"Rember our agreent," the ssage read. "Don’t tell your mate."
Her thumb paused over the screen.
"I have eyes everywhere. If you breathe a word to him, I’ll share the video—and I’ll turn myself in."
Her grip on the device tightened.
"Lunara has sixteen million followers. I’ll post it on her page too. The world deserves to see who Prince Brandon and his beautiful mate are."
"Now unblock your sibling. She wants to talk to you."
She deleted the ssage the mont she finished reading it, as though erasing it quickly could erase the weight behind it. Her thumb hesitated for half a second over the screen before she lifted the restriction on Lunara’s number.
The device rang almost imdiately.
Emma answered without a word.
"Emma," Lunara’s voice ca through smooth and unbothered.
Emma stayed silent, her grip tightening on the device.
"I know you can hear ," Lunara continued, almost amused. "You have forty-six hours to co see him and find out what he wants from you."
Emma’s jaw tensed. "You’re nothing but a..."
"Careful," Lunara cut in lightly. "He’s listening."
That made Emma pause.
For a mont, there was only quiet on the line.
Then Lunara let out a small laugh, like she was enjoying the silence. Emma could almost picture her—the tilt of her head, the satisfied curve of her mouth.
"I’m what?" Lunara asked.
Emma exhaled slowly through her nose, eyes fixed on the dim chandelier above her bed.
"Forty-six hours, right?" she said at last.
"Yes."
"I heard you," she replied flatly.
"Good."
She ended the call before another word could co through.
The device rang again almost instantly.
She stared at it for a second, then answered.
A baritone voice snapped through the speaker.
"Don’t ever hang up on her. Do you hear ?"
She sat up a little straighter. "Yes."
"Good."
The line went dead.
Silence settled back into the chamber, thick and heavy.
She tossed the device onto the bed. It bounced once against the pillow before going still.
She leaned back slowly, then folded in on herself, arms wrapping tight around her middle. Her breathing turned uneven, sharp at the edges.
A tear slipped free before she could stop it.
Then another.
She turned her face slightly into the mattress, eyes open but unfocused, staring at nothing.
Sowhere inside the mansion, so wolf was watching too closely, speaking too freely.
Brandon didn’t co to her chamber. He didn’t check on her through the intercom either.
The silence pressed in, sharp enough to split her thoughts apart.
She sat on the floor beside her bed, back resting against the fra. Her knees were drawn up, but she barely held herself together. Sobs slipped out anyway, quiet at first, then breaking harder as she pressed her forehead against her arm.
A knock ca.
"Alpha’s mate," Mrs. Thompson called from the door.
Emma didn’t turn.
Her gaze drifted to the side instead, fixed on nothing in particular. The door stayed closed, but it felt too open, too exposed. Everyone on the estate felt the sa now—too aware, too present, like they were listening even when they weren’t speaking.
Brandon’s kindness ran through her mind without effort.
He treated them well. Paid them far above what they should earn. Dollars moved through their accounts every week without delay. Food was never rationed. No one was ever locked into rules they couldn’t bend.
And still—
So wolf wanted to tear him down.
Her fingers curled against her sleeve. Her breath hitched once, then steadied in a slow, uneven rhythm.
If she ever found the one behind it... she didn’t know what rcy would look like anymore.
She turned her head when Mrs. Thompson stayed rooted to the spot instead of leaving.
"What do you want?" she asked, her voice rough from crying.
"Mr. Richard said you and your mate refused dinner." Mrs. Thompson clasped her hands tightly in front of her apron. "He’s worried. Please... whatever happened, just eat sothing."
She wiped quickly under her eyes. "He did nothing."
Mrs. Thompson frowned. "My future Luna, what’s wrong? Did you two fight?"
She shook her head once and leaned back against the bed fra. "I just got back from a long trip. I’m tired. I want to sleep."
She motioned weakly toward the door.
Mrs. Thompson understood, but she still lingered.
"Please leave my chamber," she said quietly. "I want to be alone."
"Alpha’s mate..."
"I’m sorry, Mrs. Thompson." She lowered her eyes. "I really want to be alone."
Mrs. Thompson hesitated before finally nodding. "Alright."
She walked toward the door slowly, glancing back one last ti before stepping out.
The chamber fell silent again.
A few minutes later, the door slid open.
Her head snapped up.
Paige stepped inside.
Anger rushed through her so fast she pushed herself to her feet imdiately.
"Stand right there."
Paige froze.
She hurried to her closet and pulled out the small access device she had been given the day the security system was installed. She walked back toward the wall beside the door and pointed at the scanner.
"Put your palm there."
Paige blinked in confusion but obeyed, pressing her right hand against the scanner.
Emma worked quickly on the device.
A soft beep sounded.
She lowered the gadget without looking at Paige again.
"You can leave now."
"Alpha’s mate," Paige said from the doorway, "I prepared your bath before you arrived. I ca to check if you’ve used it yet."
Emma pulled the blanket tighter around herself.
"From now on, I don’t want anyone entering my chamber." Her voice ca out low but firm. "Stop cleaning my bathchamber too. I can handle it myself. Tell Naomi."
Paige blinked in surprise, then lowered her head. "Alright."
She bowed lightly and left.
The chamber fell quiet again.
A few minutes before midnight, Emma’s device lit up across the bed.
Brooklyn.
She stared at the na for a mont before dragging the device closer and answering the call.
"Brooklyn," she whispered, breathing unevenly.
"Emma?" Brooklyn’s voice sharpened imdiately. "What happened?"
"Nothing," she said quickly.
But the word cracked apart the mont it left her mouth.
There was a brief silence.
"I’m switching to video," Brooklyn said softly. "Accept it."
The screen changed.
She accepted with trembling fingers.
The cara lit up her face, and she imdiately looked away, wiping under her eyes before Brooklyn could notice.
Too late.
A tear slid down her cheek anyway.
Brooklyn didn’t speak at first. She just watched her quietly through the screen.
Then she said, "Take a deep breath for ."
She pressed her lips together and inhaled slowly.
"Again," Brooklyn murmured.
She drew in another breath, deeper this ti. Her shoulders loosened little by little as the air left her lungs.
She lowered her face and quickly wiped her cheeks with the back of her hand.
"What is it?" Brooklyn asked again.
Emma pressed her lips together and looked away from the screen.
"It’s not sothing I can talk about on the device."
Brooklyn sat up straighter imdiately. "What? Emma, what’s going on? Where’s your mate?"
"In his chamber."
Brooklyn frowned. "Are you two fighting?"
"No."
"Then what is it?"
Emma opened her mouth, then stopped. Her fingers tightened around the edge of the device.
"Brooklyn, I... I’m sorry. I can’t..."
"Fine." Brooklyn cut her off sharply and reached for sothing beside her. "I’m booking the next flight to Santorini. I’ll be there tomorrow at moonfall."
"Brooklyn..."
"No. You’re going to tell what’s happening, Emma."
"Brooklyn, I..."
The call ended before she could finish.
She stared at the blank screen for a mont, then quickly called Brooklyn back, but the call went unanswered. She tried again and again until her hand slowly dropped into her lap as reality settled heavily in her chest. Brooklyn was refusing to pick up.
The next moonrise, Elara walked into Emma’s chamber and pulled the curtains apart.
Moonlight spilled across the chamber.
She groaned softly and buried deeper into the bed.
Elara walked over and tugged the duvet down slowly.
"Wake up."
She rubbed at her eyes and let out a tired yawn.
"Did you sleep well last moonfall?" Elara asked.
She pushed herself up against the headboard. "Yeah. You?"
Elara shrugged and dropped into the chair nearby. "Not really."
She glanced at her. "Still thinking?"
"All moonfall."
"Did you talk to Bernard?"
Elara shook her head slowly. "No."
"He ca to my chamber, but..." She stared down at her hands. "I couldn’t talk to him normally."
Emma stayed quiet.
Elara let out a slow breath and leaned back.
"I couldn’t pretend everything was fine."
"Why?"
Elara’s fingers curled tightly against her lap.
"Because I don’t want to believe he might be the spy we’re looking for."
"The only way to find out is to act normal,"
Emma said quietly. "You have to stay close to him the way you used to."
Elara leaned back in her chair and dragged a hand through her hair. "I know, but I was angry last moonfall."
She studied Emma for a mont before asking, "Did you talk to your mate?"
She shook her head.
"No."
Elara frowned slightly. "Why?"
She looked away. "He didn’t call either."
"Maybe because of how you pulled away from him yesterday after we got back," Elara said gently. "Please don’t shut him out."
She let out a slow breath and rubbed at her forehead.
"I’m planning to see him this moonrise."
Elara nodded lightly. "Alright."
A brief silence settled between them before Elara looked back at her.
"Did Lunara contact you again?"
Her fingers tightened around the blanket resting on her lap.
"She called after you left."
Elara straightened imdiately. "What did she say?"
"She wants to co."
"How much ti do you have left?"
"Thirty-four hours."
Elara cursed softly under her breath before pushing herself to her feet.
"Emma, you need to bathe, eat sothing, and go see your mate because the two of us seriously need to sit down and figure out how to handle this."
She lowered her eyes briefly before speaking again.
"Brooklyn said she’ll be here tomorrow."
"Good. Now go bathe and see your mate," Elara said.
She pushed the blanket aside and climbed out of bed. Her eyes drifted toward the table beside the couch, and her chest tightened slightly when she realized her moonrise coffee was missing. Right now, she wanted coffee more than anything.
She left her chamber and headed toward Brandon’s.
About five guards stood outside his
door. The mont they noticed her, they straightened.
"Moonrise, Alpha’s mate."
Emma barely glanced at them as she walked past.
Guards can’t be trusted.
The thought settled bitterly in her chest as she pressed her palm against the scanner beside Brandon’s door. The locks clicked open.
She didn’t look back as she stepped inside.
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