Chapter 340: A King’s Greatest Lesson

Brandon took the sealed document from the messenger and turned it over in his hand without opening it.

"The pack leaders are asking for your immediate presence."

Brandon glanced toward the darkened capital beyond the balcony. It was already late, and most of the palace had settled for moonfall. He looked back at the messenger.

"How urgent is it?"

"They asked that you come as soon as possible, Your Majesty."

Brandon broke the seal and unfolded the message. His eyes moved slowly across the page as he read the details.

Emma stepped closer. "What is it?"

"Several old territorial disputes have resurfaced in the western packs." He lowered the letter slightly. "They’ve been arguing over the boundaries between three territories, and the pack leaders want me there before things get worse."

She looked at him. "Do they need soldiers?"

Brandon shook his head. "Not yet."

He folded the message and handed it back to the messenger.

"Tell them I’ll be there at moonrise."

The messenger bowed. "Yes, Your Majesty."

He turned toward Emma as the messenger left.

"You’re going," she said.

He gave her a small smile. "You already know me well enough to know I won’t let an old dispute turn into something bigger."

Emma slipped her hand into his. "Then I’m coming with you."

Brandon looked at her for a moment. "You don’t have to."

"I know." She gave his hand a gentle squeeze. "But if you’re going to spend moonrise settling territorial arguments, someone should be there to remind you to eat."

A quiet laugh escaped him.

"Fair enough."

"And Bryan?"

Brandon’s expression softened.

"He should come too."

"You think so?"

"He wants to understand what being king really means before he decides whether it’s the life he wants." Brandon glanced toward the palace. "Seeing how these disputes are handled will teach him more than anything I could explain in the study."

Emma nodded. "Then we’d better let him know we’re leaving at moonrise."

Brandon looked toward the palace doors, then back at her.

"I have a feeling he’ll be awake before we are."

Emma laughed softly. "With Elyon Probably."

"You already know the answer."

They both laughed as they left the balcony and walked toward their chamber to get some sleep before their journey west.

___

By moonrise, the royal convoy was ready to leave.

The western territories were several hours away, so Brandon had ordered only the necessary guards and advisers to accompany them. There was no reason to arrive with a large force when the purpose of the visit was to settle a dispute, not start one.

As Brandon and Emma walked toward the waiting convoy, one of the maids suddenly called out behind them.

"Your Highness!"

They both turned.

Elyon came running down the corridor, his small steps quick as he tried to catch up with them. He had clearly slipped away from the maids who had been watching him.

"Father! Mother!"

Emma smiled as he reached them, slightly out of breath.

"Elyon, what are you doing out here?"

He looked from her to Brandon. "Father, can I come with you?"

Brandon paused for a moment before answering.

"I think Grandma needs your help this moonrise."

Elyon frowned. "Lottie is helping her already."

"She could use another pair of hands," Brandon said, keeping a straight face. "You can help her sort the papers and put the folders in order. Then come back and tell me how many you managed to arrange."

Elyon looked uncertain. "But Grandma said I don’t know how to arrange them."

Brandon nodded seriously.

"Then tell her your father said you arrange things better than anyone else in this palace."

Elyon’s eyes brightened.

"Better than Mother?"

"Yes."

"Bryan?"

"Yes."

"Mrs. Thompson?"

Brandon nodded. "Everyone."

Elyon seemed satisfied with the answer. He turned around immediately and hurried back toward Luna Alexandra’s wing before Brandon could say anything else.

Emma watched him disappear down the corridor, then looked at Brandon with a soft smile.

"You already know how to send him away without causing a fuss."

He slipped an arm around her waist.

"Every parent needs a few tricks."

She laughed and shook her head as they continued toward the convoy.

A few minutes later, they settled into the waiting cars, with their guards and advisers taking their assigned positions around them. Once everyone was ready, the convoy slowly pulled away from the palace and began the journey west.

Emma sat beside Brandon in the royal convoy while Bryan sat across from them, his attention fixed on the passing scenery outside the window. The road stretched west through the countryside, with the palace grounds already far behind them.

After several quiet minutes, Bryan turned from the window and looked at his father.

"What happens if the Alphas don’t agree with you?"

Brandon looked across at him. "Then I listen to why they disagree."

Bryan frowned slightly. "But you’re the Alpha King."

"That doesn’t mean I’m always right."

Bryan looked out the window again, thinking about his father’s answer. After a moment, he turned back.

"Then how do you decide what to do?"

Brandon leaned back against the seat. "Sometimes you don’t have to make everyone happy. You just have to find a solution everyone can live with."

Bryan nodded slowly. He looked down at his hands for a moment before turning back toward the window.

Emma watched him quietly, then glanced at Brandon.

"He’s listening."

Brandon followed her gaze and smiled faintly.

"I know."

She rested her hand over Brandon’s.

"And watching."

Brandon looked at Bryan again, who was still staring out at the road.

"I know that too."

When they reached the northern meeting hall, several pack leaders were already waiting. Some stood together in small groups, speaking quietly among themselves, while others gathered around the long table where several maps had been spread out.

Bryan stayed close to his parents as they entered.

Brandon greeted each Alpha before taking his place at the table. He glanced over the maps but didn’t touch them yet.

"We’re not here to decide which pack deserves to lose," he said, looking around the table. "We’re here to understand what happened and find a solution everyone can live with."

The discussion began with accusations.

One Alpha insisted that his pack had always controlled a stretch of land near the western river. Another argued that the boundary had been moved several winters ago without his predecessor’s consent. A third Alpha reached for an older map and placed it beside the others.

"That isn’t where the boundary was," he said. "Look at the river."

Brandon leaned over the table and studied the maps.

He asked each Alpha where the original boundary markers had stood and when they had last been checked. One leader pointed to an old stone marker near the river, while another explained that the marker had disappeared after several seasons of flooding.

Brandon turned to his royal adviser.

"Do we have the previous boundary agreement?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Bring it in."

The adviser opened a case and removed a copy of the old territorial agreement along with the royal survey records. Brandon placed the documents beside the maps and compared the dates and boundary descriptions.

The chamber gradually grew quiet.

The original agreement had used the river as part of the boundary. But the river had changed course over the winter, leaving the old descriptions and the current maps out of alignment.

One of the Alphas leaned closer to the documents.

"So the boundary didn’t move?"

Brandon shook his head. "The river did."

The Alpha looked back at the map, then exchanged a glance with the other leaders.

For a moment, no one spoke.

The disagreement that had brought them before the Alpha King had not started because one pack had deliberately taken another’s land. They had been relying on old boundaries that no longer matched the land around them.

Rather than assigning the disputed land to one pack, Brandon proposed a temporary agreement that would allow all three territories to use the area around the river while a new royal survey was carried out.

"The river has changed its course," he said, pointing to the old boundary on the map. "Until we have an accurate survey, none of you should move the existing markers or claim the land for yourselves."

The Alphas exchanged looks.

Brandon continued, "Once the survey is complete, we’ll establish a new boundary and record it with the royal council. Until then, the current arrangement remains in place."

After several minutes of discussion, the pack leaders agreed. There was no reason to continue fighting over a boundary that none of them could accurately determine.

Bryan had remained quiet throughout the meeting, sitting beside his mother and watching his father as he listened to each Alpha and worked through the dispute.

As they left the meeting hall, Bryan walked a few steps ahead, looking around at the western territory as they made their way toward the convoy. Emma and Brandon followed behind him when one of the older Alphas approached. The Alpha glanced toward Bryan before turning his attention to Brandon.

"Your pup watches everything you do."

Brandon followed his gaze.

Bryan was looking back at the meeting hall, then at the maps being carried out by the royal advisers.

A small smile touched Brandon’s face.

"Then I hope he learns from the things I did right."

The older Alpha gave a quiet chuckle.

"And from the things you did wrong."

Brandon’s smile faded slightly.

He looked at Bryan again, then turned toward the northern territory they had just left behind.

The words followed him as he walked.

He had spent winters trying to become the king his kingdom needed. Now he was beginning to understand that Bryan would learn from more than his victories. He would also see the mistakes his father had made and decide for himself what kind of man he wanted to become.

As the royal convoy began the journey home, Emma sat beside him, unaware of the small arrangement he had already made before they left the west.

Brandon glanced at her, then looked out through the window.

He had no intention of telling her about it yet.