Chapter 6 CHAPTER 6
Ava's POV
The Alpha ceremony was supposed to start in an hour, but I couldn't focus on anything except what I had seen in the trees. My father, meeting with someone who looked exactly like Marcus. My hands shook as I fixed my hair in the mirror of Marcus's penthouse bedroom.
"You're nervous," Marcus said from the doorway. He had changed into a black suit that made him look every inch the billionaire Alpha he was about to become.
"We need to talk," I said, turning to face him. "About what happened at the challenge. The bond."
He stepped into the room, closing the door behind him. The air immediately felt charged, that new connection between us humming like a live wire. "I don't understand it either. We weren't mates. I checked, that first day at the hotel. There was nothing."
"But now there is." I touched my chest where I could feel it, warm and insistent. "It's real, Marcus. I can feel your emotions. You're confused. Scared, even."
His jaw tightened. "I'm not scared."
"You are. Because this wasn't part of the plan. This was supposed to be business." I moved closer to him, drawn by the bond. "You lost Sarah, your true mate. You weren't supposed to get another chance."
"The Moon Goddess doesn't give second chance mates to murderers," he said bitterly.
"You're not a murderer. We proved that tonight."
"Didn't we?" His gray eyes were stormy. "I've done things, Ava. In the five years I was gone. Building my empire required sacrifices. Moral compromises."
"I don't care." The words surprised me, but they were true. "Whatever you did, you did to survive. To get justice for Sarah."
He reached out, his fingers tracing my jaw. The touch sent sparks through my entire body. "You don't know what you're saying."
"Then tell me. Tell me the worst thing you've done."
"I destroyed entire packs economically. Hostile takeovers that left hundreds of wolves without homes or jobs. I was ruthless." His thumb brushed my lips. "I became the monster they said I was, just a different kind."
"And now? What kind of Alpha will you be?"
"I don't know," he admitted. "Being near you makes me want to be better. This bond... it's changing everything I planned."
A knock interrupted us. "Alpha, Luna, the ceremony is ready to begin," someone called through the door.
Marcus stepped back, the loss of his touch almost painful. "We should go."
"Wait." I caught his arm. "There's something else. During the fight, I saw something. Someone."
"What do you mean?"
"In the trees. My father was there, and he was with someone. Marcus, the man looked exactly like you."
His face went pale. "That's impossible. I don't have any brothers except Garry."
"Are you sure?"
Before he could answer, another knock came, more urgent this time. "Alpha, there's someone here. He says he's your brother."
Marcus and I exchanged looks. He grabbed my hand, and together we walked to the main room of the penthouse.
A man stood by the windows, his back to us. When he turned, I gasped. It was like looking at Marcus's reflection, except for the eyes. Where Marcus had gray eyes, this man's were silver, almost white.
"Hello, brother," the man said, smiling. "Surprise."
"Who are you?" Marcus demanded, pushing me slightly behind him.
"Nathan Stone. Your twin." The man's smile widened. "The twin our mother gave away when we were three days old. The twin you never knew existed."
"You're lying."
"Am I?" Nathan pulled out a folder and tossed it on the coffee table. "DNA test, birth certificate, adoption papers. All there. Mother gave me to the Silvercrest Pack. Thought it would prevent a succession crisis. Funny how that worked out."
I could feel Marcus's shock through our bond, his mind reeling. "Mother said she lost a child at birth."
"She lied. Just like everyone in this pack lies." Nathan's silver eyes found mine. "You must be Ava. The new Luna. The rejected bride who married my brother for revenge."
"How do you know about that?"
"I know everything that happens in this pack. I've been watching for years, building my own empire. Tech companies, primarily. Worth about thirty billion now." He said it casually, like it was nothing. "Not quite as impressive as Marcus's fifty billion, but I'm younger by twelve minutes."
"What do you want?" Marcus asked, his voice cold.
"To meet my brother. To celebrate his victory. To offer my support." Nathan moved closer, and I noticed he moved exactly like Marcus. Same predatory grace. "And to meet his lovely mate. You two caused quite a stir tonight. A mate bond forming during a challenge? The Moon Goddess must really favor you."
"Or she's playing a cruel joke," Marcus said.
Nathan laughed. "Always so pessimistic, brother. Though I suppose five years of exile would do that." He looked at me again, and something in his gaze made my wolf uneasy. "Tell me, Luna, how does it feel? Going from rejected to chosen in just a few days?"
"It feels like none of your business," I said.
"Fierce. I like that." Nathan's smile didn't reach his eyes. "We should talk more, sister-in-law. I have a feeling we're going to be great friends."
"The ceremony," Marcus said abruptly. "We need to go."
"Of course. Mind if I attend? I'd love to see my brother officially become Alpha."
Marcus hesitated, but I squeezed his hand. We couldn't afford to make an enemy of this man, not when we didn't know his intentions.
"You can come," Marcus said finally. "But we're not done discussing this."
"Oh, I'm counting on it," Nathan said. "We have twenty-seven years to catch up on, after all."
As we left for the ceremony, I couldn't shake the feeling that everything had just become much more dangerous. Nathan Stone wasn't here for a family reunion. He wanted something.
And the way he kept looking at me made my skin crawl.
Marcus's POV
The ceremony hall was packed. Every member of the pack had come to witness the official transfer of power. I stood at the front, hyperaware of Ava beside me in that wedding dress that should have been for Garry. The mate bond hummed between us, new and disorienting.
A twin brother. How had I never known?
Nathan stood in the front row, his silver eyes never leaving us. My wolf didn't trust him. There was something off about his scent, something that spoke of danger and deception.
The pack elder stepped forward with the ceremonial knife. "Marcus Stone, you have won the right to lead by combat. Do you swear to protect this pack with your life?"
"I swear."
"Do you swear to put the pack's needs above your own?"
"I swear."
"And do you present your Luna, your equal in all things?"
I took Ava's hand, feeling the spark that shot through us both. "I present Ava Montgomery Stone as my Luna, my mate, my equal."
Ava stepped forward, her head high despite the whispers that rippled through the crowd. "I accept the role of Luna. I swear to protect and serve this pack."
The elder raised the knife. This was the part where we would each shed a drop of blood into the ceremonial chalice, sealing our positions. But as he moved toward us, Nathan suddenly spoke up.
"I invoke the right of acknowledgment."
Everyone turned to stare at him. The elder frowned. "You are not a member of this pack."
"I am Marcus Stone's twin brother, stolen from this pack as an infant. Pack law states that any blood relative can invoke acknowledgment during an Alpha ceremony." Nathan walked forward. "I want the pack to know that Marcus isn't the only Stone heir. That there are... options."
"You're challenging me?" I growled.
"Not at all, brother. Just making sure everyone knows the full situation. Transparency, you know? After all, this pack has suffered from too many secrets." His eyes flickered to Ava. "Wouldn't you agree, Luna?"