Chapter 158: Thirty Days to Fix a Broken Bond
"Elara," he said quietly.
"Who told you about the king and Lunara?"
"I figured it out and confronted him. He didn’t even deny it."
"You were not mad at him?"
"I lost control of my tongue that day and stayed away from him for two days. He came back and told me the crisis they were facing."
"What did you do?"
"I told him to stop and he did."
"Okay," he said and they continued silently walking to the king’s duty.
"I don’t want mother to go," Elara whimpered.
"Don’t worry, she is not going anywhere. Unless the king wants her to go."
"Will you talk to him?"
"Yes, privately." He gave a small shrug as he stopped outside the king’s duty chamber.
She understood the gesture and walked away.
He entered the chamber and shut the door unhurriedly. His father dropped the pen he was holding, apparently wondering why he closed the door.
"Do you want her to go?"
"No. I don’t want her to stay either."
His gaze dropped to the floor, jaw tightening.
"I won’t stop her... She deserves to be happy, pup. I don’t deserve her forgiveness."
"Do you still feel anything for her?"
His fingers curled slowly against his palm.
"She’s the mate of my youth. Of course I do."
A short breath left him.
"She’s my first love. We were mated when I was twenty-two winters... She was nineteen."
"Then why did you let your heart fall for Lunara?"
His head shook once, slow.
"I didn’t fall for her."
The fire popped softly in the corner while neither of them spoke.
"It was just... an infatuation. She was always there when I needed some wolf to talk to."
"You know you can talk to the High Luna."
His eyes lifted slightly, then drifted away again.
"She’s always in her chamber."
"To get her mind off her mating problems."
Brandon stepped closer, voice steady.
"You could go there. Help her with whatever she’s burying herself in. You know she won’t turn you away."
Brandon’s voice dropped, firm now.
"Father... be the king in your duty, and her mate at home."
"I want you to go to her chamber at Moonfall."
The words seemed to hang between them as Brandon slowly exhaled.
"Talk to her. Apologize again. Don’t argue with her. Don’t try to make her stay... and don’t bring up the papers."
"Let this new you be the reason she looks at you differently."
"Go again tomorrow. Check on her."
His hands lifted slightly, then fell.
"Tell her about your day... how it went. Ask about hers."
"Stop thinking about sėx. Stop making that the point."
Brandon leaned back in his chair while the firelight flickered across the chamber.
"Make her feel like she matters more than anything else... until she comes back on her own."
The king dragged a hand slowly over his jaw before speaking.
"She’s leaving tomorrow," he said quietly, eyes fixed on the dim firelight ahead.
Brandon looked toward the fire for a moment before speaking, almost reluctantly. "She agreed to stay... after the mating ceremony."
The chair creaked softly beneath him. The king turned sharply. "Which mating?"
He held Brandon’s gaze for a second too long.
"...Yours?"
"Yes."
"Oh my Goddess..." The words slipped out before he could stop them. He stared at Brandon for a second. "You already picked a date?"
"I’m using your date," he replied simply.
The chamber barely had time to settle before the chair scraped hard against the floor.
He stood in a rush and crossed the space, pulling Brandon into a tight embrace. For a moment, the weight of everything else seemed to fall away.
"Thank you, pup," he said, voice rough with something almost like relief. A firm hand pressed against his back. "I trust you... I know you won’t let our enemies laugh at us."
Brandon held on a second longer, then eased back just enough to look at him.
"You’ve got thirty days to win your High Luna again." His grip stayed steady on his shoulders. "Father... you can make her fall in love with you again."
A faint shake of his head. "If she chooses you... really chooses you... she won’t look back."
His voice softened. "She’ll stand beside you. Fight with you. Even your burdens... she’ll take them as her own."
"I’ll come back in two days," he said, already stepping away. His hand slipped from his father’s shoulder as he turned toward the door.
"I’ll see how things are going."
"Don’t worry," came the quiet reply.
Brandon paused mid-step. "Can you do it for us?"
His fingers tightened around the armrest. "I’ll try my best."
A small nod followed, calm but certain. "She’s not difficult... she just hides herself. Always has. Most wolves never notice what she’s really feeling."
"Alright, Father. I’m leaving."
He reached for the door again, ready to go.
"Sit."
The single word cut through the chamber like steel.
He stopped. Hesitated. Then slowly returned to his seat.
"Thank you for agreeing to go with the date I chose," the king said after a moment, a faint, knowing smile touching his lips.
"Same day... different bride."
"...Yeah," came the quiet answer, hanging in the air as the fire cracked softly between them.
"I know you agreed to the date... to give us time to fix everything," he said, eyes steady on Brandon. "But do you think Emma would agree with that?"
A quiet breath left Brandon. "It won’t sit right with her... but the mating date is the least of her worries right now."
"What?" The king’s brow tightened. "She’s still worried?"
"Yes."
"Worried about what?"
The answer came after a pause. "She wants you and the High Luna in unity. She wants this royal pack whole again... under one bond."
"I’ll do my best." A firm nod followed. "That’s a promise."
"Will you handle the planning... or—"
"We’ll handle it," Brandon cut in immediately, already leaning forward. "You and the High Luna need time. Time to actually court each other."
A slow blink. "Emma is moving into Greendor Castle after the mating ceremony. Does she know that?"
"Yes."
A faint exhale. "But father... we’re already settled in the estate."
"You’ll spend your first Moonfall in the castle," he said, voice low but certain. "Trust me... she won’t want to leave after that moonfall."
Silence stretched between them for a second.
Then he gave a small nod. "I’ll respect her choice."
He pushed back from the table. The chair scraped softly across the floor as he stood and headed for the door.
"I trust her judgment. She’s going to make a great High Luna," he said, giving a small, firm nod.
"Alright. One more thing."
Brandon shifted slightly near the doorway, but neither of them looked away.
"I need the DVR you removed from Lunara’s bedchamber."
"I destroyed it."
A brief stillness settled between them.
"Are you sure?"
"Trust me."
His tone never shifted.
"Even the one Emma copied onto the memory card?"
The king watched him quietly for a moment.
"Yes."
The king’s eyes stayed on him for a second longer, searching. Then his jaw tightened faintly before he looked away.
The chamber went quiet in a way that felt heavier than words.
"Thank you," he murmured at last.
Brandon turned at the doorway, hand resting briefly against the frame.
"See you on Friday, Father."
Then he was gone.
Leonard and Maxwell followed immediately, boots striking stone in steady rhythm as they moved down the corridor behind him.
They stepped out through the main archway into the open grounds.
Greendor Castle stood ahead, golden beneath the late moonlight.
Brandon slowed, his gaze fixed on the towering structure. A faint smile touched his mouth before fading again.
"I can already see her walking through those halls," he murmured, almost to himself.
"Alpha?" Leonard asked behind him.
"Nothing," Brandon replied, turning slightly. "Let’s go."
He started across the grounds toward the waiting cars. Gravel shifted underfoot. The air carried the low hum of engines already running, drivers stepping into position.
Doors shut one after another—clean, practiced. The convoy came alive with a synchronized growl.
Brandon paused just before reaching his vehicle and looked back once more.
Greendor Castle stood tall behind him, the moon catching on its golden stone as the convoy engines rumbled to life.
He turned away and climbed into the car.
The doors shut in a clean snap.
Outside, the line of vehicles began to move—slow at first, then gaining rhythm across the grounds.
Through the tinted window, Greendor Castle stayed in view for a moment longer... then slipped farther and farther back as the convoy rolled away.
They pulled into the estate right at 5:30 PM.
Brandon leaned back against the seat for a moment, exhaling slowly. The ride out of the palace still clung to him—tight in his shoulders, heavy in his chest. His eyes were already searching the grounds before the car fully stopped.
The moment the door opened, he stepped out.
In the garden, Emma sat in one of the chairs, bent slightly over her notes. Pen moving across the page, hair falling softly by her cheek.
She looked up.
A grin broke across her face.
Brandon didn’t even make it halfway across the path before she was on her feet.
She ran straight into him.
Her arms locked around his waist, holding on like she’d been counting every second he was gone. Her head settled right against his shoulder, like it had always belonged there.
He let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding and wrapped his arms around her.
"I missed you, starlit," she murmured to him.
Her fingers tightened slightly at his back.
Brandon closed his eyes for a second, his grip easing but not letting go. "Yeah," he said quietly.
She tilted her face up just enough to look at him, still not stepping back. Their foreheads brushed—warm, close, unbroken.
For a second, neither of them moved.
His hand tightened faintly at her waist. His breath caught—just for a heartbeat—before he forced it steady again.
"There’s something we need to discuss," he said, but his eyes didn’t fully meet hers this time, as if something in him hesitated.
Her expression shifted immediately. The warmth in her eyes flickered into concern.
"What is it? Tell me already."
He held her gaze for a second too long. Jaw tightening slightly.
Then he exhaled, easing his grip just a little.
"I will, moonheart..."
A pause—heavier than the words before it.
"...later."
