Alpha's Secret Bride

A few months after King Eldric’s funeral, High Luna Alexandra took Samuel to High Court over his claim to the throne. The first hearing had ended without a decision, and the second session had been adjourned after both sides were given time to gather witnesses and present further evidence. Now, for the third time, the High Court had assembled to hear the succession dispute.

The chamber was unusually quiet as the judges took their seats. Nobles from across the kingdom filled the rows behind them, while guards stood along the walls and near the doors. Samuel sat at the front with his counsel, his expression calm as he waited for the proceedings to begin. Across the chamber, Alexandra sat beside her counsel, and the nobles who had supported her petition, her hands resting neatly on her laps.

When the chief judge called the court to order, the murmuring throughout the chamber gradually died away.

Alexandra whispered to her legal counsel, a senior royal advocate who had represented her throughout the previous two hearings. Samuel sat across from them with his own attorney, his attention fixed on the judges.

The chief judge looked toward Alexandra’s side of the chamber. "High Luna Alexandra, you may proceed."

Her attorney rose and stepped forward.

"Your Honors, my client maintains that Alpha Samuel has no legal right to assume the throne. He is not the heir apparent, nor has he been named as the successor under the kingdom’s laws of succession."

Samuel’s expression remained calm.

The attorney continued, "The absence of the rightful heir does not automatically transfer the crown to someone outside the royal bloodline." Until the heir is formally removed from succession according to law, or the court determines that the succession has been lawfully altered, Alpha Samuel cannot simply take his place."

Samuel’s attorney rose immediately after she finished.

"Your Honors, my client has never denied that he is not the designated heir. However, the supposed heir abandoned his duties and disappeared without explanation. The kingdom was left without anyone willing to step forward and fulfill those responsibilities. Alpha Samuel did not seize the throne. He stepped forward when the kingdom needed a king to lead."

A few nobles shifted in their seats.

Samuel remained still, his gaze moving briefly toward Alexandra before returning to the judges.

His attorney placed a document on the table before the court and continued.

"The court cannot expect the kingdom to remain without effective leadership indefinitely while waiting for an alpha who has abandoned his responsibilities to return."

Alexandra’s attorney immediately turned toward the judges.

"And the absence of the heir does not give Alpha Samuel the authority to declare himself the successor."

The chief judge raised a hand, silencing both sides.

"The court has heard the arguments. We will now proceed with the evidence."

The argument had already been made during the previous two hearings, but Samuel’s side continued to rely on it. The heir had disappeared. No one knew when he would return, and the kingdom could not remain without leadership indefinitely.

Alexandra slowly turned toward Samuel.

"That does not give you the right to take a throne that does not belong to you."

Samuel met her gaze without flinching.

"Then where was the rightful heir when the kingdom needed him?" he asked.

The question settled over the chamber.

Alexandra’s expression remained controlled, but her fingers tightened slightly against the edge of the table.

Samuel leaned back in his chair.

He had survived the first two hearings, and he believed the third would end the same way. Alexandra had accused him of reaching for a throne that was not his, but she still lacked enough evidence and authority to force him away from it.

What Samuel did not know was that Alexandra had never expected to win the case with her accusation alone.

Samuel’s attorney rose after Alexandra finished presenting her petition.

"My client has acted in the kingdom’s interest," he said. "The man named as heir walked away from his responsibilities and has not returned. In his absence, Alpha Samuel assumed the burden of keeping the kingdom stable. He should not be punished for doing what others were unwilling to do."

A few nobles murmured their agreement.

Samuel remained seated, his expression calm as he watched Alexandra across the chamber. She had brought the matter before the court, but he knew she did not yet have enough leverage to force him away from the throne.

At least, that was what he believed.

When her first witnesses were called, they confirmed that Samuel had approached them about supporting changes to the succession laws. One noble admitted that Samuel had offered him a position if the proposed changes were approved. Another testified that Samuel had pressured him to publicly support his claim.

But none of it was enough to prove that Samuel intended to unlawfully seize the throne.

Samuel’s attorney stood after the last witness returned to his seat.

"Your Honors, these testimonies establish nothing beyond political discussions. My client is entitled to speak with members of the nobility about the future of the kingdom. There is no law preventing him from seeking their support."

The chief judge leaned back in his chair, listening calmly.

Across the chamber, Ashley sat among the nobles who had supported Alexandra’s petition. His expression remained composed as he listened to the proceedings, giving away none of the concern he felt. The evidence they had presented had forced Samuel to defend himself, but it had not given the court enough reason to prevent him from sitting on the throne.

Alexandra knew that.

Emma had known it from the beginning.

That was why neither woman had expected Alexandra’s petition to win the case by itself.

The chief judge looked down at the documents before him. "Alexandra, the court has heard the testimony presented by your witnesses. However, we have yet to see sufficient evidence establishing that Alpha Samuel has committed an offense that would justify preventing him from pursuing the throne."

A murmur passed through the chamber.

Samuel’s mouth curved into the faintest smile.

Alexandra remained standing as the royal advocate stepped closer and quietly whispered something in her ear.

Alexandra nodded, then turned toward the judges.

"Your Honors, with the court’s permission, I would like to ask that the evidence not yet presented be considered before a final decision is made."

Samuel’s smile faded slightly.

The chief judge looked at her. "What evidence?"

Before Alexandra could answer, the doors at the far end of the chamber opened.

Several heads turned.

Brandon Oliver Frostbane and Darius Rucker Frostbane walked into the court.

The court chamber fell silent as they stepped inside, his guards following several paces behind them. He didn’t hurry, and he didn’t acknowledge the whispers spreading through the chamber. His eyes moved across the court until they settled on Samuel.

For the first time since the hearing began, Samuel’s confidence faltered.

Brandon’s presence carried a different weight from Alexandra’s accusations. As Alpha and one of the kingdom’s highest-ranking authorities, he had access to royal records, security reports, and investigations that Alexandra and the other nobles could not obtain on their own.

Samuel straightened in his chair.

"Your Majesty," the chief judge said, rising slightly from his seat. "We were not informed that you would be attending."

"I wasn’t planning to," Brandon replied as he approached. "But I believe the court should hear what I found."

Samuel’s attorney immediately rose.

"Your Majesty, with respect, this hearing is already underway. Any evidence being introduced at this stage should be properly submitted and reviewed before..."

"It has been reviewed," Brandon interrupted calmly.

He handed a sealed folder to one of the court officials.

The official opened it, examined the contents, and then passed several documents to the judges.

Samuel watched the papers move across the bench.

"What is this?" he asked.

Brandon finally looked directly at him.

"Records from the royal intelligence duty chamber. Security reports. Financial transactions. And communications between people working on your behalf."

Samuel’s expression hardened.

"That proves nothing."

"It proves more than the court has heard so far."

Brandon stepped closer to the bench and placed another document before the chief judge.

"The people Samuel approached were not acting independently. They were being coordinated. Money was transferred through intermediaries, positions were promised, and instructions were given to several nobles at nearly the same time."

The chief judge studied the document.

Samuel’s attorney reached for it, but the judge held it back.

"Where did these records come from?"

"An investigation conducted under my authority," Brandon answered. "My people traced the transactions after several irregular payments appeared in the royal accounts."

Samuel’s jaw tightened.

He had prepared himself for Alexandra.

He had prepared himself for Ashley.

He had even prepared himself for Emma.

But he had not expected Brandon to enter the court with evidence that connected everything.

His eyes moved toward the empty seat where Emma had been sitting earlier.

She was gone.

A small sense of relief returned to him.

At least she wasn’t here to make things worse.

He didn’t yet understand that Emma’s absence was part of what had made the trap possible.

For weeks, Samuel had believed Emma was acting on her own. Their secret meetings had convinced him that she had fallen out with Alexandra and her father, leaving her with no one to turn to. Because he believed she was truly on her own, Samuel had spoken to her more freely and revealed things he would have kept hidden otherwise.

He had even witnessed Emma and Alexandra arguing openly after a council meeting about Emma’s desire to sever her bond with her son. The argument had looked real enough to convince him, but he had never realized that every part of it had been planned.

Samuel thought he had been watching a family falling apart.

In reality, he had been watching a carefully prepared act.

He had been wrong.

The chief judge lifted another document.

"This correspondence appears to connect the financial transfers to the nobles who testified today."

"It does," Brandon said.

Samuel’s fingers tightened around the arm of his chair.

Brandon continued, "And there is more."

The chamber became completely silent.

Brandon placed a final file on the bench.

"This contains evidence from my investigation into the people Samuel has been using. It shows that this was not simply an effort to gain political support. There was a coordinated plan to remove anyone who could interfere with his claim."

Samuel’s face changed.

He knew exactly what Brandon was referring to.

For the first time, the confidence he had carried into the court disappeared.

Alexandra lowered her eyes, hiding the brief flicker of satisfaction that crossed her face.

Ashley remained perfectly still.

Neither of them needed to say anything.

Brandon had brought what they could not.

And Samuel finally understood that the three people he believed were divided had never truly stopped working together.

Emma had drawn him into private conversations.

Alexandra had brought the matter before the court.

Ashley had helped gather the nobles willing to testify.

Brandon had been building the evidence that make the entire case stand.

Samuel looked toward the empty seat again.

Emma was no longer there.

He had spent weeks believing he was using her.

Now he realized she had been using him.

"Samuel, before this court delivers its judgment, you will have an opportunity to respond to the evidence presented today. Both parties will then be given time to confer with their counsel. This court will recess for one hour. When we reconvene, the court will hear your final responses before delivering its judgment."

Samuel said nothing.

For the first time, he had no answer ready.

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