Alpha's Secret Bride

She entered her car and the engine came to life.

Her hands tightened around the steering wheel as she drew a shaky breath.

"Andrew!" Gregory’s voice thundered across the driveway. "Deactivate the gate sensor. Don’t let her leave the compound."

"Yes, sir."

"And Lucky," he added, "keep an eye on her too."

Gregory turned to Amaris. "Thank you for coming. You and Cassara can head home now."

Amaris gave Scarlet one last mocking look before getting into the car with her daughter. The security guards manually unlocked the smaller gate, let their car through, then shut it again.

Gregory let out a long breath and walked back into the house.

Scarlet stayed in the driver’s seat. Her hands rested on the steering wheel as she stared through the windshield without seeing anything.

After a moment, she glanced at the gate.

It remained closed.

The sensor had been disabled. Unless one of Gregory’s guards opened it by hand, she wasn’t going anywhere.

She picked up her bag, stepped out of the car, and closed the door behind her.

By then, the household staff had gathered outside. Gregory’s raised voice had carried through the estate. They looked at Scarlet, then at one another, curiosity written across their faces.

Joe stood near the front steps. His eyes widened when he saw her, as if he couldn’t figure out what had happened between her and his boss.

"Scarlet, why is he yelling at you?" they asked almost at the same time.

"I want to go home, but he won’t let me leave." Scarlet wiped at her eyes and hurried toward the gate.

"You just got here. Why do you want to leave already?" one of the workers asked.

"Did you forget something at home?" another added.

Scarlet shook her head. "No. Something happened... and it brought back a really bad memory. I just want to go home."

One of her coworkers looked at her tear-streaked face and moved closer. "Is that why you’re crying?"

Scarlet nodded. "Yes."

"What memory?"

"I’ll tell you later."

She reached for the gate controls, but nothing happened.

"You won’t be able to open it," one of her coworkers said. "The motion sensor has been turned off."

Just then, Andrew stepped out of the security post and stopped in the corridor.

"Andrew," Scarlet called, her voice shaking. "Please open the gate. I want to leave."

"Ms. Scarlet, I can’t do that without the boss’s permission," Andrew said apologetically. "I don’t want to lose my job."

One of her coworkers gently took her by the arm and led her a few steps away from the others.

"What happened between you two?" she asked softly, brushing away the tears that kept slipping down Scarlet’s cheeks.

Scarlet lowered her eyes. "I lied to him."

Her coworker let out a small sigh and gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

"That’s not the end of the world. Just go talk to him. He’s our moonally. He won’t hurt you."

Scarlet slipped her handbag off her shoulder and handed it to one of her coworkers.

"Please hold this for me."

Without another word, she turned and walked toward the house. Since the day she started working there, she had never stepped into Gregory’s bedchamber. This time, she kept going without slowing down. A few of her coworkers exchanged worried looks before quietly following behind her.

The moment they reached the door, it swung open.

Gregory stood by the window with both hands in his pockets, staring out at the compound. He didn’t turn around, but it was obvious he knew they were there.

"You can all go now," Gregory said, motioning for the others to leave before turning his attention to Scarlet.

She drew in a slow breath and stepped inside. The door clicked shut behind her.

"Gregory..." Her voice trembled. "Please let me go."

He remained still for a moment before turning to face her.

"Where do you think you’re going?" Gregory’s voice echoed through the chamber.

"My apartment," Scarlet whispered.

"What for?"

She swallowed hard. "I... I just want to think about my life."

Gregory stared at her. "Everything they told me only confirmed what you already admitted. So why were you running from me?"

Scarlet dropped her gaze.

He closed the distance between them, slipped a hand beneath her chin, and gently lifted her face until she looked at him.

"Was it because you thought I was angry?"

She gave a small nod.

"I was angry because you were leaving." His voice softened, but the hurt remained. "If you’d driven out of that gate, I might never have found you again. Do you have any idea what that would’ve done to me? You know how much you mean to me, yet you still tried to disappear."

"I’m sorry," she whispered.

Silence settled between them. Gregory searched her face before speaking again.

"Are you still in love with him... the heir apparent to the throne of Santorini?"

Scarlet met his eyes and slowly shook her head.

"No."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

He studied her for another moment.

"Then why did you change your name?" he asked quietly. "I liked Lunara better than Scarlet."

"It reminds me of everything I did to my sibling," Scarlet said quietly. "Besides, Scarlet is the name on my original birth certificate."

Gregory nodded.

"Fair enough."

He stepped closer until only a breath separated them. A teasing smile tugged at the corner of his mouth, making Scarlet smile back before she looked down again.

"You need to forgive yourself," he said softly. "Your sibling already has."

She stayed silent.

"I read through the novel," he continued. "I never saw your name."

"She used a different one," Scarlet replied. "She called me Zarela instead of Lunara."

Gregory let out a quiet hum.

"I didn’t see Zarela do much. Most of what I read was about Daniel Greens."

"Daniel is our father."

"I figured." He brushed the thought aside with a small wave of his hand. "What’s done is done. Let’s leave the past where it belongs."

She gave a faint nod.

"Did you book our flight?"

"Yes."

"When?"

"Last moonfall."

"Good."

His eyes lingered on her face.

"You know," he said with a smile, "you’re even more beautiful now than you were back then."

He rested his forehead against hers. Scarlet closed her eyes for a moment, her heartbeat quickening. His familiar scent wrapped around her, and she found herself smiling despite everything that had happened.

Neither of them spoke. The silence between them no longer felt heavy. It felt warm. She knew his hands were under her top, moving up slowly, she tried to protest but could not protest against it. Before she knew it, she succumbed to a wild passion.

When she finally looked up, their eyes met, and without another word, she leaned into him. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her close as they stood there, letting the quiet say everything they couldn’t put into words.

They spent the late Monday moonrise lost in each other, discovering and rediscovering what they had been missing. Gregory was surprisingly domineering. He took charge as though she were something precious that might slip away if he loosened his grip.

When she became overwhelmed and instinctively tried to stop him, he caught both of her hands with one of his, holding them gently but firmly above her head. She had always believed she knew him well, but that moonrise proved otherwise. There was so much of him she had never seen. His strength caught her off guard, and for a moment, she simply stared at him in surprise.

Hours later, he finally reached his peak for the third time. He pulled her tightly against him as the last waves of pleasure passed through him. She stayed in his arms, her own breathing slowly evening out. A deep sense of peace settled over her, and she could hardly believe what had just happened.

Neither of them spoke. They simply looked at each other in silence until Gregory’s lips curved into a small smirk.

"I’m sorry," he said quietly. "It’s been eighteen months since the last time I was with a woman."

Scarlet let out a soft sigh, moved closer, and rested her head against his chest.

A small laugh escaped her.

"Then we’ll treat this like a fresh start."

They spent the rest of the day in Gregory’s chamber. By the following moonrise, Scarlet stepped into the bathchamber, freshened up, got dressed, and was ready to leave.

After a few minutes, Scarlet broke the silence.

"I need to go back to my apartment, pack my things, and come back tomorrow."

Gregory shook his head.

"No. You’re staying here tonight. We’ll go to your apartment this moonrise, pack everything you need, and come right back."

He reached for his car keys and flashed her a grin.

"Besides, Amaris might be waiting for you. She could change your mind and tell you to leave the country for her."

Scarlet looked at him for a moment, then laughed.

"You really think she’d do that?"

Gregory shrugged.

"I don’t know. I’m not taking any chances."

She laughed again, and this time he laughed with her. The heaviness that had hung between them all day finally lifted as they walked out together.

He walked her to the car, opened the passenger door, and waited while she climbed in. After closing it gently, he went around to the driver’s side and slid behind the wheel.

The moment he settled in, he leaned over and kissed her.

"Shall we?" he asked with a smile.

"Yeah."

He started the engine, shifted into gear, and eased the car forward.

They had barely reached the driveway when he hit the brakes.

A figure was standing in the middle of the driveway.

Arms folded.

Waiting.

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