Filed to story: Claimed by My Ex’s Alpha Brother
A muscle ticked in Stephen’s jaw. He turned his gaze to Magnus. I thought he was about to seek his father’s approval to continue his line of questioning, but he surprised me as he blurted out, “I’ll go to Philly tomorrow and see what I can find,” he said, the words clipped-a promise of action. I sensed the anger rolling off him in waves.
“You will await my orders.” Magnus ground out, his voice a low warning. His thick brows scowled as he shot a look at his son. Stephen seemed to get the message, snapping his jaw shut and returning to his position by the door, as still and silent as a statue.
A surge of satisfaction shot through me that Stephen hadn’t succeeded in rattling me.
After a weighty moment of dangerous quiet, where it took all of my willpower not to squirm, Magnus finally shot another question at me. “When did you escape?”
“Four months ago,” I said, realizing he’d already asked me this. He was testing the consistency of my story and whether it remained the same under pressure. Anxiety coiled in my gut.
“Is that so?” Magnus’s tone lifted slightly, something sinister lurking beneath.
I willed myself to hold his forceful stare, steadying my breath.
He continued, “What I don’t understand, Lina, is why your kidnappers didn’t reach out to me to ask for a ransom for your return?” He paused for a moment and added, “Or why it’s taken you months to come see me?”
I knew without looking somehow that Stephen was as rigid as when he’d first entered the room. An infuriating urge to look at him shot through me, but I forced my attention to remain where it belonged. “I wanted to at first. After all, the day the rogues kidnapped me, both you and your son defended me.” I allowed myself a glance at Stephen, my skin prickling with a mix of acknowledgment and trepidation.
Stephen’s bright green eyes flared, suddenly as hard and cold as ice.
I feigned a nod of gratitude at him. “I wouldn’t be alive if it weren’t for you both. When I got out, I was so glad to hear you were all right…” I added, my gaze slipping back to Magnus, allowing myself to flush slightly as I broke eye contact.
“But then, both my kidnappers’ gossip and the rumors about the attack after I escaped gave me pause.” I hesitated, choosing my words carefully. “I don’t doubt your integrity, Alpha-“
“Don’t you?” Magnus shot back, his voice suddenly sharp. His eyes bored into mine. “It sounds like you have your suspicions.”
My heart beat with alarm. I hadn’t expected him to go easy on me, but having the full force of Magnus’s displeasure was potent. This was the test. The question I had built my entire return around.
I didn’t back down, holding his dark brown stare. “Forgive my bluntness,” I apologized, “but I came here tonight because I had to ensure that Silvermoons saw me to protect myself.” I let a bit of my strength show in the way I lifted my chin up. “My parents died protecting me and our pack. My father raised me to ask tough questions and to assess threats. So, I came here tonight to ask you to tell me that you had no involvement in the attack.”
Magnus studied me, his expression unreadable. The firelight flickered across his face, casting shadows that deepened the lines of his disapproval. My own vulnerability was as genuine as it was a calculated tool. I didn’t have proof, but I had very real suspicions that he had planned that attack. But my survival depended on convincing him I didn’t know just how crooked he was. Now, he was trying to assess how much of his shadowy dealings were known to me. I had revealed my determination and my grief, and, most importantly, enough of the truth that my story had a firm foundation.
“Your father raised you to ask tough questions,” Magnus repeated. “Not your mother?” A flicker of something-suspicion?-danced in his eyes. For a horrible moment, I thought I’d said something that betrayed I knew she was alive. But I hadn’t. I tried to slow my breathing and ensure my heart rate was even. No doubt, he was trying to trip me up.
A thoughtful look fell over my face. I had to be careful. I needed to sound both grief-stricken and strong. “My mom wasn’t a strategic thinker like my father was. Don’t get me wrong, she was a wonderful luna, but since the attack, since I was taken,” I let the vulnerability thicken my voice. “I know that only strong leadership can ensure a pack’s safety. And it was my father who taught me to think analytically.”
Magnus weighed my words and then said, “Your father, Hector, was one of my closest friends. I swear that I had nothing to do with the attack that took your parents’ lives.” I didn’t break eye contact even though my skin crawled as everything in me told me he was lying to my face. After all, he’d said, “parents lives,” and I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he was holding my mother captive.
I did the last thing I wanted to do and feigned acceptance. “Thank you, Alpha,” I said.
He nodded, a small, almost imperceptible movement.
I held his stare, keeping my own emotions firmly in check. The final part of my plan had to be enacted so I could reposition myself from within our packs. “There’s one other matter I’d like to raise with you, Alpha. It was my parents’ wish for me to be luna and unite our two packs. Now that all is right between us, I would like to honor their wishes and renew our mate bond.”
I was the grieving daughter, asking Magnus to honor his friend’s wishes. He couldn’t possibly say no, could he?
“My dear, we need not discuss such matters so soon. After all, with you but recently escaped from the rogues, it is perhaps best to wait before you commit to such a big decision.”
I shook my head. “I don’t need to think about it,” I assured him. “My parents’ death and being kidnapped have proved to me that our packs need strong leadership now more than ever. I want to stand by your side and ensure our packs’ legacy.”
Magnus’s dark stare took on a greedy quality as he watched me. “The fact that you’re already prioritizing our pack’s needs over your own shows what a strong luna you’ll be. Nothing would give me greater happiness than renewing our mate bond,” he agreed.
I didn’t miss that he spoke about our packs as if they were one. Surely, with me back, it would be more diplomatic if he spoke of them as separate entities. But Magnus had conjoined the Silvermoon and Blackthorn Packs for five years, and I knew he didn’t want to relinquish what was already in his control.
I smiled, trying to convince him that I felt warmth at his decision rather than the ice-cold chill in my blood as he leaned forward to take my hand, bringing it to his lips as he had in the hall to plant a kiss across my knuckles. But the kiss against my skin reminded me of the cold horror I’d once felt before as I stood beside this man at the altar. It took everything in me not to shudder or to wipe the back of my hand against my dress.
From the covetous gleam in his eyes, I knew he was pleased by my request. After all, securing our mate bond would legitimize his claim over the Silvermoon Pack. Earlier in the banquet hall, I’d heard the whispers and gasps and caught the looks from the Silvermoons. I could tell from the way some of the packmates had looked that they were one rallying cry from fighting against Magnus’s rule.
“You say you want to be a strategic thinker like your father, my dear. That is a praiseworthy goal. You interned at your father’s company years ago, didn’t you?”
“I did,” I agreed, keeping my answers short and demure. I’d also studied Business at Harvard University, but I wasn’t going to oversell my skills to Magnus.
“Our pack’s strategic interests are best understood and developed from within Blackthorn Corporation. I’d like you to shadow Stephen at work starting tomorrow. He’ll catch you up on what partnerships and deals our pack is moving with currently, which should make you feel more at home and help you get the lay of the land.”
I could read between the lines: Magnus intended to test my abilities and loyalty by having Stephen lurking as I worked at Blackthorn. I was his student, but the important thing was that I was getting into Blackthorn exactly as I’d wanted. Whichever building Magnus placed me in, I was one step closer to finding out where he was holding my mother.
The fact that he was putting Stephen on my tail was a minor complication. The way he’d grilled me throughout this little interview showed that he was as cold and callous as his father. But at least I had enough leverage over Stephen. With the secret about our past intimacy, I reckoned that should push come to shove, I could easily force him to keep his mouth shut.
But the dark and calculating look simmering in Magnus’s eye reminded me that there was nothing this man wouldn’t do to get what he wanted. As I returned to the party with him, I knew I was walking a precarious line between truth and deception and that any misstep could cost me everything.
Lina
The morning light spilled through the panoramic window of the Blackthorn Corporation high-rise, illuminating the sleek, modern office. A hum of activity surrounded me-clattering keyboards and soft conversations-the air thick with the scent of fresh coffee and polished surfaces. Today marked my first day of “work,” a term I used loosely, given the stealth mission I was really here to accomplish: find where my mother was and break her out.
I had barely slept the night before, the thought of the banquet swirling in my mind like an uninvited guest. Magnus Blackthorn’s announcement of our impending mate bond reverberated in my ears, a promise I loathed. I had spent years fleeing the constraints of my father’s wishes, and now I was willingly giving away my freedom.
Walking through Blackthorn Corporation, I reassured myself that it was only an act. It wouldn’t come to that. I’d discover where my mother was, and we’d both get out of the city this time and away from Magnus Blackthorn forever.
A secretary-a female Blackthorn shifter I recognized from last night’s banquet-Etta, showed me toward my office, a corner space with an expansive view of the city-status wrapped in glass and steel. But all focus faded the moment I caught sight of the man seated behind the desk inside: Stephen Blackthorn.
My gaze snapped to the desk on the opposite side of the room. Magnus had said I would be shadowing Stephen, but I hadn’t banked on having to share an office with him. Stephen was dressed in a shirt and slacks. His powerful frame was accentuated in the clean-cut lines, and his dark hair was tousled just enough to give him an air of roguish charm. My heart raced as familiar memories of our night together clashed with my current reality, fueling the resentment I tried to suppress.
“Is everything all right, Ms. Silvermoon?” Etta stammered.
New Book: Veiled Desires of the Alpha King Novel
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