Chapter 13 The Ghost Brother
The man stood on the riverbank, as still as a statue. If I hadn’t seen Xavier fall into the water just seconds ago, I would have thought he had climbed back out. They had the same charcoal hair and the same sharp jawline. But this man’s eyes weren't gold. They were a flat, cold silver.
"Xavier never told you about me, did he?" the man asked. His voice was smooth, like silk over a blade. "He was always the favorite. The strong one. The Alpha."
"Who are you?" I gasped, pulling Leo closer to my side. My heart was still screaming for Xavier and my father, both swallowed by the dark, rushing river. I felt hollow, like the wind could blow right through me.
"My name is Julian," he said, taking a slow step forward. "Xavier’s twin. The one our father hid away because I was born without a wolf. A 'human' mistake, just like you, Elara."
He looked at Leo, and for the first time, I saw a flicker of hunger in those silver eyes. "But my nephew... he isn't a mistake at all. He is a god. And I have been waiting a long time to meet him."
"Stay away from him!" I yelled. I reached for the silver dagger in my belt, but my hands were shaking so much I dropped it. The blade clattered against the rocks and slid into the water.
I was defenseless. Miller was still on the other side of the river, pinned down by the last of the Agency soldiers. It was just me, a five-year-old boy, and a man who looked like the love of my life but felt like a demon.
"Why now?" I asked, trying to keep him talking. I needed time. I needed Xavier to surface. "Please, Xavier, breathe," I prayed.
"Because the Moretti Empire has fallen," Julian said. He stepped onto the rocks in the middle of the river, moving with a strange, unnatural grace. "My father is dead. Sophia is ashes. And Xavier is currently drowning in a silver-laced river with a dead director. The throne is empty, Elara. And I have the keys."
He held up a small, black remote. "The Blood Oath wasn't just a piece of paper. It was a lock. A lock on the Moretti vault, where the real wealth is kept. Not money, Elara. Power. The kind of power that can make a human man stronger than any Alpha."
"You killed your own father," I whispered, the realization hitting me. "You helped Sophia, didn't you? You were the one who gave her the silver."
Julian smiled. "She was a useful tool. But she was greedy. She wanted the title. I just want the blood."
He reached out his hand toward Leo. "Come here, Leo. Come to your Uncle Julian. I can show you how to stop the stinging in your skin. I can show you how to use that white light to rule the world."
Leo stepped back, his small face twisting in fear. "No! You smell like bad things! You smell like the black smoke!"
"Leo, stay behind me," I commanded. I looked at the river, desperate for any sign of life. The water was white and angry, crashing against the stones.
Suddenly, a hand gripped the edge of a rock near Julian’s feet.
A pale, scarred hand.
Xavier pulled himself up. He looked like a ghost. His skin was blue from the cold, and his chest was barely moving, but his eyes were glowing a fierce, dark gold. He was coughing up water, but he was staring at his brother with a hatred that could burn the world.
"Julian," Xavier rasped.
Julian didn't look surprised. He didn't even look scared. He just looked disappointed. "You always were hard to kill, brother. But look at you. You’re broken. You can’t even stand."
"I don't... need to stand... to kill you," Xavier said. He tried to lunge forward, but his legs gave out. He collapsed onto the wet stones, gasping for air. The silver from the director's bullets and the river was still in his system, paralyzing him.
Julian walked over to Xavier and kicked him in the ribs. Xavier let out a pained groan and slid toward the edge of the water.
"Stop it!" I screamed. I picked up a heavy stone and threw it at Julian. It hit him in the shoulder, but he didn't even flinch.
He turned toward me, his face suddenly turning into a mask of rage. "I was going to let you live, Elara. I was going to let you watch your son become a king. But you’re just as annoying as your Alpha."
He pulled a small, silver-plated pistol from his jacket. He didn't aim it at me. He aimed it at Xavier’s head.
"Goodbye, brother," Julian said.
"NO!"
Leo didn't just scream. He exploded.
The white light didn't come from his eyes this time. It came from his whole body. A shockwave of pure energy hit the river, sending a wall of water twenty feet into the air.
Julian was thrown backward, his gun flying into the darkness. He slammed into a tree on the bank, his body making a sickening crack.
But the explosion was too much for Leo. He fell to the ground, his eyes rolling back in his head.
"Leo!" I ran to him, scooping his cold body into my arms. "Leo, wake up! Please!"
I looked at Xavier. He was still on the rocks, unconscious. I looked at Julian. He was slumped against the tree, not moving.
I was alone. My father was gone. My mate was dying. My son was unresponsive. And I could hear the sound of more helicopters approaching in the distance.
I felt a sharp pain in my stomach. A hot, stabbing pull that made me gasp.
I looked down at my hand. My skin was starting to glow with a faint, silver light.
The second secret wasn't just a baby.
I looked at my reflection in the river water. My hazel eyes were turning silver. The same silver as Julian’s.
"The human line..." I whispered, the truth finally hitting me. "It wasn't human at all."
A shadow moved in the trees behind me.
"So," a new voice said. "The Queen has finally woken up."
I turned around. Standing there was my mother. She wasn't dead. She wasn't even burned. She was holding a syringe filled with glowing gold liquid.
"Time to go home, Elara," she said.