Alpha's Secret Bride

Chapter 176: Privacy Mode: Activated

She stepped off and was welcomed by one of the security personnel. She was not allowed to use the visitors’ management kiosk again because they already knew who she was.

She headed straight for her mate’s duty chamber.

The lady at the reception looked up and instantly broke into a smile.

Emma recognized her immediately. The last time she had come here, dressed like a housekeeper, the lady had barely hidden the look she gave her.

This time, the receptionist quickly rose to her feet. "Good day, Luna."

Emma smiled back and gave a small wave as she walked past.

"He has some visitors," she said politely.

"I’m aware," she replied and continued walking towards his duty chamber.

Brandon was in a device conversation when she entered his duty chamber. He gave her a flirty smile and dwindled his eyes. She waved at the male wolves that were with him and walked towards him. Aware of their appreciative glances, she carried her shoulders high as she walked.

She dropped the manuscript on the table and sat beside her mate. He quickly grabbed her palm and squeezed it gently as he continued talking on the device.

He got off the device after a few minutes and stared deeply into her eyes. She saw the question he had in his eyes and nodded. He drew the manuscript closer and began to glance at it.

"Aaron, this is my mate," Brandon said, resting a hand lightly against Emma’s back. "She’s the one you came to see."

A he-wolf who would be in his mid-thirties sat upright and smiled at her. She smiled back and waved at his colleagues one more time.

"Hi, my name is Aaron Storm. I am the literary director of Silverbridge Publishers. We spoke with Moon Prince Brandon last moonfall and we are interested in your story. To say that I was excited when I saw his message is an understatement. I was overwhelmed because our company sent me a few days ago to meet you but I couldn’t get past the gate," he grinned. "What is the story all about?" He asked.

"Thank you, Mr. Aaron." She lifted the manuscript with both hands. "This story is called A Life I Call My Own."

Her fingers brushed over the cover before she looked up again.

"It’s an autobiography. I wrote it myself, but from a third-person point of view." A small smile tugged at her lips. "The reason for that... I’ll keep to myself."

The chamber stayed quiet, giving her space to continue.

"I wrote this for young she-wolves who keep getting knocked down by life." Her grip tightened slightly around the manuscript. "The ones who think no one sees what they’re going through."

She drew in a breath.

"I want them to know they’re not alone. One day, a mate will come into their life and stand beside them through all of it. A mate who helps them fight, heal, and become who they were meant to be."

"Interesting." Mr. Aaron smiled.

Brandon opened his drawer and pulled out a large white envelope. He slid the manuscript inside, then nodded toward the literary director.

One of the warriors beside the table rose at once. He dipped his head respectfully before taking the envelope from Brandon’s hand.

Goosebumps appeared all over her skin. This is a dream she has been following for winters but couldn’t achieve. She recalls when she started, thinking that following one’s dreams is all it is cracked up to be. She watched movies about wolves who follow their dreams and the conventional narrative formula led her to assume that after one or two shots she would eventually get what she dreamed of. However, her dream path never panned out. She got rejected more than five times.

Tears clouded her eyes, but she tried to keep her emotions in check. She didn’t want to embarrass herself before their visitors.

"I want to sign the book on December 30th. Will it be ready?" She asked when they stood up to leave.

"Of course, I’ll inform the company right away."

"Alright, we will keep in touch," Brandon said and stretched forth his hands for a handshake. They shook hands and left the office.

Her head dropped on her mate’s shoulder as soon as they left. She’s nothing without him, just like he thinks he would not be where he is today without the love he has for her. This was why he used her initials and his to structure the name of the company even when he had no hope of getting her back.

Before she knew it, she began to wet his suit with her tears. He grinned, lifted her face, and began to wipe her tears. He lifted her and made her sit on his desk so he would look into her eyes. She tried to cross her legs to avoid eliciting him in the duty chamber. She knew he wouldn’t hesitate to make love to her on his expensive desk. He smiled and stopped her. He increased the height of his chair and was on the same level as her. He moved his face closer to hers and whispered into her ear...

"You’re mine," he murmured against her lips, one hand sliding around her waist. "I can make love to you anywhere I want."

A laugh slipped out of her as she shoved lightly at his chest, and he grinned right back at her.

Emma stared at him for a second, then snorted softly and pushed his face away with her palm.

"Keep talking like that," she said, fighting back a smile, "and I’m leaving you standing here by yourself."

Brandon caught her wrist before she could slide off the desk and stepped between her knees, pulling her closer.

"You’re smiling, Moonheart," he murmured, his gaze settling on her lips. "So that threat doesn’t scare me."

The smile on her face faded.

She looked down fast, blinking hard. Her fingers curled into his shirt as she turned her face away.

"Moonheart?" His hand slid to her cheek. "What’s wrong?"

Her lips parted, but no words came out at first.

"Do you think..." Her voice cracked. She swallowed and wiped quickly under her eye.

"Do you think I would’ve made it this far without you?"

She let out a shaky laugh and shook her head. freeweɓnøvel.com

"It’s crazy how everything turned out."

"It’s okay, moonheart," he said and ran his hands freely on her cheeks. She nodded with her head still lowered. He smiled, leaned over, and wrapped his arms around her. He couldn’t take his eyes off her cleavage.

She turned her head when she heard a locking sound behind her. She looked at the door, but no one was there. The sound was followed by window blinds which began to close on their own. Everywhere became a bit dark. At that point, she understood what was happening.

She narrowed her eyes at him, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

"What are you planning, Brandon Oliver?"

"You just activated privacy mode. I did not," he lifted his shoulders innocently.

"Where?" She asked, looking around for a remote. He showed her red and green dots on his desk.

"You hit the red one."

"Mistakenly!" She shouted with a grin, opening her hands now.

"Hmmm....ignorance is not an excuse. You must be punished today," he said, moving his lips close to hers.

"Oh my moon goddess! I can’t believe you have this kind of desk here! What are you doing with it?"

"I set it up because of you. Every day, I visualize you on this desk as you hit the red switch mistakenly!"

"You set this up for me on purpose before we were even close?" she asked, lips curling as she tried not to smile. "Tell me, Moon Prince Brandon... How long have I been part of your little plans?"

Brandon leaned back slightly, eyes still on her like he was weighing his answer.

"Long enough," he said quietly.

His gaze dropped to the red switch, then back to her face. A faint smirk tugged at his mouth.

"Long enough that I stopped pretending it was an accident waiting for you."

"Seriously, you’re..."

His mouth caught her mid-word.

The rest broke off against him, a small sound slipping from her throat as her fingers curled into his shirt.

An hour later, they walked out of Brandon’s duty chamber like nothing had happened.

Emma glanced at him and laughed under her breath. "I still can’t believe you have a resting chamber hidden inside your duty chamber."

Brandon slid an arm around her waist. "It was built for emergencies."

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah. And from now on, I expect you to be here at least twice a week."

Emma tapped his chest with two fingers and smirked. "Then I better get used to turning on privacy mode every day."

He grinned, leaning closer, but her device suddenly buzzed in her hand.

Emma checked the screen and her smile faded a little.

"Morgan," she said as she answered.

"Emma, please... you need to save Evan. He said he’ll kill himself if you don’t see him."

Emma stopped walking.

"What?"

"He just wants to see you. That’s all."

"Morgan, I’m mated now. I can’t..."

"Emma, please. He’s serious."

She pressed her lips together for a second before speaking again.

"I’ll see him on one condition."

"What condition?"

Emma went quiet for a second before speaking. "He needs to behave himself. No acting

too close to me, no saying things that would make my mate suspicious." Her voice turned firm. "The moment Brandon thinks there’s something going on between us, it’s over."