"What changed?" she asked, her fingers tightening slightly around the fork—because something had, she could feel it... and it unsettled her more than she wanted to admit.

"Your... um...I’m just calling your healer. This isn’t funny anymore. Even the fight you picked earlier was unnecessary. Something is definitely wrong," he murmured, almost inaudibly, clearly worried.

She dropped the fork with a soft clatter, her eyes snapping to his face—too fast, too sharp, like she was bracing for impact.

"What did you say?" she asked, narrowing her eyes, her heart still pounding from their earlier clash—part of her bracing for another argument, part of her hoping she had misheard him.

"I’m calling your healer," he replied, his voice steadier than he felt, trying to shift the tension away from the fight while silently worrying about her condition.

"No, I heard ’the fight," she insisted, her tone sharpening, as if she was ready to clash with him again if he refused to admit his fault. Deep down, she needed that acknowledgment more than anything.

"Yes... about the fight earlier," he admitted, his gaze dropped briefly before he forced himself to meet her eyes.

"Ehen..." she muttered, folding her arms, waiting—her silence heavy with expectation, her heart unwilling to let him off easily this time.

"It’s my fault, and I’m sorry," he said finally, the words leaving his lips with difficulty, but carrying the weight of his guilt and the quiet hope that she wouldn’t walk away again.

"I’m glad you finally know," she said with a small smirk, returning to her food as if nothing happened.

He exhaled quietly, tension slipping from his shoulders—a narrow escape, he thought, even though something told him the issue wasn’t truly over.

"Moonfall, Prince Brandon."

He straightened slightly at the voice, instinctively shifting back into control—grateful for the interruption.

"We are coming down to the healing den right now."

"Alright," he said, his tone calmer now as he leaned back slightly—eyes drifting to her—watching, checking... still not fully at ease.

They drove to the estate healing den to see Healer Ben. He greeted them with a familiar smile and began his usual questions before guiding Emma toward the examination bed.

He fixed his wireless call receiver on his ear when he got a call from Kenneth.

"Hey, BO!" Ken’s voice came through the line, slightly louder than necessary, a hint of static trailing behind it—like he was trying to sound casual, but something underneath didn’t quite settle.

"What’s up?" Brandon replied, his voice lower, controlled—he paused briefly before speaking, his grip tightening slightly around the device. This better not be something unnecessary, he thought, listening more carefully than he let on.

"Brooklyn has been calling her moonally..."

He paused, glancing briefly toward the basement

Is she there with you?"

"Yes"

"Can you give her the device?"

"She is with her healer right now. She will call her when she is free.

"Her healer? Is it serious?"

"I don’t think so... but something’s not right."

"Are you one hundred percent sure you haven’t already put a bun in her oven yet, BO?" Ken asked jokingly.

"Well, I’m still trying to figure out why she suddenly became so sensitive to smells," he said, lowering his voice—because the thought sitting at the back of his mind felt too big to say out loud.

"I’ll call you back," he said and hung up when she stood up from the examination bed.

"I’ll come to the house tomorrow with the results from the sample I collected," Healer Ben said.

He led her to her chamber when they got home.

He pulled her closer, intending only to hold her...just that, nothing more...but the bond flared the moment she settled against him. His grip tightened unconsciously, his breath shifting...too fast... too intense. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

She grinned softly, turning toward him, her fingers brushing against him slowly...deliberate, knowing. Soon her clothes were on the floor again. They held each other flesh to flesh and their wolves became so warm. He moved closer, and the bond between them surged instantly...warm, overwhelming, and impossible to resist.

He couldn’t define what surged through him...heat, pull, something deeper...like standing between comfort and chaos at the same time.

The gentle breeze that was fanning his back from nowhere felt as if he was standing close to the fire in the middle of a snowstorm. Every single movement on her wet warmth melted his wolf like wax. He moved his face closer and locked his lips with hers. She held his head firmly as if he was her pup and he felt deeply cherished.

Their kiss felt like the warmth of a comforting fireplace on an icy winter moonfall and like refreshing rain on a sweltering summer day and he recalled how he felt the day he kissed her again after nine winters.

Life without Emma had felt empty. Yet now, even the simplest moments suddenly made sense.

It felt as though he had been pulled from a hollow, dreamlike existence he had wandered through for winters and lifted into something almost celestial.

After nine winters of emptiness, the simple act of being with her filled him with such overwhelming joy that he nearly broke down in tears.

His pace increased, and he lost all control of himself, every restraint slipping away under the weight of overwhelming emotion and need. I shouldn’t be like this... but I can’t stop, he thought, even as his wolf betrayed every attempt at composure.

The heightened momentum carried them both to a sudden, intense climax that left his mind briefly blank, his breath uneven, and his heart racing. She grounded him completely...more than he was willing to admit.

... I can’t lose her, flashed through his thoughts in the aftermath.

Even then, he couldn’t bring himself to pull away from her, remaining close as if distance might unravel him completely.

"You know I love you, right?" she murmured softly, watching his face...searching... needing something real in return.

She hopes he truly feels it the way she does...

He grinned and kissed her lips, a quiet warmth settling in his chest. "You have no idea how much peace those words give me... how you steadies everything in me," he said, holding her a little closer as if to keep that feeling from slipping away.

"I wish you understood the joy you brought me each time you reminded me we were on the same page... like a storm inside me finally finding calm," he said.

"I understand, but..."

"No ’but.’ I mean everything Moonheart," he interrupted firmly, his voice leaving no space for argument.

A few minutes later, they drifted into a deep sleep, both held each other together by a quiet sense of belonging neither of them wanted to release. Don’t let her slip away, he thought faintly before sleep pulled him under, while she, already half lost to dreams, clung to the warmth of him as if afraid moonrise might change everything.

On Tuesday at Moonfall, they were in the garden, quietly enjoying the breathtaking moonset. His guards stood a few steps away, maintaining discreet distance as they watched over them.

He lifted his gaze and noticed Ken and Brooklyn approaching. A notification had alerted him about five minutes earlier, and he had informed them of their location. Still, a faint part of him resisted their arrival—unwilling to share even a fraction of this rare peace with anyone else.

Emma quickly jumped up when she saw Brooklyn, her excitement immediate and unguarded, as though they hadn’t seen each other in ages. Ken placed a steady hand on his sibling’s shoulders and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead before walking over to join Brandon.

The two she-wolves drifted a little distance away from them, likely slipping into their own private gossip. Emma glanced at Brooklyn and laughed, and Brooklyn followed suit, their shared amusement lighting up their faces as they watched their mates from afar.

"She is exactly what I’ve been searching for," Ken said, his voice softer now—like he was still trying to believe his own luck.

"What’s up with you?" Brandon asked, dragging his gaze away from Emma and Brooklyn—reluctantly.

"You didn’t come all the way here just to admire scenery... or are you now part-time romantic spectator?"

They both burst out laughing.

"I can’t seem to get enough of her," he admitted, still watching...completely unguarded.

"I can’t argue with that," Brandon said, still looking up at the moon. "At least one of us is enjoying the perfect conditions for this moonfall."

"Are you sleeping with her already?" he asked casually, though his eyes flicked toward Emma...measuring something he didn’t say.

"No," he answered simply, but his jaw shifted slightly...the question hitting closer than expected.

"Alright, I hope you won’t cheat on her," he said with a teasing grin.

"I’m not a cheater, BO. My previous relationship forced me into so many things. With her, I feel like I’m already in heaven. Everything just flows naturally."

"Good. Because if you do, I’ll personally remind you what consequences look like," he added dryly, half-joking.

"Excuse me," he said, cutting himself off as a call came in.

"Healer Ben."

"Prince Brandon," Healer Ben’s voice came through, calm—but something in the tone made Brandon straighten immediately, unease settling in his chest.

"I’m on my way. The test results for your mate are ready."