Emma left the cookhouse and went straight to Brandon's study chamber to get her manuscripts. She wanted to write and keep herself busy as she waited for him.
She searched the whole bookshelves, but her manuscripts were not there. Perhaps, he took them to his private bedchamber. She shrugged and went back to her chamber.
A deep sense of loneliness and longing to be with Brandon began to drive her mad. She wanted to see his handsome figure and hear his voice again. She hid her wolf under the duvet after changing into a beautiful nightgown, wishing he would come and chat with her, but he did not come.
Sleep disappeared from her eyes as she kept wondering why he was so mysterious and indecipherable. She walked to her closet and brought her mysterious moonlite box out. She needed to read the words again and stop her heart from falling deeply in love with Brandon. However, the magic in the words seemed to have lost its potency. She put the paper back and sealed the moonlite box.
After a few hours, the mansion became calm. Probably, all the workers had gone to their quarters. Her heart skipped when her door swung slowly. She resisted the urge to turn and look at who was coming towards her bed. She felt a hand pulling her duvet slowly. She stopped the duvet as soon as he uncovered her face. He grinned and removed the duvet completely.
"You are awake," he whispered into her ear and shifted the moonlit box she kept beside her. She nodded without looking at him. He climbed the bed and turned to face her. She looked at him and swiveled again. Brandon jumped to the other side of the bed and scissored his legs with hers while he supported his head with an elbow. She knew he would jump again if she turned. She relaxed and kept her face as expressionless as ever.
"What are you thinking about?"
"You"
"Me?"
"Yes, why did you mate me?" She asked. Brandon took a deep breath, and moved closer to her.
"The same reason why you said yes to me."
"I never created the profile on the howling union website, my sibling did."
"I know"
"Who told you?"
"With the way things are going between both of you, one doesn't need to be told. She should have just thrown you out; why is mating so important to her?"
"Probably, she wants me to get mated before her mating bond with the moon Prince."
"Why?"
"I'm older, I guess."
There was silence in the chamber as he kept staring at her. His eyes were filled with a lot of unsaid words, as though he knew something.
"Bernard told me you want to buy a new car for the cab driver," Brandon kept quiet and continued staring at her.
"Thank you."
"You are welcome."
"Please, would you withdraw the report you made against my sibling?"
"No"
"Why?"
"I'm charging her guards to court for assaulting the only she-wolf in my life, Alpha's mate, I mean Brandon's mate."
"Please…" Brandon sealed her mouth with his palm.
"Don't," he whimpered. She slowly pulled his hand off her mouth and looked away.
"You've asked me this question once, so now I want to ask you. Do you think I mated you for a selfish purpose?"
"I think you mated me to avenge everything I did to you."
"What and what exactly?"
"You know what I'm talking about. I think you are on a revenge mission."
Brandon laughed out so loudly and she frowned. It was her first time seeing his beautiful ivory set of teeth.
"Brandon threw a party and he didn't invite a she-wolf, he just called Brandon's mate."
"Because Brandon knew his mate wouldn't come."
"Does he not think she deserves to know?" She asked, but he did not give her any reply. She became a little scared when the silence stretched longer than sixty seconds, probably, she had said too much.
She looked up at him and his face slowly landed on her forehead; her vision blurred immediately. His wolf's scent was enhanced with a customized cologne that matched his natural scent. She found herself desiring his touch so badly. She wished the closeness would last forever. His breath was warm and moist against her face and her heart raced.
"I'm sorry," he whispered into her ear. "What's in that box?"
"A birth cycle gift from my moonmate."
"Twenty-second birth cycle?"
"No, fourteenth," she responded. He frowned and stared at the moonlit box again.
"What's inside?"
"Em..."
"What are you still doing with it?"
"It was the last thing he gave me."
"Would you mind if I took a look?" He asked, moving his hand slowly towards the box. She quickly stopped his hand and he withdrew it.
"Are you still in love with him?" He asked after a long silence. She nodded without looking at him. She didn't want to see the disappointment on his face. He lowered his gaze and could not say anything. He was obviously sad.
A strong feeling of empathy overwhelmed her. Brandon did not deserve what she just told him. She had always believed no he-wolf would ever take the position of her first love in her heart, but Brandon shifted her first love and occupied his position.
She lifted her gaze to apologize to him. However, his mouth landed on her lips before she could say a word, and the delicious sensation and euphoria she felt began to melt her bones and nerves. She became so weak that she couldn't push his face away. She began to return his slow kiss. She relaxed, enjoying the taste of his mouth as he was so engrossed in it. His kiss was so wet, sending crazy vibrations all over her wolf. It was as though everything in the packland was placed on hold. All her worries and anxieties began to dissipate.
She found her soul bonding with his. The feeling of affection she had for him surged incredibly up and she felt like she was on cloud nine. Her palms suddenly became sweaty and her curves tingled against the silky fabric of her nightgown.
"Oh my moon goddess!" She screamed in her heart when he pulled his mouth away. She wished he never did. It felt like being vulnerable with the way she felt.
"You wanted to talk to me this moonrise," he whispered into her ear. She kept quiet and threw her face away. The question was not what she wanted at that moment. There was another long silence in the chamber.
"I have gone through your manuscripts; I will tell you what I think later."
"Thank you," she murmured.
"Are you still mad at me?" Brandon asked. She shook her head, wishing she could pull him closer again. The urge to pull him was so strong, but she couldn't take things up a notch since she was not completely sure they were on the same page.
"He was the one my sibling was talking about," she said after a few minutes of silence.
"How old was he?"
"He was sixteen."
"I know why you still love him."
"Why?"
"He was your first."
"There was no penetration."
"Sex is sex."
"He was my best moonmate. The episode was not supposed to happen but we were curious."
"It turned out great, right?"
"Yes...and... awkward," she stammered. Brandon burst into hysterical laughter.
"Remember, you owe no one an explanation - not even your mate, okay?" he said, and she nodded and was happy he understood.
Brandon stood up from the bed and adjusted his belt and denim. His boner was less obvious, probably because he was wearing tight underwear, but she could still see it. She quickly took her eyes away when she noticed he felt embarrassed that she concentrated on that area. His eyes that went there first drew her attention. He wouldn't have been if he had known how wet her palms and underwear were. She wondered why he wouldn't stay with her. Probably, he wanted her to say it.
"I… need to bathe," he said calmly.
"Are you coming back?" She asked, dwindling her eyes to cover her shame.
"Do you want me to?" He asked with his hands in his pockets. She was so ashamed to say yes to him. She did not want him to think she was wayward. She kept staring at him.
"I already know the answer," Brandon planted a kiss on her forehead and left. She bit her lower lip and wondered what was wrong with herself. She should have just told him yes; she was not sure if he was going to come back or not. She fixed her eyes on the wall, savoring the wonderful moment she had with him, hoping he would come back.
The fire he ignited in her kept burning all through the moonfall, flooding her whole wolf with the desire to be lavished by him and she couldn't sleep.