Emma rose stiffly, her aura turning cold as winter frost, and left the Alpha's hearth without a word.
She stepped out of the grand pack mansion and made her way toward the towering glass structure that pierced the sky like a sentinel of power. Reaching the entrance, she pulled the stylus from the rune-carved wall and inscribed her name upon the enchanted board just as she had done before, but this time, the warded door remained sealed. Perhaps… he does not wish to see me, she thought bitterly, turning away.
The low hum of the lift echoed as its doors slid open, and she turned back, stepping inside without hesitation.
She stepped out on the twentieth level and followed the long, narrow corridor scented faintly with wolf musk, leading toward the administrative chambers of the pack.
"Moonrise, Alpha's mate," a voice greeted respectfully.
"Michael."
"The Alpha is within his work chamber."
"Where is his work chamber?"
"The highest level."
"Will he be angered that I came without informing him through the link?"
"He sensed your presence the moment you marked your name upon the rune board, Alpha's mate."
"I did not send any signal."
"You did, unknowingly. The board carries your essence."
"Alright," she murmured, turning back toward the lift once more.
She stepped out onto the final level of the skyscraper, walking with forced confidence though she had no idea where she was headed. A logistics wolf caught her confusion and gestured toward a corridor, and she followed silently.
Another wolf directed her to a visitor management station. The system scanned her identity, printing a pass infused with faint magic before guiding her onward. Emma clenched her jaw, irritated by the rigid protocols. She wished she could simply declare her rightful place as the Alpha's mate and be done with it.
At the front desk, a she-wolf eyed her from head to toe, her gaze lingering on Emma's short gown and exposed neckline with thinly veiled disdain. With a curt gesture, she motioned Emma toward a waiting chair. Emma glanced at her wristwatch—only twenty-five minutes remained.
"Please, I need to see the Alpha," she said softly. "It is urgent."
"Then call him through the mind-link," the she-wolf replied with biting sarcasm.
"I… I do not have his frequency," Emma admitted, her voice dropping.
"Well, he is occupied."
Fortune shifted when she spotted Bernard stepping out of a nearby chamber. She rose instantly.
"Moonrise, Alpha's mate," he greeted.
"I need to see Brandon. It is urgent."
"Do you require permission to approach your own mate?" he asked. Emma exchanged a glance with the secretary, who looked at her as though she had witnessed madness itself. Emma ignored her and moved toward the glass doors Bernard indicated.
Inside, two elegantly dressed she-wolves occupied Brandon's workspace. They barely spared her a glance before dismissing her entirely. One perched boldly on his desk, her gown revealing an indulgent display, while the other leaned forward, bracing herself with her elbows as she spoke softly to him.
A sharp pang of jealousy pierced Emma's chest. Anger followed swiftly—why had he allowed her entry when he already entertained company?
She stood frozen, confused and hurt tangling within her. Brandon's gaze lifted to meet hers, steady and expectant, waiting for her to speak. She tried—tried to bury the storm inside her beneath calm—but no words came.
Instead, she shook her head and turned away, leaving the chamber in silence.
Tears blurred her vision as she hurried toward the lift. Jealousy coiled with a deep sense of inadequacy, suffocating her chest. The thought of another she-wolf hearing his voice, receiving his attention… It was unbearable.
She tried to hate him—but she could not. She tried to accept her place as nothing more than a legal mate—but even that failed. She longed for him, for the bond, for the closeness of a true moon-allied mate… yet he felt impossibly distant, far beyond her reach.
Her vision clouded again as tears fell freely. Why did everything she desired remain so far away? She needed guidance—she needed to speak with Mr. Richard. Another glance at her wristwatch told her she had only twenty minutes left. Just then, her communication device began to ring.
"Moonrise, Emma."
"How are you today?"
"I'm fine," she replied, trying to place the unfamiliar voice.
"Did you speak with your mate?"
"The cab driver?"
"Yes."
"I will call you at the next moonrise."
"This is my livelihood. I came to your pack grounds, but your kin denied ever seeing my vehicle."
"Do not worry, I will call you later," she said quickly, ending the call.
Standing before the towering structure, Emma scanned the Nightclaw estate. Her eyes landed on Mr. Richard's vehicle parked near one of the residential quarters. Without hesitation, she made her way toward it. She needed answers—before her thoughts consumed her entirely.
"Hi," she greeted, waving at a young she-wolf seated on the balcony. The she-wolf glanced at her briefly, sighed in annoyance, and returned her attention to her device.
"I sat beside you at the feeding hall the other day, but you would not speak to me," Emma continued, ignoring the cold reception. The she-wolf remained silent.
"I am—"
"I know who you are. My father is inside," she interrupted sharply.
"Oh… I see… then you must be—"
"She is my she-wolf," Mr. Richard's voice cut in, drawing Emma's attention. His gaze softened as he studied her face. "You have been crying again."
She sniffed and nodded.
"Come inside."
Emma followed him into the modest lounge.
"Sit," he instructed, pointing to a sofa.
"Brandon," he said knowingly, and she nodded.
"What did he do this time? Or what have the gossiping wolves filled your ears with?"
"I need to ask you something… and I need the truth."
"Go on."
"Do you think he chose me as his mate to repay the embarrassment I caused him?"
"No. Why would you think that?"
"He shows me kindness—lets me see the best of him. But when I try to step closer… he turns distant, as though I mean nothing. It feels deliberate… like punishment."
Richard inhaled slowly — the breath of some wolf about to open a door that could never be closed.
"Your birth was never ordinary," he began.
Emma's heart pounded.
"But the truth does not belong to me alone," Richard continued. "And once you hear it, the life you know will end."
Emma whispered, "It already is."
Mr. Richard rose slowly, taking the remote of the vision hearth. He adjusted the volume before settling back into his seat, his expression thoughtful.
On the screen, the silhouette of a powerful Alpha emerged — a presence that felt strangely familiar, impossibly significant.
Emma's wolf surged forward in recognition she could not explain.
And in that suspended second before the face became clear, Emma realized the truth might not only change her past — it might redefine who she was meant to stand beside.
"I want to tell you something." Richard said.