Chapter 212 She Will Never Recover From This

“You mean Arianna Grant—your ex?” Brooklyn asked.

“That’s right,” Ken said.

He climbed in beside her like nothing happened.

Brooklyn’s fingers tightened slightly on the blanket. She had been expecting Brandon or Emma’s name to come up. Not hers. Not again.

Arianna didn’t stop calling. Didn’t stop texting either. Every message was the same—she missed him, she wanted him back, like Brooklyn wasn’t there at all. Like the bond meant nothing.

Last time she showed up at Kenneth’s office, her voice had carried down the hallway before she even reached the door. Brooklyn remembered standing still while Ken handled it like it was nothing. She had done the same again at the royal mating—walking in like she belonged there.

Brooklyn’s gaze stayed on Ken. Calm face. Even voice.

“What does she want this time?” she asked.

Ken leaned back against the pillows, jaw tight as he stared at the chandeliers for a second.

“Same thing,” he said. “Trying to drag me over to her chamber.”

A short, humorless laugh slipped out of him. He turned his head slightly. “She still acts like we haven’t moved on.”

Lyn let out a quiet breath, her eyes still fixed ahead. “Maybe because she doesn’t ever really move on.”

Ken’s jaw tightened for a second before he looked away. “She’s choosing to stay stuck there,” he said flatly.

Lyn didn’t respond right away. Her expression stayed smooth, but her hand slowly released the edge of the blanket.

He shifted closer, brushing it off like it didn’t matter. “Don’t worry about her,” he added, voice low. “She likes noise. That’s all.”

“Wait… she cheated on you when you two were dating?” she asked, like Emma hadn’t already said it.

Ken’s arm slid around her again, pulling her closer.

“Not once. Not twice,” he said flatly. His jaw tightened a little. “And she still acts like she did nothing wrong.”

Her fingers curled into the fabric at his chest. Her eyes drifted away for a moment, then came back to his face.

Arianna’s name sat heavy between them.

“She keeps showing up like she owns you,” Lyn muttered under her breath.

Ken exhaled, low and tired, holding her a little firmer like he didn’t want the distance to grow.

She stayed quiet for a second, thinking. Emma would understand this. Emma always had a way of turning messy situations into something clean and simple. Elara, though… Elara would know exactly how to end it without leaving a trace.

Her gaze lifted again.

“Has she gone back to England?” she asked.

“No,” Ken said. “Her flight leaves at noon. She wants to see me before she goes.”

Her expression tightened, but she kept her voice steady.

“Where is she staying?”

Ken tilted his head slightly. “My father won’t let her stay in a resting den when she visits. She’s in one of the visitor chambers.”

Silence settled for a beat.

Her hand slipped from his chest, then returned, slower this time.

“You’re going to see her?” she asked again, softer now.

“No! Why should I? I just want her out of my life,” he said, swinging his legs off the bed.

“You could just tell her to stay away,” she said with a small shrug.

“My heart, how many times have I done that?” He stopped, turning back with his hands on his hips.

“Then warn her properly.”

“I can’t,” he said, already walking again.

“Why? Are you still in love with her?”

“No.” His jaw tightened. “Her father is Ashley’s closest ally. I stay quiet because of that. Nothing else.”

“Alright.” She slipped off the bed too and followed him toward the bathchamber.

After their bath, she picked up the device and placed a video call to Brandon.

“Moonrise Alpha, Brandon,” Brooklyn’s voice came through the device.

“Lyn. How are you and Ken holding up?”

“We’re fine. Emma?”

“Resting.” Brandon leaned back slightly, eyes on the dim screen. “I shut her device off. She needed rest.”

Brooklyn exhaled sharply. “Oh my—wait… how did you even know something was wrong in the house?”

Brandon’s thumb brushed the edge of his device.

“It’s tied to the CCTV,” he said. “Even when I’m not around, I can still see everything. It even sends alerts when motion is detected.”

His jaw tightened slightly.

“The day I left, it sent an alert,” he added, eyes narrowing a little. “That’s why I checked the feeds. My wolf wouldn’t settle… and when I looked, I saw what was happening.”

Brooklyn went quiet for a beat. “Thank the goddess… and that vest—does that mean she knew something would happen?”

Brandon lowered his gaze. “We were supposed to go out, but she said she was tired.” His voice softened. “Before that, she asked me to send Rivena away. She doesn’t want Naomi to replace her either.”

“What was she still doing there?”

“She left, then came back. The High Luna asked her to stay until she finished the delivery to her client.”

“Okay, so Leo was in the house?” Brooklyn asked.

“Yeah,” he said. “I called him the moment she headed for Emma’s chamber.”

“Where did she get the gun?” Lyn asked.

“It was Teddy’s. I don’t know how she managed to get her hands on it,” Brandon said.

“Alright… I’ll come by…”

“Brooklyn.”

The device shifted mid-sentence.

Emma’s hand slid into view, taking it from Brandon like she’d been waiting. Her shoulder bumped him as she leaned in.

“Moonheart, you need to rest now…”

“It’s okay. It’s just Brooklyn.”

Brandon looked at her, hesitation written across his face, silently asking if she was sure. She smiled and nodded. Only then did he give in.

She smiled again, turned to the screen, and faced Lyn.

“Hey,” she said lightly, eyes flicking to the screen. “How are you?”

Brooklyn’s tone softened instantly. “Emma. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” A small pause, then a faint smile. “Really.”

“I was about to…”

“No need.” Emma tilted her head slightly, glancing back at Brandon for half a second. “My alpha and I moved… I’ll text you the details.”

Brooklyn hesitated. “Alright. I’ll call you later then.”

“Mm.” Emma’s fingers tightened around the device, like she wasn’t ready to end the call. She held it there, then stayed still a moment longer before handing it to Brandon.

The next few hours, Ken and Brooklyn were back at their home in England. She sat still for a moment, taking in the quiet like she was afraid it might disappear.

A small smile tugged at her lips. Emma would come around soon. She had to. And then they would finally have the life they had always dreamed of, like nothing could pull it apart again.

They were welcomed home by the housekeepers. Brandon was still talking to Lyn on her device and had no idea an unexpected visitor was waiting for her in the living chamber.

“Mrs Ashford, you have a visitor. She came here at dawn,” Anya, the new maid she employed before traveling, announced. She waved to her and continued talking and walking.

“It looks like you’re back to England?” Brandon asked.

“Yeah. I’m already home,” she said.

Brandon glanced at Kenneth, who was still on a call. “Tell him to give me a call when he’s free.”

“Mrs Ashford, what should I tell her?” Anya asked when she began to climb the stairs.

“Brandon, I’ll call you back,” she said and hung up.

“Who is she?” She asked.

“The former president’s pup. She came here at dawn with her luggage. I think she’s gonna stay for a while,” Anya replied with a fast pitch.

The device slipped from her hand and hit the floor with a sharp crack, pieces scattering across the tiles.

As she crouched to gather them, movement caught her eye.

Arianna was walking toward her, her device on speaker as she spoke mid-call.

“I’m back in England, darling,” she said.

“Where are you now?” the voice on the other end asked.

“In my moonmate’s house, of course,” Arianna replied, her eyes flicking briefly to Brooklyn as she passed. “We’ll be planning our mating soon.”

“What about his mate? I thought he was mated to a girl from his country.”

“Oh, you mean that gold digger?” she scoffed, tilting her head. “It’s only a matter of time before I drive her out of my moonmate’s house.”

Brooklyn’s gaze traveled from Arianna’s heels to the dress that barely covered her. She let out a slow breath and straightened.

Without saying a word, she brushed past her.

Brooklyn stopped, turning slightly as her eyes followed her down the hallway. A moment later, her heels clicked against the floor as she headed deeper into the house. No one showed her the way, yet she moved with confidence and disappeared into one of the guest chambers.

The door shut behind her, and a chill ran through her as a voice called out, “Mrs. Ashford.”

She stopped and turned around.

Anya stood behind her, quietly picking up the shattered pieces she had dropped.

She took them from her and started up the stairs.

Emma, please get well soon. I need you now more than ever,” she whispered under her breath, not really speaking to anyone in the chamber.

Her voice dropped low, steady and sharp. “I’m going to do something Arianna will never recover from.”