Chapter 22 Chapter 22
Marcus's POV
The morning of our wedding arrived with storm clouds that hadn't been in the forecast. I stood at the window of my office, watching lightning flash in the distance while Nathan briefed me on security arrangements.
"Fifty wolves stationed around the perimeter," he reported. "Another thirty in the ceremony space itself. All vetted, all loyal."
"And Roberts?"
"His coalition is definitely planning something. My contact says tonight, but they don't know specifics."
"Of course they're targeting the wedding." I turned from the window. "Double the guards around Ava."
"Already done. Rachel and three female warriors are with her now."
"Good." Thunder rumbled overhead. "The weather might work in our favor. Harder to coordinate an attack in a storm."
"Or it provides better cover," Nathan countered. "We should be ready for anything."
Beta James entered, looking concerned. "Alpha, we have visitors. The Lycan Council."
"All of them?"
"Elder Selene and two others. They say they're here for the wedding, but..."
"But the Council doesn't attend pack weddings," I finished. "Bring them to the conference room."
Elder Selene stood as I entered, her ancient eyes studying me carefully. "Alpha Stone. Congratulations on your upcoming nuptials."
"Thank you, Elder. Though I doubt you're here just to offer congratulations."
"Straight to the point. I appreciate that." She gestured to her companions. "We're here because we've sensed something. A shift in power that concerns us."
My blood ran cold. Did they know about the twins?
"What kind of shift?" I asked carefully.
"The power shared at Moonstone Ridge is consolidating in unexpected ways. Some wolves are showing stronger Lycan traits than anticipated."
"That sounds like a good thing."
"Perhaps. Or perhaps it's the beginning of a new imbalance." She stepped closer. "Your mate is at the center of this shift. Her royal blood calls to the shared power, draws it like a magnet."
"She's not doing it intentionally."
"No, but intention doesn't matter if the result is the same." Elder Selene paused. "There are some on the Council who believe she should be contained."
"Contained?" My wolf rose to the surface, eyes flashing gold. "She's not a threat."
"Not to you. But a Lycan queen with that much latent power? Some fear what she could become."
"She gave away her power willingly. She chose unity over dominance."
"Yes, and that's why I'm here to warn you rather than act against you." Selene's expression softened slightly. "I believe in what you're building. But others don't. Guard her well, Alpha. Tonight especially."
"You know something about Roberts's plan?"
"Roberts is a fool being manipulated by greater forces. The real threat comes from within the Council itself." She moved toward the door, then paused. "Your brother Nathan has proven surprisingly loyal. That wasn't expected."
"People can change."
"Can they? Or do they simply reveal who they always were beneath the pain?" She smiled slightly. "Enjoy your wedding, Alpha. You've earned this happiness."
After they left, I found Nathan in the security office. "We have a bigger problem than Roberts."
"The Council?"
"Some of them. They think Ava's too powerful."
"She's pregnant and can't shift. How is she a threat?"
I hesitated, then decided to trust him completely. "She's carrying twins. Royal Lycan twins."
Nathan's eyes widened. "That's... that's impossible. The royal line hasn't had twins in generations."
"Her mother was carrying twins when she died."
"Of course. The power concentration would affect multiple embryos differently, creating..." He trailed off, his mind clearly racing. "They'll be incredibly powerful."
"Which is why no one can know. Not yet."
"The Council suspects something."
"But they don't know for certain." I ran my hand through my hair. "We need to get through tonight first."
"I'll adjust security. Focus on threats from outside and inside." Nathan paused. "Marcus, after the ceremony, you should consider my safe house in Switzerland. It's completely off the grid, protected by both technology and magic."
"You'd give us access to that?"
"You're family," he said simply. "And those babies are the future of our kind."
Before I could respond, Rachel appeared. "The bride is ready for you to not see her until the ceremony."
"That's tradition for normal weddings," I protested.
"Ava wants some traditions. She says, and I quote, 'Tell my overprotective alpha that I'm perfectly safe and he'll see me at sunset.'"
"But..."
"She also says if you argue, she'll make you sleep on the couch for a week."
Nathan laughed. "She knows you well."
I grumbled but accepted it. Ava deserved the wedding she wanted, traditions and all.
The afternoon crawled by. I paced my office, reviewed security with Nathan twice more, and checked weather reports obsessively. The storm was holding off, but the air felt electric with potential violence.
Finally, sunset arrived. I stood at the altar in the pack's sacred grove, watching the path where Ava would appear. The space was beautiful despite the threatening sky. White roses everywhere, fairy lights creating a magical ambiance, and hundreds of pack members and allies seated in perfect rows.
Joseph Montgomery stood beside me as Ava's father and my chosen Beta for the ceremony. "Nervous?"
"Terrified," I admitted. "Not about marrying her. About keeping her safe."
"That fear never goes away. I've been terrified for her safety for twenty-five years."
"How do you manage it?"
"By remembering that she's stronger than she looks. And now she has you."
Music began, soft and sweet. The crowd stood.
And then I saw her.
Ava appeared at the end of the aisle, and my breath caught. She wore a simple white dress that flowed like water, her mother's necklace at her throat, and a crown of white roses in her hair. But it was her smile that undid me. Radiant, confident, and entirely focused on me.
She walked alone, having chosen to give herself away rather than follow tradition. Every step brought her closer, and through our bond, I felt her joy mixing with mine.
When she reached me, I took her hands, noting they were steady while mine trembled slightly.
"You're beautiful," I whispered.
"You're biased," she whispered back.
"Completely."
Elder Selene stepped forward to officiate, having offered after her earlier warning. "We gather tonight to witness something rare. A union born from revenge that became real love. A bond that survived transformation and challenge."
Thunder rumbled overhead, and several guests looked up nervously.
"Marcus Stone," Selene continued, "do you take Ava Montgomery as your mate, your Luna, your equal in all things?"
"I do. Today, tomorrow, and every day after."
"Ava Montgomery, do you take Marcus Stone as your mate, your Alpha, your equal in all things?"
"I do. In storm and sunshine, in peace and conflict."
"Then by the power vested in me by the Lycan Council and the Moon Goddess herself, I declare you truly mated."
I kissed her as the first raindrops began to fall. The crowd cheered, and for a moment, everything was perfect.
Then the lights went out.
In the darkness, I heard Nathan shout, "Defensive positions! We're under attack!"
I pulled Ava behind me as shapes emerged from the forest. Not Roberts's wolves as expected, but something else. Creatures of shadow and smoke, similar to what Thorne had summoned but more solid.
"Shadow wolves," Elder Selene gasped. "Someone on the Council sent shadow wolves."
"Get Ava to safety," I ordered Nathan, already shifting.
"No," Ava said firmly. "We fight together."
"You can't shift. The babies..."
"I don't need to shift to fight." Her eyes glowed gold in the darkness. "I'm a Lycan queen, remember?"
Power radiated from her, pure light that made the shadow wolves recoil. But there were so many of them, and more kept coming.
"Together then," I said, knowing arguing was pointless.
"Always together," she agreed, her hand finding mine as we faced the darkness.