Chapter 25 Chapter 25
Ava's POV
Two weeks had passed since the wedding battle, and my stomach had begun to show properly. The twins were making their presence known, both physically and through the increasingly strong awareness I had of them through our bond.
I stood in the new alliance headquarters, a renovated building between pack territories, watching representatives from twelve packs work together. It should have made me happy, but Nathan's expression as he entered made my stomach drop.
"We have a problem," he said quietly. "I've been tracking shadow magic signatures, and they're converging on the human city."
"Where specifically?"
"The Montgomery Industries building. Your father's headquarters."
My blood ran cold. "Dad's there today with the board."
Marcus appeared immediately, sensing my distress through our bond. "What's wrong?"
"The Purists are targeting my father's company."
We moved quickly, though Marcus insisted I wear a bulletproof vest that barely fit over my growing belly. The drive to the city was tense, Nathan continuously updating us on the growing shadow presence.
"Why attack a human building?" Marcus asked.
"Because Montgomery Industries has contracts with dozens of packs," I realized. "If they destroy it, they cripple our economic infrastructure."
"And your father knows all our secrets," Nathan added grimly.
We arrived to find the building in lockdown. Security said there'd been a "gas leak," but Nathan shook his head. "Shadow barriers. They're keeping everyone inside."
"Can you break them?"
"Not alone. But with your light magic amplifying mine..." He looked at me uncertainly.
"The twins," Marcus protested immediately.
"Will be fine. They're stronger than we think." I took Nathan's hand, feeling the strange buzz of his transformed energy. "Together."
We combined our power, light and shadow-touched energy merging into something neither of us had created before. The barriers shattered like glass, and alarms began blaring.
Inside was chaos. Employees ran past us while security tried to maintain order. We fought our way to the executive floor, where my father's office was located.
The hallway was eerily quiet. Shadow wolves prowled the corridor, more solid than the ones at the wedding. Behind them stood a figure I recognized from Council meetings: Elder Thaddeus, one of Selene's colleagues.
"Elder," I said carefully. "This violates Council law."
"The Council is weak," he replied. "Diluted by progressive thinking and half-breeds. But you, Princess, you're pure royal blood. Join us, and your children will rule as proper Lycans should."
"By terrorizing humans and destroying legitimate businesses?"
"By taking our rightful place as apex predators." He gestured to the shadow wolves. "Submit, or watch your father die."
Through the office door, I could hear heartbeats. Multiple people trapped inside, including my father's familiar rhythm.
"Counter-offer," I said, power building in my chest. "You leave now, and I don't reveal to the human authorities the fifty million dollars you've embezzled through shell companies connected to Montgomery Industries."
His eyes widened. "How..."
"My husband is a billionaire. You think he didn't investigate everyone with access to our resources?" I smiled coldly. "The FBI would be very interested in your activities."
"You wouldn't expose us to humans."
"To protect my family? Try me."
Nathan stepped forward. "She's not bluffing. I helped trace the money myself. Every transaction documented."
Thaddeus snarled, his form beginning to shift. "Then you all die here."
The shadow wolves attacked simultaneously. Marcus shifted instantly, intercepting two heading for me. Nathan grabbed another, his shadow-touched nature allowing him to physically grapple with them.
I couldn't shift, but I didn't need to. The twins' power merged with mine, creating a pulse of pure light that made the shadow wolves howl in pain. But it also made me stagger, the effort draining.
"Ava!" My father's voice came through the door. He must have heard the fighting.
"Stay inside!" I yelled back, then faced Thaddeus. "You want royal power? Fine."
I reached deep, pulling on not just my own energy but the connections to every wolf I'd shared power with at Moonstone Ridge. They were distant but present, thin threads of light I could draw upon.
"Impossible," Thaddeus breathed as I began to glow.
"I am the Lycan Queen," I said, voice echoing with power. "I am the bridge between old and new. And you are not welcome in either world."
The light exploded outward, not violently but overwhelmingly. Every shadow wolf dissolved, and Thaddeus himself was forced to his knees, his Lycan form reverting to human.
"Mercy," he gasped. "I request mercy."
"Like you showed my father? Like you would have shown my children?"
Marcus appeared at my side, blood on his muzzle but standing strong. Nathan flanked my other side, creating a united front.
"The Council will decide your fate," I said finally. "But know this: the Purist movement dies today."
Security arrived, both pack and human, taking Thaddeus into custody. The cover story would be corporate espionage, though the supernatural community would know the truth.
My father emerged from his office, shaken but unharmed. "Ava, that power..."
"Is temporary," I admitted, exhaustion hitting me hard. Marcus caught me before I fell, shifting back to human form.
"The twins?" he asked anxiously.
I felt them, active and strong. "They're okay. Better than okay. I think they helped channel the energy."
"Fourteen-week-old fetuses channeling Lycan power," Dr. Winters said later during an emergency check-up. "Your children are going to be extraordinary."
"Or exhausting," I muttered, watching them move on the ultrasound screen.
"Both," Marcus said, kissing my forehead. "Definitely both."
That evening, Elder Selene visited with news. "Thaddeus has confessed everything. Three more Purists on the Council, plus a network of supporters. We're cleaning house."
"What about the human authorities?"
"Handled. Your father's company is actually stronger now, with government contracts appreciating the 'security demonstration.'" She smiled wryly. "Sometimes human ignorance is useful."
"And the Council seat?" I asked.
"Still yours when you're ready. But I understand if you need time."
I looked at Marcus, then at Nathan who was reviewing security footage, at Rachel coordinating with allied packs, at my father rebuilding his company's defenses. My family, blood and chosen, all working together.
"I'll take it," I decided. "After the twins are born and settled. Someone needs to ensure this never happens again."
"The Council will be lucky to have you," Selene said. "As will your children, to have such a fierce mother."
That night, as Marcus held me and I felt the twins moving restlessly, I thought about the future we were building. It wasn't the revenge story we'd started with, but something better: a love story wrapped in justice, family, and hope.
"No more battles for a while, okay?" Marcus murmured against my hair.
"I'll try, but trouble seems to find us."
"Then we'll face it together. All four of us."
"Five," Nathan called from the doorway. "If you'll have me. The guardian thing, I mean. I'm taking it seriously."
"Five," I agreed, smiling.
Our unconventional family was growing, and despite the challenges ahead, I'd never felt more ready to face them. The twins kicked in agreement, and I took it as a sign.
The future was uncertain, but it was ours to shape. And shape it we would, one victory, one alliance, one love at a time.