"What are you alluding to, Ashley?" the King asked, disbelief lacing every word as his gaze sharpened on him—was this defiance, or something far more calculated?

"Ashley..." he added, quieter now, but far more dangerous, his mind already racing ahead to the consequences of whatever answer was coming.

"Brandon is like a moonpup to me," Ashley began, his voice steady despite the weight of every watching eye. He deserves more than politics... more than this suffocating crown. "He is a good pup...loyal, hardworking... the kind most wolves pretend to be."

"He is better off without the title ’Moon Prince,’" he continued, lifting his chin slightly. Titles chain him. They’ll ruin him before they ever honor him. "He can only be with her... if he gives up the title."

"What!!! To hell with your....your...your" he stammered and couldn’t complete the sentence. He shook his head and lowered it. She looked at Brandon again, his calm steadied her, and she slowly began to relax."

They waited more than three minutes for the king to speak, but he was quite short of words.

"I spoke out of turn, but he will not abandon his title for your daughter, no matter the demand."

The King whimpered. "He is my only Moon Prince," he said, voice firm with command.

"I don’t have another Prince. Brandon, please, tell him you can’t lower your wolfhood. You are a Moon Prince! The heir apparent of this kingdom! It is your fate. Please, talk to them."

Brandon took a deep breath and sat upright.

"Father, I had wanted to abdicate the throne..." Brandon began, his voice firm but edged with a quiet exhaustion. How long have I been carrying a crown that was never truly mine? "The only reason I haven’t is because of my mate. "If her father demands I give up my crown... then I will...if that is the only way to keep her."

"Thank you, Brandon," Ashley said, a faint satisfaction slipping through his tone. At least one of them understands what truly matters.

"Brandon!" the King roared, the single word cracking through the air like thunder, his chest tightening as fear and anger collided. Is he really willing to throw everything away... for love?

"Father, you can name another heir," Brandon pressed, unshaken. "You wanted to name one, didn’t you? So why cling to me now?"

"I was...I was just... bluffing!" the King stammered, his composure fracturing. "I didn’t mean it! Brandon, you and Elara are my diamonds. There is no way I could name another heir. Your status is unchangeable!" You are the future alpha king... how can you not see that?"

"Father, I am tired of this," Brandon said, the weight pressing down on him.

"I want to go home and rest. Away from this throne... away from these expectations."

"Hold on!" the King said quickly, reaching out to pat Brandon’s leg, his voice softening with urgency. "Ashley, I know you’re angry at me for rejecting your moonpup in the first place. But you, of all wolves, should understand why she was rejected. You must see reason... you must."

"I’m not angry at you," Ashley replied with a casual shrug, though his eyes held something deeper. Anger would be easier... this is something else entirely.

"Then what is it?" the King pressed, confusion knitting his brows.

"I don’t want my moonpups dragged into politics or power." Ashley’s tone was calm—but final. I’ve seen what power does... I won’t let it touch them.

"My High Luna Alexandra, able councils... please give us a moment," Ashley said, his tone respectful but leaving no space for refusal. Some truths cannot be spoken before a crowd—they fester, they spread.

The High Luna and the council members exchanged uneasy glances before rising in silence, their footsteps echoing as they filed out through the right entrance. The doors closed behind them, and with it, the illusion of order.

"We all know why you didn’t want my soft fang to play the second video," Ashley continued, his gaze settling heavily on the King. You feared the truth... not the scandal. "And I also know why Alpha Julian blackmailed the young she-wolf who just left."

"She was a good pup once," he added, his voice lowering, laced with something dangerously close to contempt. Good... until power found her. Before the corrupt hands of top politicians got hold of her."

"We... he gestured faintly, including them all, ...the so-called leaders, commit countless atrocities and walk away untouched. His jaw tightened. They wear crowns and hide behind laws they wrote themselves."

"I refuse... to let her become another victim... like that she-wolf. Not while I still have a say. Not while I can still protect what is mine."

his voice hardened, final and unyielding.

"You exposed her to blackmail," Ashley pressed on, each word striking like a hammer. "And many keepers of the Moon Seal..." he paused briefly, disgust flickering in his eyes, used her...slept with her...under the guise of control and silence."

"All in the name of power," he finished quietly. And you wonder why I refuse to let my moonpup step into your pack."

"When Kaida died, I found a lot of messages on her communication device," Ashley began, his voice quieter now, but far more cutting.

"Truth leaves a trail... even the dead cannot hide it forever."

"If she hadn’t been a strong, faithful mate... she wouldn’t have withstood all the temptations from top alphas."

He fell silent for a few seconds, shaking his head slowly, grief and restrained anger flickering across his face. How many others weren’t as strong... or simply had no choice?

"I will only give my soft fang to Moon Prince Brandon Oliver Frostbane..." he continued, lifting his gaze with cold resolve, "...if you can convince me she will be safe around you...and around all those top alphas and politicians who have no respect for their mates."

"For now," he added firmly, "I just want Brandon Oliver." The wolf... not the title. The crown poisons everything it touches.

"What do you want me to do?" the King asked, though something in his tone already resisted the answer. He’s asking... but he already knows he won’t like it.

"Confess your sins," Ashley said without hesitation, his words landing like a verdict. "Tell the pack what you did to that she-wolf... why Alpha Julian is blackmailing her... and what happened to all the young she-wolves who came close to you."

"Compel every council member involved in such acts to do the same." His eyes hardened. Let the rot be dragged into the light... or let it keep devouring you from within."

"I thought you were my moonally!" the King snapped, betrayal flashing across his face. How did loyalty turn into this?

"I am your moonally," Ashley replied calmly, unwavering. "That’s exactly why I’m asking you to do the right thing. A true ally doesn’t protect your lies... they force you to face them."

"But you know I can’t do that," the King muttered, his voice tightening. Confession would destroy everything... everything I’ve built.

"I know," Ashley said, almost gently...but his eyes held no softness. "And I also know my soft fang is not safe around you."

"You convince young she-wolves so skillfully," he finished, a trace of disgust slipping through. Predators don’t always bare their fangs... sometimes they smile."

"Soft Fang, let’s go."

Ashley reached for Emma’s hand, his touch gentle but resolute, and guided her toward the exit.

"Moonheart, wait...you’re coming with me," Brandon called after her, his voice firm but edged with urgency. Ashley slowly released her hand. "Be careful, soft fang," he warned, his eyes lingering for a second too long. She nodded, steady despite the storm around her. He took Emily’s hand and walked out of the hall without looking back.

"Father, call me when you’re ready to do what he asked," Brandon said, already turning away. This ends one way or another... but not like this."

"Brandon!" the King snapped, his voice rising with disbelief. "You don’t expect me to do what he just demanded! Our name will be splashed across every pack newspaper in the kingdom...it’ll dominate every search, every whisper!"

"I’ll lose my standing... my value in the eyes of the entire packland," he continued, panic slipping through the cracks of his authority. "It’s a disgrace...a slap to my face! Can’t you see that?" Everything I built will crumble... all because of one truth.

"You should have thought of that," Brandon shot back coldly, "when you lured her into your bed...and made it seem like I was the one. You didn’t think of the consequences then... only your desires.

"She seduced me," the King argued quickly, grasping at the excuse like a lifeline. If I say it enough... maybe it becomes truth.

"That’s not an excuse," Brandon cut in, his voice hardening. "No one will believe you." He stepped closer, his gaze unwavering. "You’re older than her...old enough to be her father. And you’re already mated." 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

"Father... you have to take responsibility for your actions. For once, choose truth over pride."

"And your mother?" the King demanded, his voice dropping, almost desperate now. "Do you think she deserves this? Will you really tear this bloodline apart?"

"You have a choice, Father," Brandon said, his voice steady.

"Your crown... or the truth."

He turned and faced him.

"You don’t get to keep both."