Chapter 157: Secrets in Luna’s Chamber
About ten minutes later, the king’s voice drifted in from the corridor.
Elara wiped her cheeks quickly and straightened in her seat. Brandon followed, settling back into stillness.
The doors opened.
Both of them turned.
The king stepped inside.
His eyes found Elara immediately—too steady, too soft—and Brandon looked away at once.
He crossed the chamber and sat beside his moon princess.
Elara shifted closer before he could fully settle, letting her shoulder rest against him.
His hand came up on instinct, rubbing slow circles along her upper arm.
"Princess, are you alright?" the king asked, voice even.
"I’m fine, Father," Elara said without looking at him.
His gaze lingered a second. "Then what is it?"
"I’ll talk to you later."
"Alright."
The chamber settled again.
The inner doors opened.
The High Luna stepped out and took her seat like she hadn’t been gone at all. Her eyes moved over the chamber once—slow, measured—then landed on Brandon and stayed there.
Elara didn’t speak. She just shifted slightly closer to the king.
The High Luna’s attention didn’t move.
"Elara , give us a minute," she said.
Brandon’s jaw tightened. He didn’t look at Elara, but his thoughts were already there—this was not a conversation she should hear.
"No," the king said flatly.
Brandon lifted his head. "Father..."
"She stays." The king’s voice cut through cleanly.
Silence settled between them.
Then, quieter, like it settled into the walls—
"She knows all my secrets."
Brandon went still.
That wasn’t something said lightly. And judging by the way the High Luna didn’t react... it wasn’t news to her either.
"I want a bond severance," the High Luna said calmly, like she was announcing the weather.
The king didn’t flinch.
He only leaned back slightly, eyes steady on her.
"You know that’s not possible," he said.
"Because of the rule, right?" she asked.
"Yes."
"You made the rule. You can change it."
A faint gesture of her hand cut through the air between them.
"I didn’t make it," he said. "My father did."
"Then change it."
"I can’t." His voice stayed even. "No High Luna has ever divorced a reigning Alpha King. The kingdom doesn’t split like that."
He looked at her for a second before speaking.
"You’re High Luna. That doesn’t change."
His gaze held hers.
"But you can take a break. As long as you want. Go where you want. Come back when you’re ready."
"No." Her chair scraped softly against the floor as she leaned forward. "You sign the bond severance papers."
"I can’t."
Silence stretched between them.
This time, neither of them looked away.
"Then I’ll keep frustrating you," she said, voice low now, "breaking your laws... until you do."
"Break every law in this kingdom if you have to," he said, chin lifted. His fingers tightened around the edge of the table. "I’m not signing those papers."
"The consequences of breaking kingdom law are not small," Brandon said quietly. His gaze stayed fixed on her, unreadable.
Her chair scraped back hard against the floor. "If he drags me to court, I’ll tell the whole pack why I did it." Her hand cut through the air, shaking.
"That alpha sitting there?" She pointed toward him without looking away. "He’s a cheater. A liar."
She let out a sharp breath, pacing a step. "I’ve been piecing it together since the throne hall last Saturday. It was him. He’s the one I’ve been searching for all this time—the same wolf tied to Lunara. The same one I caught with Helena." Her laugh broke, bitter. "He admitted it. I forgave him.
He swore it wouldn’t happen again. And I believed him." Her voice rose again. "If he doesn’t let me go, the whole pack will know what he did."
Brandon sat still, elbows resting on his knees. His eyes shifted to Elara, waiting for a reaction. Nothing came. Only her steady stare at the king.
Elara finally spoke, voice flat. "Will you also tell them you killed your pup... even after he begged you not to?"
The high Luna snapped upright, shaking her head fast. "I didn’t end the pregnancy." Her hand pressed to her chest. "Eldric, tell her. Tell her the truth." Her voice cracked. "I lost the pup. It was a miscarriage."
The king exhaled slowly and pushed himself up from his seat. "This isn’t a moment for shouting," he said, voice low. His hands rested on the table edge before he looked at her. "It’s a moment for truth. I’ll start." His jaw tightened once.
"Everything you said about me is true. I cheated. I lied. I made mistakes I can’t fix." He shook his head slightly. "I’m not proud of any of it. I won’t ask for forgiveness I don’t deserve." His gaze dropped for a second, then lifted again. "If walking away makes you happy, I won’t stop you. I’ll accept it." His fingers curled slightly on the table. "But I won’t sign the severance papers."
Her eyes flashed. She stepped forward, voice sharp and cutting. "Walking away won’t make me happy," she said, "but cutting your crazy ass off will. And I don’t need your support to do it."
"Calm down, Mother," Brandon said, palms lifted slightly, voice steady. "We can still fix this."
She didn’t even look at him. Her words kept spilling out, sharp and fast, pacing the chamber like she couldn’t sit still. Brandon’s voice faded under hers, lost in the noise.
"I’m done, Brandon." Her voice shook as she pointed at him. "Every time, it’s ’it won’t happen again,’ and every time it gets worse."
She swallowed hard and looked away for a second before meeting his eyes again.
"He needs to let me go."
Her hand snapped open the drawer. Papers slid out with a firm pull—already prepared, already waiting. She pressed them into his hand, forcing them forward between him and the king.
"Sign them."
The king leaned back in his chair, eyes scanning the pages once, slow and unreadable. He handed the papers to Brandon without a word, then stood. The door shut behind him moments later.
Brandon stood there, staring at the pages until his grip tightened at the edges. His jaw flexed. After a long pause, he looked up.
"Mother," he said quietly, "I’ll make sure he signs them... but I need something from you."
Her eyes narrowed. "What is it?"
His voice softened, careful. "Emma and I are getting mated on the 30th of December. We need you there."
He stepped closer, lowering the papers slightly between them.
"Stay. Guide us through it. Nothing would mean more than having the High Luna there on our special day."
Her expression shifted at once. The tension in her shoulders eased, and something warm flickered in her eyes as she looked at him.
"I’ll do it—for you and Emma," she said, a small smile breaking through. "You both deserve my support."
Brandon exhaled slowly, watching her closely, as if weighing every shift in her expression.
Her fingers tapped lightly against the table. "You really think he’ll sign after the mating ceremony?"
"I’ll make sure of it," he replied, steady and sure.
She held his gaze a moment longer, then gave a small nod. "Alright. I’ll wait. Give me the papers."
He handed them back.
She took them without hesitation, pulled open the drawer, and slid the documents inside as though they had always belonged there. The latch shut with a quiet click.
"Thank you," Brandon said, rising to his feet.
Her head tilted slightly. "Leaving already?"
"I need to speak with my father."
A brief pause settled between them.
"You’re alright with the date?" she asked.
"Yes."
"Good."
Elara rose as well.
Her eyes stayed on him as he turned for the door, his steps already set on a path he didn’t look back from. She followed without a word.
Elara and he walked side by side toward the King’s duty chamber. The hallway stretched long and quiet, their footsteps echoing off stone.
"Elara... when will you stop supporting Father?" he asked, eyes forward.
Her gaze stayed on the doors ahead. "Mother doesn’t care if he exists. And I don’t like that."
A small breath left him. "And whose fault is that?"
Elara stopped walking for half a step, then kept moving. "No one’s."
"It’s his fault," he said, voice tightening. "He shouldn’t have ignored her the time she needed him most."
Her head snapped slightly toward him. "She terminated the pregnancy."
He shook his head once. "She said she didn’t."
"She lied."
A beat passed between their steps.
"Let’s assume she told the truth," he said more quietly.
Elara’s jaw tightened. "The healer told the King what happened. But he doesn’t want to drag the healer into it."
They were twenty feet away from the heavy doors of the chamber. Elara stopped first, fingers brushing the fabric of her dress.
"Please," she said, softer now. "Let’s focus on uniting them... and leave the past where it is."
Neither of them spoke for a long moment.
"Alright." He slowed near the door to the king’s duty chamber and glanced at her.
