’t wait to hold her little niece or nephew in her arms.

A new week began, and with it came a fresh sense of excitement. Every day brought Thursday a little closer. Scarlet would finally be going home.

She and Gregory spent the next few days making the final arrangements for the trip. Even after spending the whole day together, they still found themselves talking late into the moonfall.

"You’d think we’d run out of things to talk about," Gregory said with a quiet laugh.

Scarlet smiled. "Apparently not."

Their conversations drifted from work to family, from teens’ memories to dreams they had never shared with anyone else. Somehow, the hours always slipped by before either of them noticed.

By Tuesday moonfall, Scarlet could hardly contain her excitement. She glanced at the clock, then at the packed suitcase by the door.

"Just two days," she said with a grin.

Gregory looked up and smiled. "I know. You’ve only reminded me three times today."

She laughed. "Can you blame me?"

He dropped Scarlet off at her apartment, and they exchanged a quick goodbye before she headed inside.

Monday moonrise arrived, and Scarlet got ready for work as usual.

When she arrived at work, she stepped into the living chamber and found Amaris and Cassara already there with Gregory. She smiled.

"Moonrise."

Amaris gave a small nod.

Cassara looked at her but didn’t smile.

The silence that followed made Scarlet’s steps slow. She greeted them again before walking toward her duty chamber, but neither of them tried to start a conversation.

A knot formed in her stomach as she left.

About twenty minutes later, her device rang.

She glanced at the screen.

Gregory.

She answered at once.

"Scarlet, where are you?" he asked.

Before she could answer, another voice cut through the call.

"Her name isn’t Scarlet," Cassara said. "Her real name is Lunara Greens."

Scarlet’s fingers tightened around her device.

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