Alpha's Secret Bride

Once the chief judge announced the recess, the judges left the chamber first, followed by the court officials carrying the evidence. Guards moved toward the doors to keep the nobles from crowding Brandon, but Alexandra remained where she was, watching him from across the chamber.

Brandon noticed her.

For several seconds, neither of them moved.

Then Alexandra slowly walked toward him. She stopped a few feet away, her eyes fixed on his face as though she still could not believe he was standing in front of her.

"Brandon," she whispered.

He took a step toward her.

"Mother."

Alexandra’s composure finally broke. She closed the remaining distance and pulled him into her arms. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly as she pressed her face against his shoulder.

"My alpha king," she whispered. "You’re alive."

"Darius!

"I’m here my high Luna," Darius said quietly.

Alexandra pulled back and placed both hands against his face, studying him as though she needed to reassure herself that he was really there. Her fingers moved over the side of his face before she lowered her hands.

"I thought I had lost you."

"I know."

"Why didn’t you come home?" she asked, her voice still unsteady.

Brandon glanced toward the court officials gathering the evidence.

"Because Samuel needed to believe I was dead. If he knew I survived, he would have changed everything before we had enough evidence to expose him."

Alexandra nodded slowly. She understood now why the heir apparent to the throne had stayed away, even from her.

"I believed you were still alive," she said softly. "But there were moonfalls when I wasn’t sure I’d ever see you again."

Brandon reached for her hand and squeezed it.

"I’m sorry, Mother."

Before Alexandra could answer, Ashley approached them. He waited until the two had finished speaking before extending his hand toward Brandon.

Brandon took it.

Ashley gave his hand a firm shake and looked directly into his eyes.

"Welcome home, Alpha king Brandon."

Brandon gave him a faint smile.

Ashley released his hand. "The kingdom has been waiting for the real Alpha to return."

Brandon glanced toward the court chamber doors.

"Then let’s make sure we finish what I came back to do."

His eyes moved across the chamber once more before he looked at Alexandra.

"Where’s my Moonblessed?"

Alexandra’s expression softened.

"She went home."

Brandon’s brows drew together. "Is she all right?"

"She’s fine. She wanted to stay, but she had to take care of your daughter. The hearing was expected to take some time, and she didn’t want to leave her with the staff all alone."

Brandon nodded, his shoulders easing slightly.

"I should have seen her before coming here."

"You’ll see her soon," Alexandra assured him. "She’s waiting for you at Moon Estate."

"Moon Estate? Why?"

"Let’s talk about that later."

Brandon looked toward the doors again, imagining Emma and his pups waiting for him there. He had spent winters preparing for this moment, gathering evidence and making sure Samuel could no longer escape the consequences of what he had done. Yet knowing Emma was safe at home made the victory feel more real than anything that had happened inside the court chamber.

One hour later, a court official approached them.

"Your Majesties, the judges are returning."

Alexandra gave Brandon’s hand one final squeeze before letting go.

"Go finish this."

Brandon nodded.

The judges returned to the chamber a few minutes later, and the nobles gradually took their seats. Brandon walked back to the evidence table while Alexandra returned to her place beside the other supporters.

The doors were closed once everyone had taken their place, shutting out the noise from the corridor. Samuel stood beside his attorney near the front of the chamber, his hands clasped behind his back as he watched the judges take their seats. His attorney leaned toward him one last time and whispered something, but Samuel gave no response. His attention remained fixed on the chief judge.

When the chief judge took his seat, the chamber fell silent again.

The chief judge placed both hands on the bench and looked across the chamber. "The court will now resume." His gaze shifted toward Brandon. "Bring forward the remaining evidence."

A court official approached the bench carrying a sealed case. He placed it before the judges, broke the seal, and opened it to reveal several storage devices, printed reports, photographs, and sealed evidence bags. The chief judge picked up the first storage device and examined the label before looking at Brandon.

"CCTV footage from the royal intelligence duty chamber?"

"Yes, Your Honor," he replied.

The official connected the storage device to the court’s display. The screen came to life, showing the interior of the intelligence duty chamber a few winters earlier. The timestamp appeared in the corner as Samuel’s intelligence director entered the chamber carrying a folder. Several minutes later, Samuel walked in and closed the door behind him.

The chamber grew quiet as the two men sat across from each other. At first, the recording had no sound. Samuel pointed toward a document on the desk, and his intelligence director leaned forward to read it. After a moment, he looked toward the door before speaking, and the court’s audio system carried his voice clearly through the chamber.

"Brandon cannot be allowed to uncover the truth. Find him before he reaches Darius and anyone who can expose us."

Samuel’s attorney immediately rose. "Your Honors, we object to the interpretation of..."

"Sit down," the chief judge said. "Let the recording play."

The attorney slowly returned to his seat. On the screen, Samuel leaned closer to his intelligence director.

"Find him before he gets any closer. I don’t want him questioned. I want him gone. I don’t care who has to die. Eliminate all of them. As long as nobody discovers the truth, the throne belongs to me."

Several nobles exchanged uneasy looks. Samuel remained motionless, but the fingers of one hand curled tightly against his palm as the recording continued for a few more seconds before ending.

The chief judge looked at Brandon. "Is this the original footage?"

"Yes, Your Honor. The original files were recovered from the royal security system along with their timestamps and access records. The files were preserved without alteration."

The chief judge nodded and turned toward the court official.

"Continue."

Samuel’s attorney rose again. "Your Honors, a recording can be manipulated. We cannot establish that the voice belongs to my client simply because it resembles him."

Brandon looked at the attorney, then back at the chief judge. "We expected that objection." He turned toward the men standing behind him. "One of the witnesses can address it."

A man stepped forward. He had remained near the rear of the chamber since Brandon entered, keeping his head lowered while the evidence was presented. Now he walked toward the witness stand, where a court official administered the oath before he faced the judges.

The chief judge studied him. "State your involvement."

The man swallowed. "I was one of the men sent to kill Brandon Oliver Frostbane."

A sharp murmur moved through the chamber, and Samuel’s expression hardened as the witness continued.

"We were given Brandon’s route, his schedule, and the exact location where we were supposed to ambush him. We were ordered to make the attack look like an accident."

Samuel’s attorney shook his head and rose slightly from his seat. "Your Honors, this witness has every reason to shift the blame onto my client."

The witness turned toward him, his jaw tightening. "I would say the same thing if it weren’t true." He shifted his gaze to Samuel, holding it for a moment before continuing. "The order came through the intelligence duty chamber under his authority."

Samuel pushed his chair back slightly. "You’re lying."

The chief judge raised his hand. "Let him finish."

The witness drew a breath. "We were told that Brandon could not be allowed to discover what Samuel had been doing. We were supposed to kill him, leave his body with the vehicle, and send proof afterward."

Brandon stepped toward the evidence table. "Show them the video."

The official connected another device to the display, and the screen changed to a deserted road beneath the darkness of moonfall. A damaged vehicle sat near the roadside, its front end crushed against a barrier, while a body lay several feet away, motionless, with blood covering part of the clothing. The recording lasted only a few seconds before ending, leaving a wave of whispers moving through the court chamber.

Samuel stared at the screen.

"That was staged," Brandon said. "They were supposed to send that footage to Samuel so he would believe the order had been carried out."

The chief judge turned toward the witness. "Was that the purpose of the recording?"

"Yes, Your Honor."

"Did Alpha Samuel receive it?"

"Yes."

"How do you know?"

The witness pointed toward the evidence table. "Because we received confirmation after it was delivered."

The chief judge looked toward Brandon. "Continue."

Brandon nodded, and the display changed again. This time, CCTV footage showed Samuel sitting alone in his duty chamber as a guard entered and handed him a device. Samuel looked down at the screen and watched something for several seconds. His shoulders relaxed before he dismissed the guard.

The timestamp appeared in the corner and matched the time the staged-death video had been transmitted.

The chief judge leaned forward. "Is that the same recording?"

"Yes, Your Honor."

Samuel’s attorney stood. "This still does not prove that my client ordered the attack."

Brandon looked at the judges. "Then we can move to the next recording."

The chief judge nodded, and the official played another file. Samuel’s voice filled the chamber.

"Make certain there is nothing left that can lead back to me."

The recording ended, and for several seconds, no one moved. Samuel turned toward his attorney, but his attorney avoided his eyes.

Brandon picked up another folder. "These are the payment records."

The chief judge opened the folder and examined the documents. Brandon continued, "The payments were made through accounts controlled by Samuel’s intelligence duty chamber. The dates correspond with the preparation for the attack, and the amounts correspond with the payments promised to the men who carried it out."

Samuel shook his head. "Those accounts were used for hundreds of operations. That doesn’t prove I authorized these payments."

Brandon nodded. "That’s why we traced the authorization."

He placed another document before the chief judge. The judge examined it carefully before looking up.

"This authorization bears your signature."

Samuel stared at the document. "It was forged."

Brandon did not argue with him. Instead, he turned toward another witness, a middle-aged man who stepped forward and took his place before the judges. He kept his eyes on the bench rather than looking at Samuel.

The chief judge recognized his name from the report. "You worked in the intelligence duty chamber?"

"Yes, Your Honor."

"What was your position?"

"I processed financial authorizations."

The chief judge lifted the document. "Did you process this payment?"

"Yes, Your Honor."

"Who approved it?"

The witness finally looked toward Samuel. "Alpha Samuel."

A murmur swept through the chamber.

Samuel’s attorney started to rise, but Samuel stopped him with a raised hand. He stared at the witness, his expression hardening as the man continued.

"I was there when the order was given. I processed the payment myself."

Samuel slowly rose from his seat.

"You’re lying."

The chamber fell silent.

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