Chapter 169: Something She Was Not Saying
She followed Brandon back into the study and dropped beside him, her shoulder brushing his as she looked down at the notebook in his lap.
Lines were crossed out page after page. Some sentences were circled. Others had been rewritten completely in his sharp handwriting.
He flipped the last page, capped the pen, and slid the notebook toward her.
"You’re rewriting the story," he said.
Emma looked up. "Why?"
"So everything flows properly." He tapped one of the pages. "And because some of these scenes can cause problems later."
He turned a few pages back, stopping at the parts he had marked heavily.
"Anything I crossed out stays out," he said.
"No names. No scenes that can drag you into privacy issues or lawsuits."
Her fingers tightened slightly around the notebook.
"What about Daniel?" she asked quietly.
Brandon’s eyes hardened.
"The way Daniel treated you is already public knowledge." He leaned back in his chair.
"That stays."
A cold smile touched his mouth.
"If he or any wolf tries to cry about privacy in court after what he did, they’ll be laughed out before they even finish talking."
"I was surfing through the internet earlier," he said as they entered the feeding chamber. "I found another publishing company."
Emma pulled her chair out. "A famous one?"
Brandon shook his head once.
"Not yet." A small smile touched his lips. "But they will be after this."
Emma let out a soft laugh. "So we’re making them popular too?"
"We might as well," he said casually.
"We’ll call them when I’m ready," she replied.
Bernard stepped forward quietly and began arranging the dishes on the table.
Emma’s eyes drifted to him again.
Clean clothes. Neatly combed hair. Not a trace of the nervous mess from before.
Her grip tightened slightly on the chair.
Then she glanced at Brandon.
He sat down calmly, completely unfazed by Bernard’s appearance, like he had expected it all along.
"Bernard, I want to see the list of servants traveling with us," she said.
"Alright, Alpha’s mate." He kept arranging the dishes on the table.
"Do you have it with you?"
"No. I’ll go get it." He lifted the heavy tray and walked out of the feeding chamber.
Emma picked up her cutlery, watching him leave. "He looks good today."
"He’s always looked good," Brandon said, reaching for his own cutlery. "But I noticed he stopped putting effort into his appearance after we moved here. At the palace, he used to dress sharper." A grin tugged at his mouth.
"Probably because there are more female staff there."
Emma glanced at him.
He was already looking at her, that knowing look slowly spreading across his face like he’d just figured something out.
Her fingers tightened around the fork.
"What is it?"
"In less than a winter," he said, holding her hand a little tighter, thumb brushing over her knuckles, "I’ll be holding our pup in my arms. I’ll kiss him at every moonrise before work... and again at moonfall before we sleep."
Emma looked at him for a moment, then smiled into her food.
"Don’t be so sure it’s a male pup until I go for a scan. I want a female pup," Emma said, wrinkling her nose.
Brandon gave a slow wink. "Yeah... after Oliver Junior." His fingers squeezed hers lightly. "Then we can have two more."
Emma let out a short laugh, shaking her head.
"Haha... let me finish with just one first."
Brandon leaned closer, a small smile tugging at his mouth. His thumb brushed over her hand again.
"One at a time then," he said softly. "But don’t think I’m stopping there."
Emma huffed a quiet laugh, letting her shoulders sink back into the chair as he kept feeding her.
"Of course you’re not stopping," she said, eyes narrowing at him playfully before she took the bite. "You already sound like you’ve planned my whole life."
Brandon’s smile lingered as he set the spoon down and wiped the corner of her mouth with his thumb. He didn’t rush his words.
"I don’t plan your life," he said quietly, leaning back just enough to watch her. "I just plan on staying in it."
"You talk too much," she said, fighting a smile as she pushed the spoon back toward him with two fingers. "Keep feeding me." Her eyes flicked to the golden plate, then back to him. "I’m still hungry."
Emma watched him quietly, her fingers resting against the edge of the bowl. The smile on his face stayed there while he fed her, patient and unhurried.
Sometimes she still wondered how she ended up with a wolf like him. The way he fussed over her now, the careful hands, the soft looks, the way he treated her like she was the center of his world—it settled somewhere deep in her chest.
"I can’t wait to be your Luna," she said, her voice small as her fingers tightened slightly in his sleeve.
He gave a slow wink. "You’ve been my Luna since the day I met you."
"I mean officially," she said quickly, lifting her eyes to his.
His smile softened. "It was official the moment the Moon Goddess showed you to me in a dream... right where I found you, under the willow tree."
"Really?" she whispered.
"Yeah."
She exhaled softly, shoulders easing. "Same for me... only she showed me an older Oliver Frostbane—tall, slim, handsome."
A laugh slipped out of him. "And I told you I’d still grow tall the day you body-shamed me."
She tilted her head at him, lips twitching.
"Yeah," she said, leaning a little closer. "You couldn’t even run."
They both broke into laughter.
They ate in silence for a while.
Then his fork paused halfway to his mouth.
"Did Elara tell you anything?"
He wiped his lips slowly with a napkin, eyes not quite meeting hers.
Emma shook her head. "No. But I found out why she swore she’d stay single forever."
That got his attention.
"What?" His brows knitted as he leaned in a little. "What did you find?"
She didn’t answer right away. Just reached for her glass, took a slow sip, and set it back down.
His fingers tightened around her hand again.
"Tell me," he said softer this time.
"No."
"Does she need a mind healer?"
"No."
"Oh my Goddess... then what does she need?"
"Your support."
He leaned back a little, then forward again.
"How am I supposed to support her when she hasn’t told me anything? Moonheart, please... just tell me."
"I’ll tell you later."
His jaw tightened. "She’s my only sibling. I need to help her."
Emma gave a small laugh, low and dry. She watched his face as it changed—too eager, too protective.
"We don’t need your help," she said. "She called you in, and you didn’t show up for her."
His eyes sharpened. "Is that what she told you?"
"Yes."
"That’s not true." He shook his head once.
"She didn’t tell me anything. We always support each other’s decisions. She knows that."
Emma leaned back in her chair, calm now. Her face went still as she studied him.
He ran his tongue over his lower lip, exhaling through his nose. His fingers flexed once on the table, like he was holding himself back from reaching for more answers.
"Is she mad at me?" he asked, voice flat.
"No," she shook her head.
"Can you help her?"
"Yes." She paused, fingers tightening slightly around the edge of the counter. "But we need your full cooperation."
"I’ll support you," he said. His brows lifted as he studied her face.
"Give me a hint," he added with a small smile.
She let out a quiet breath, almost a shrug. "I already did."
His eyes narrowed a little. He leaned back, thinking. The smile faded as he replayed their earlier talk. Nothing clicked.
"Tell me," he said again.
"She asked me not to," she replied. Her gaze held steady. "And I won’t lie to you."
"She won’t tell me if I ask?"
"No," she said softly. "But trust me."
The door to the feeding chamber clicked open.
Bernard stepped in, moving straight to the table. Plates, cups, everything was cleared with quiet efficiency.
He stopped beside her and placed a folded white paper in her hand.
She glanced up at him, then unfolded it.
A list.
Names of servants traveling with them to Milan, Italy.
Her fingers paused on the page. She dropped the towel on the counter and started reading, eyes moving line by line.
"Six guards, Bernard!" she said sharply.
Brandon leaned back in his chair, watching her. His expression stayed calm, like he didn’t see the problem.
She turned toward Bernard again, already moving past the silence.
"Add one of my maids to the list. Remove four guards."
Bernard paused, pen hovering. "Which maid are you taking?"
"Naomi."
"Alright." He wrote it down. "I’ll inform her."
She nodded once and looked back at the paper. "Just you, Leo, and Max."
"Maximus is going on leave in two days,"
Brandon said. "Teddy will take over for him."
Emma looked up from her device. "So we won’t need Maxwell to drive us around?"
Brandon’s brows lifted slightly. He leaned back in his chair, eyes narrowing on her.
"Oh, before I forget..." His voice turned casual, too casual. "Bernard hates traveling." He tilted his head. "Or are you planning something you’re not saying?"
Emma’s pen paused.
Just for half a second.
Then she lowered her gaze again like nothing happened.
But Brandon had already seen it.
Bernard’s name sat on the list.
Underlined once.
A slow smile tugged at the corner of her mouth.
Emma kept writing.
Which only made him more suspicious.
