Chapter 224 Who Is Maelis Marchant?

Brandon had insisted they stay in New York for a few more weeks while he continued his underground investigation into the traitors. Little by little, things were falling into place. New leads kept surfacing, and for the first time, it felt like they were getting somewhere.

Growing up in a wealthy family taught Elara something money never could.

The happiest people were not the ones with the most silver and gold.

They were the ones who loved and were loved in return.

If wealth could buy happiness, she would have had more than enough of it. Yet the moments she treasured most had nothing to do with silver or gold. They were in her parents’ laughter, the bond she shared with her sibling, the loyalty of her moonallies, and the way Bernard could make her smile without even trying.

Bernard made her world brighter. She knew it, and so did he.

Growing up beside Brandon and Bernard had taught her when to speak and when to keep quiet. Brandon preferred a simple life and rarely revealed who he really was. The first time she blurted out his identity to a girl who had been crushing on him, he had grabbed her ear and dragged her halfway across the yard while she squealed and begged for mercy.

The day he found Emma, he could hardly contain his excitement.

“I found my heartbeat. My world. She’s exactly like I saw her,” he said, his eyes shining with excitement.

“Your heartbeat is a she?” Elara asked, her brows lifting.

“I mean my mate,” he corrected with a grin. “Don’t start.”

“Oh… the one from your dream?” she asked, studying him carefully.

“Yes.” His smile softened. “She’s exactly where I saw her in my dreams.”

“You mean you went back to the park the ninth time?” Disbelief flickered across her face.

“Yeah.” Brandon nodded. “And I found her for the ninth time.”

At the time, Elara thought he was imagining things. She had laughed at his stories for months whenever he talked about the mysterious girl who kept appearing in his dreams. Yet everything he had described turned out to be real.

Back then, she dismissed it as an unbelievable coincidence.

But as she grew older, she began hearing old stories that made her question that conclusion.

For centuries, wolves believed the Moon Goddess paired mates at random. Some were blessed with loving partners, while others were burdened with cruel, impossible bonds. Yet the elders spoke of an older belief, one nearly forgotten with time.

The Moon Goddess did not choose mates based on love alone.

She chose them according to destiny.

Some wolves were blessed with powerful mates because they were meant to lead. Others were given difficult paths because hardship would shape them into who they needed to become. A rare few were said to receive glimpses of the future, visions carefully woven into their dreams by the Moon Goddess herself, guiding them toward the path she had chosen for them.

Perhaps Brandon’s dreams had never been dreams at all.

Perhaps the Moon Goddess had been leading him to Emma long before fate finally brought them together.

The thought sent a strange shiver through Elara.

If the Moon Goddess could show Brandon his mate winters before they met, then how much of their lives had already been written among the stars before they were even born?

So when she realized he hadn’t told Emma who he was, she kept his secret too.

More than once, she had tried to steer Emma in the right direction. She dropped hints, twisted her words, and left little clues behind, hoping Emma would put the pieces together herself.

She never did.

Maybe she simply couldn’t imagine that Moon Prince Brandon Oliver Frostbane would ever cross paths with her life.

Over the winters, Bernard and everyone around Brandon had learned not to pry into his affairs. They minded their own business and waited until he chose to speak.

Bernard was the same way.

Sometimes he kept things from her too.

Unless she asked.

That was the one thing about him that still annoyed her.

She returned to the palace after the royal mating. The estate felt too quiet without Brandon and Emma. Every hallway seemed larger, every chamber emptier.

Two weeks after they left the city, her father summoned her and Bernard.

Bernard had already let it slip that the king had a gift waiting for her, so she knew this had something to do with it.

Outside, a convoy stood ready.

She stepped out of the house and found Bernard and her father in the lounge, speaking to some wolf on a video call. Bernard glanced up when he saw her but said nothing about who was on the screen.

A few minutes later, the call ended.

Bernard crossed the lounge, took her hand, and led her outside.

The High Luna was already waiting for one of the vehicles.

Soon, the convoy rolled out of the palace gates.

“Where are we going?” she asked.

Bernard turned to her. His fingers closed around hers.

“The surprise, I guess.”

She narrowed her eyes.

“Then tell me what it is.”

Instead of waiting for an answer, she reached for the device he had left on the seat beside him.

Bernard noticed a second too late.

She was already scrolling through his recent calls.

His hand came out, slow and steady, and the device disappeared from her grasp.

The last call on the list was from Maelis.

Brandon’s name sat right below it.

The rest were her father’s and a few of Bernard’s moonallies.

Her gaze lingered on the screen before it went dark.

Lately, whenever Maelis called, the records never stayed there for long.

Neither did the messages.

She never felt guilty about going through his device. They handled each other’s devices the way people handled calculators. There were no passwords between them, no secrets. Bernard could spend the whole day with her device, and she could do the same with him. She logged into her social media accounts on his device, and he logged into his on hers.

She never asked who Maelis was.

If anything had happened, Bernard would have told her.

After all, neither of them had ever been with anyone else. Their first time had been with each other during their trip to Milan for Emma’s bridal shopping.

“You’ll see the surprise in twenty minutes,” Bernard said.

He reached up and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

Then he leaned closer.

His lips brushed hers before he kissed her slowly.

She melted against him and closed her eyes.

A knock on the partition interrupted them.

“We’ve arrived, sir,” the chauffeur said.

They eased apart.

Bernard stepped out first and hurried around the car. He opened the door and offered her his hand.

Elara placed her hand in his and stepped out with effortless grace, every bit the Moon Princess she was.

Her gaze swept across the area as she took in the view before her.

For a moment, she thought she was standing on the Nightclaw Estate.

The layout felt familiar, but the buildings wore different colors. Her gaze drifted to the tall gate tower ahead. Across it, in bold letters, was a single name.

Silverville Estate.

The king held out his hands.

Elara and Bernard joined him as he led them through the estate.

“I hope you two like it here,” her father asked.

“Of course!”

The answer was barely out of his mouth before Elara rushed at him. The king laughed and caught her around the waist before she could knock them both over.

“Thank you, Father,” she said, breathless.

“You’re welcome, Silverheart.”

Before Bernard could say a word, she was already hurrying away, darting from one house to the next, pushing open doors and peeking inside.

Halfway to another building, she stopped, spun around, and ran back.

“Thank you again!”

The king chuckled.

“I’m glad you like it. Bernard will show you the rest and take you back to the palace. When you’re ready to be mated, let me know. We should get going.”

He turned toward the car.

Elara wrapped her arms around her mother, hugged her tightly, and waved as the vehicles rolled toward the gate. Moments later, the gates slid shut behind them.

The instant they were alone, Bernard swept her off her feet.

She laughed as he carried her toward the main house.

Her fingers slipped to the buttons of his shirt.

Bernard only shook his head, a grin tugging at his mouth as she worked them open one by one.

“Good day, Princess Elara Frostbane. The famous singer and dancer.”

The female voice cut through the moment.

Elara froze.

She twisted in Bernard’s arms, and he immediately set her down.

A tall lady stood a few feet away. She looked to be in her mid-forties, dressed with effortless elegance. A warm smile rested on her face.

Elara froze.

The woman stepped closer and held out her hand.

Elara didn’t move. Her gaze remained locked on the woman’s face, as if searching for something she couldn’t quite explain.

“My name is Maelis Marchant,” the woman said with a warm smile. “I’m the new cook.”

Her hand remained suspended between them.

Elara never reached for it.

She just stared.