"Who are you... and what are you doing in my house?" Brooklyn’s voice was steady, though her fingers curled slightly at her sides, betraying the calm she was trying to maintain.

He did not answer immediately.

He was watching her.

Not with surprise. Not with curiosity.

But with a quiet certainty, as though he already understood more about her than she was ready to admit.

"Your parents sent me," he said at last.

His voice was calm and assured, carrying no hesitation. It was not loud, yet it filled the space between them with something unsettlingly final.

And somehow, that made her unease deepen.

"Where are my parents?" Brooklyn asked, her voice tightening slightly.

"I’m here to take you to them," he replied.

He remained at the doorway, not stepping in, as though waiting for permission that had not yet been spoken.

"Where are they?" she pressed again.

"Come with me, please."

"No. Call her."

The refusal came sharper this time.

A faint smile touched his lips before he reached for his communication device and dialed.

When the call connected, he held it out.

"Put it on speaker," she said after a brief pause, her hand hovering but not reaching for it, caution still etched into every line of her stance.

"Theodore, have you seen her?" her mother’s voice came through.

"Yes," he answered calmly. "She wants to speak with you before coming with me."

"Give her the device."

Brooklyn hesitated, then brought it closer, caution still etched into every line of her stance.

"Mother..."

"Brooklyn!" Relief rushed through the line immediately.

"Mother, where are you?"

"I’m not familiar with the address," her mother said quickly. "That’s why I sent our driver to pick you up."

"What? Our driver?" Brooklyn’s eyes narrowed as she glanced at the stranger again.

"Yes. He’s our new driver."

A brief silence followed.

"Mother... you moved out without telling me?"

"Come, and I’ll explain everything."

"...Alright," Brooklyn said finally. "I’m coming."

She handed the device back, her fingers brushing his for a brief second before she withdrew.

He did not react. He only watched her, steady and unreadable, as though the answer she gave had already been expected.

The atmosphere shifted quietly after the call ended.

No one spoke for a moment.

Then the driver stepped aside.

They left the house and moved down the stairs in silence.

Emma paused at the sight of the car waiting outside. It was a limited-edition Bentley Flying Spur, parked neatly among the convoy.

She had seen luxury before, but something about this felt different, too deliberate, too personal.

Brooklyn folded her arms as she watched the driver approach the car.

"Who is this surprise from... Brandon or Ken?" she asked.

"Both, I think," Emma replied lightly. "I’ll be right back."

"Emma, where are you going?"

"To greet the old she-wolf," she answered, already stepping away.

Emma moved carefully toward the lower path.

She had not properly thanked the she-wolf who once helped her locate her mother. Life had been too busy then, too loud. Now that everything had settled, she intended to do so properly.

But before she could reach the apartment, a stranger stepped out.

"Oh my Moon Goddess... Emma Ashford?"

Emma paused.

The stranger rushed forward and embraced her with unexpected excitement.

Emma stiffened briefly before returning a polite smile. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

"I saw you during the last moonfall on Vision Hearth," the she-wolf said quickly. "I only just realized you grew up here. It’s truly an honor to meet you."

"Thank you," Emma replied gently.

"When will your story be released?"

"Next winter," she answered.

The stranger sighed dramatically. "That is too far away. That feels like an entire age in wolf time."

"Can you make it next full moon?"

"I don’t know yet."

"Well, please, I need a copy of it. Let me know when the novel is released. I can’t wait to have one," she grinned excitedly.

"Alright," she said.

"I’m here to see...what’s her name again?" She asked Brooklyn.

"Mrs. Kingston."

"She moved out last week."

"Oh, my moon goddess! Why?"

"Her pup sent her to a nursing pack."

"Do you have her device number?"

"No, but I can get it from the owner of this house."

"Please, get it and send it to me."

"Sure, I will," she smiled and hugged her again.

After the brief exchange, Emma returned to Brooklyn, and they entered the car together.

The journey continued in quiet anticipation. They did not speak for a while.

The silence inside the car felt heavier than conversation, as though something unspoken was waiting just ahead of them.

The road ahead slowly shifted.

At first, neither of them spoke.

Then the landscape opened slowly, as if the road itself was revealing something it had been hiding.

A quiet stillness settled inside the car.

And a mansion rose in the distance.

It stood silently against the horizon, vast and deliberate, as though it had been waiting for them. No one spoke immediately.

Even the atmosphere outside the car seemed to pause with them.

For a moment, even the sound of the engine seemed to soften.

The mansion was a few meters away from Nightclaw Estate and the driver pulled over in a parking lot.

Rows of vehicles lined the exterior, but none belonged to either Brandon or Ken.

Emma had wished she could get that mansion for Brooklyn’s parents so that when she leaves the territory, she would always watch over them.

However, she stopped admiring it when she checked online and saw the outrageous amount it would cost her to acquire it. She screamed that day and Brandon couldn’t stop teasing and laughing at her.

Emma looked at it in silence.

She had admired it from their sky lounge before, never imagining that something so distant would one day feel so close.

Brooklyn stepped out slowly, her breath steadying as she took in the sight.

"This is undoubtedly Brandon’s surprise," Emma murmured. He intended to surprise her too.

"Emma, I was happy yesterday when I watched the news. I couldn’t believe a murderer lived on our pack! Thank you for exposing him," Brooklyn’s mother said.

She just smiled and continued walking towards the main entrance. She shivered as soon as she walked into the house.

"Father, what is going on?" Brooklyn asked as her father approached.

"Come inside first," he replied calmly.

Inside, the atmosphere changed completely.

Warm lights filled the hall.

Voices gathered in celebration.

"Happy birth-moon, Brooklyn!"

The chorus of voices filled the space.

For a moment, no one moved.

The voices around her blurred into something distant, as if she was hearing them from very far away.

She had forgotten.

Not because she did not care, but because time had not allowed space for the birth moon celebration.

For a moment, she simply stood still.

Then something inside her finally gave way.

Her knees weakened.

And she sank to the floor as emotion broke through her control.

Emma moved toward her immediately, but even she struggled to hold back her own tears.

"It’s your birth-moon gift," her mother said softly. "From Emma."

Brooklyn lifted her gaze slowly.

Then she stood.

And without another word, she pulled Emma into an embrace.

"When you told me you had a surprise for me, I never expected this. Thank you, she murmured and threw herself on her. She lost her balance and they fell on the floor. Tears covered her eyes as she recalled winters back when wolves looked at them as pups that were rejected by their parents. Daniel once told them that they would never amount to anything. They held each other and cried their emotions out.

She never knew Ken and Brandon were in the lounge all along, looking at them and laughing at their drama. Emma felt his hands under her armpits as he stepped closer, lifting her gently when her strength faltered.

She buried her face in his chest.

"Moonheart..." he said softly, the word lingering on his tongue as his gaze dipped, not quite meeting hers. "You need to think about your condition."

There was no shock in his tone.

Only certainty.

As though he was not discovering something new, but finally naming what had already been growing between them for some time.

"Thank you so much," she murmured. He smirked and continued fondling her hair.

"Anything for you, my moonblessed one," he murmured.

She did not move away.

She only looked at him, as though waiting for the moment to decide itself.

And then, without haste, he leaned in.

There was no urgency in the movement, no demand, only steady intention, as though the moment itself had been allowed to arrive naturally.

She did not move away.

And when his lips met hers, it carried no hesitation.

Only acceptance.

For a brief moment, nothing else existed beyond the quiet warmth between them.

"I knew you had a surprise for us..." Her voice wavered as she pulled back, breath hitching.

She pulled back slowly, breath unsteady.

"I never expected it to be this..." Her voice softened as emotion rose. "This is overwhelming."

Then she went still.

The shift didn’t escape Brandon. His gaze snapped to her, sharp and searching as her fingers tightened and her breathing faltered.

"Moonheart..." His voice dropped, tension threading through it. "What is it?"

She didn’t answer.

Her eyes had already closed, her wolf locked around something he couldn’t feel.

It hit her again, harder this time.

Fear. Panic. A desperate pull tearing through her chest like somewolf calling out across a distance only she could reach.

Her eyes opened.

"A strange scent..."

Brandon goes still. "What about it?"

She turns to him, eyes sharp now, breath unsteady as something deeper pushes through her.

"A traitor is here."

Her voice doesn’t break, but her tears keep falling.

"He’s ready to strike."