Chapter 202: Only His Mate
The next day, Brooklyn, Elara, and Emma drove down to the healing den to take Lunara home.
She brightened the moment she saw them, but Elara and Brooklyn’s faces didn’t change. No smile, no warmth. Her smile faltered a little. She looked away.
Emma pulled a chair beside the bed and sat. "How are you?"
"I’m fine," she said, flat.
"I heard your money and other valuables has been recovered."
"Yes."
Emma nodded. "I called your healer yesterday. He said you’ll be discharged today."
"Yes," Lunara said, then paused. "But I don’t feel like going home."
"Why?"
Her fingers curled slightly in the sheet. "I feel so lonely... It reminds me of my mother."
"No, you must go home," Emma said. "I’ll send workers and guards. They’ll stay with you. Help you out. Keep you company."
"Thank you, Emma. I’m grateful," she said.
She pushed up from the chair. "I have come to clear your bills."
Lunara’s head lifted quickly. Her eyes wavered.
"Lunara, it’s okay," Emma said, holding her hand.
Tears slipped out anyway. She turned her face aside, trying to steady herself.
Emma took the face towel and pressed it gently to her cheeks, wiping her tears.
"The house is ready. You’re going home today," she said.
Lunara gave a small nod.
She glanced back at Brooklyn and Elara. "We will be right back."
They got up and followed her out.
With the healer’s assistant, they went to the accounts department and cleared her bills.
An hour later, Lunara was ready. They took her home.
At the door, Emma paused. "Do you want to attend the royal mating?"
Lunara shook her head without a word.
"Why?"
"I look unrecognizable and I..."
"Never mind," Emma said with a small shrug. "I just wanted to let you know you’re highly invited."
"Thank you," she said softly.
"I’ll hire maids to serve you until you’re strong enough," she added as they walked toward the exit.
Lunara didn’t answer. She just watched them. Even after they got into the convoy, Emma still caught her through the window—still standing there, still looking.
—
It was evening already. Time for the bachelorette party.
More than twenty of Brandon’s university allies were invited, along with only five of Emma’s, Brooklyn included.
The private party was held in one of the exotic Spinach Resting Dens in the city. Only the invited ones knew the location. Brandon’s allies had flown in from different parts of the world and were already there before them.
Brandon and Emma arrived later than the others. He looked tense, glancing around like he already knew what was coming. Emma, on the other hand, looked bright and restless, like she couldn’t wait to start.
The place was filled with food and drinks—long tables of dishes, bottles lined up everywhere. Beer for the easy drinkers, stronger liquor for the rest.
After eating and dancing, the games started.
Laughter filled the hall as the rules were called out. One by one, the ladies took turns. Those who failed had to strip.
Emma laughed along with everyone—until she missed a riddle.
Her smile faded instantly.
Across the hall, Brandon and his allies burst into laughter.
"Don’t worry," Rex said, leaning closer to Brandon. "They won’t make you strip in front of your alpha’s moonallies. Just relax. Enjoy yourself."
Dennis, the party skipper, raised a hand toward Emma. She stood, a small nervous smile forming as she stepped forward.
"You know the rules, right?" he asked.
She nodded
"We’re waiting," he said, shrugging as he dropped into his chair.
She glanced around. Thirty pairs of eyes stayed on her. Her chest tightened. She shifted back a step, then stopped herself.
"Can I strip on her behalf?" one of her allies asked.
A loud chorus answered before anyone else could speak.
"No!!!"
The he-wolves shook their heads, some laughing, some already remembering she had done it more than five times.
Rex leaned forward. "Let’s switch it up. Next game... winner gets a reward."
A murmur ran through the hall. Heads turned. The game changed.
She watched them closely now. The way they looked at each other. The way they tried harder than before. Her stomach tightened with every round.
She already knew what kind of reward they were thinking about.
Finally, one of the he-wolves won.
Dennis leaned forward. "What do you want?"
"Just three things," he said, standing slowly.
"First?"
"I’m going to strip." He didn’t hesitate. His clothes dropped to the floor.
A few whistles. Laughter. The hall loosened.
"Second?"
He pointed straight ahead. "Brandon must remove five garters from his mate’s thighs... using only his teeth."
The hall went quiet for half a second, then exploded again.
Brandon didn’t even blink. He stood up right away.
Five garters were handed to him.
Emma’s breath caught as Brandon sank to his knees in front of her. His fingers slipped beneath the hem of her flowing gown, lifting the fabric just enough to secure the garters around her thighs with careful, steady hands. She shifted a little and let out a soft laugh, trying to keep still while he finished. Their guests wasted no time, and teasing whistles and playful comments echoed through the hall, followed by a wave of laughter.
When he finished fastening the last garter into place, Brandon rose to his feet and looked at the skipper, waiting for the next instruction.
The hall roared with laughter.
"Number three?" Dennis asked, leaning forward.
"I want Emma to stay calm while Brandon removes the garters with his teeth," he said. "Then he tosses them. If a lady catches it... he strips. And the winner gets a reward."
The hall split at once—cheers on one side, protests on the other.
Emma’s moonallies shook their heads. The he-wolves pushed back louder.
"What?!" Emma’s voice cut through it. She turned fast, but Brandon caught her hand before she could step away.
Her moonallies laughed, calling out to her as she tugged again.
A chair slid behind her.
Before she could argue, she was seated.
Brandon dropped to his knees in front of her.
Her breath caught as he leaned in, hands steady at her thighs, lifting the edge of her gown just enough.
The first garter came loose.
Then the second.
The third.
Emma’s shoulders shook with laughter, trying to stay still, but she kept breaking into giggles, twisting slightly in the chair until she nearly slipped.
The hall burst again.
The last garter came off, and Brandon lifted it high with a grin.
He flicked it into the air.
For a split second, everything froze—
Then the hall exploded.
Hands shot up. Chairs scraped. Some wolf shouted. Bodies collided mid-air trying to catch it.
Rex lunged forward and disappeared under a table.
Laughter rolled across the hall as ladies fell over each other, still reaching for it.
"Get him out of his clothes!" Dennis called out.
The noise doubled.
Emma blinked, turning slowly toward Brandon.
He was still on his knees, relaxed like nothing was happening, smiling up at her like he already knew how this would end.
The hall didn’t settle.
Glasses clinked. Some wolf was still laughing on the floor.
"Starlit?" Emma murmured.
He smirked, brushing his thumb along her chin. "It’s just one crazy bachelorette party, moonheart."
Her eyes narrowed. "So you’re really letting them strip you?"
He gave a lazy smile. "Yeah. That’s the game’s rule."
Dennis lifted his hand toward Brandon.
Brandon pushed back his chair and stood. A few allies shifted fast, clearing space. A chair was placed right in the center of the hall.
He tapped Emma’s shoulder once, light and calm, then walked over and sat down. One leg crossed over the other like he had all the time in the world.
Emma’s chest tightened. She stayed still, watching him.
Soft music came in low.
Two ladies stepped out from the side, moving with slow, practiced steps. The crowd cheered louder. They circled him, dancing close, teasing the space around him, pulling at parts of his outfit piece by piece in rhythm with the music.
Brandon didn’t flinch. His gaze drifted straight ahead.
Dennis leaned forward, grinning. "Don’t hold back. Keep it going—until he breaks."
The teasing continued, the crowd shouting and laughing, trying to pull a reaction out of him. Some wolf from his side splashed water toward him to shake him up.
He didn’t move.
After a while, the music faded. The ladies stepped back, laughing as they left the center.
Emma stood up right away.
She grabbed a towel, walked to him, and wiped him down without a word. Then she adjusted his clothes, smoothing everything into place.
He rose when she finished.
She turned slightly and led him back to his seat.
"A round of applause for Moon Prince Brandon," Dennis called out. "No distraction gets through him. Only his mate does."
The hall erupted in claps and cheers.
Brandon leaned in just enough for Emma to hear. "Last time, some wolf tried something like this... it didn’t end well for them."
His mouth twitched into a small smile.
Emma let out a quiet laugh.
Dennis clapped his hands again, stepping forward. "Next game."
He paused.
"Put a Finger Down — Savage Round."
A few guys groaned at once.
"Oh no."
"Not that one."
"Who keeps choosing these games?"
Laughter rolled through the hall as everyone lifted both hands, ten fingers up, ready for what came next.
Nobody stayed relaxed for long.
"Put a finger down if you’ve ever said, ’I’m fine’... and meant the exact opposite."
The hall exploded.
Laughter bounced off the walls. Fingers dropped almost at once.
Emma held hers up a beat too long. Then she lowered it. Slow. Quiet. She reached for her drink right after, eyes locked on the glass like it had answers.
Across the circle, Brandon caught it.
The corner of his mouth lifted, just barely. He didn’t speak. Just leaned back and looked away like he hadn’t noticed.
The next prompt hit fast.
"Put a finger down if you’ve ever rehearsed an argument in your head."
Groans went through the hall.
"Oh, be serious!"
"That one is personal!"
Hands dropped again. One after another.
A guy sank deeper into the couch, shaking his head. "This game is exposing ladies," he muttered.
Then the hall shifted again.
"Lip Sync Battle — Zero Shame Allowed."
The music dropped hard.
Everything snapped loose at once.
One person grabbed their chest like they’d just been hit with heartbreak. Another jumped up, already moving like a camera crew was following them.
A chair scraped back hard. Some wolf laughed too hard and nearly knocked it over.
Emma hung back at first, arms folded tight, eyes moving over the crowd like she was deciding if any of it was worth her time.
Then a wolf bumped her shoulder.
She stepped forward without a word.
A slow romantic song slid into the hall.
Her arms dropped. Her shoulders eased before she even realized it. A small smile came and went on its own.
Her gaze slowly lifted until it settled on Brandon.
The moment their eyes met, someone in the crowd noticed.
"Ohhh!"
"Wait... hold up!"
"That just changed the whole vibe!"
The reaction spread through the hall in an instant. Laughter broke out, whistles rang from every corner, and more than a few guests turned to Brandon with wide grins, eager to see how he would respond.
He leaned back in his chair, relaxed, one arm resting along the back. No rush in him. No reaction either. Just watching her like she’d always been in his line of sight.
Dennis kept the games coming, one after another. Laughter kept spilling through the hall, louder each time, messier too.
Emma got pulled into a few, shook her head at others, laughed when she couldn’t help it. Some of it was ridiculous—too loud, too bold—but it all blurred into the same warm noise.
By the time things started to wind down, the energy in the hall hadn’t disappeared. The music play
ed lower now. Conversations drifted through the hall in scattered pockets.
She stood quietly, her gaze moving from table to table, face to face.
Tomorrow.
Her fingers smoothed over the fabric of her dress.
Slowly, she lifted her head.
The aisle. The vow.
Tomorrow, everything will change.
She had no idea what was already set in motion.
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