Chapter Seven: The Brother-in-Law’s Confession

The reception was held at the Blackthorne estate, a sprawling mansion that made my father’s house look modest. Everything was black and white and sharp edges, much like the alpha who owned it.

I stood beside Nate at the head table, playing the dutiful bride, while he accepted congratulations from various pack leaders with the same cold courtesy he’d shown at the altar. His hand never left my waist, fingers splayed possessively over my hip.

I was hyperaware of every touch. Every time his thumb brushed against my bare skin where my dress dipped low in the back. Every time he leaned in to whisper something in my ear, his breath warm against my neck.

And I was hyperaware of Levi, seated down the table, watching us with barely concealed tension.

This was insane. I was married to one brother while desperately trying not to think about how the other had made me scream his name just hours ago.

“Darling!”

A woman approached, tall, elegant, dripping in diamonds and disdain. Her grey hair was pulled back in a severe bun, and her smile was all teeth and no warmth.

Nate’s hand tightened on my waist. “Mother.”

Oh, goddess. This was Nate’s mother. Their mother.

I’d heard about Vivienne Blackthorne. My father had called her “a force of nature” once, which in Victor Ashford’s language meant “a woman who scares the shit out of me.”

“What a lovely ceremony,” Vivienne said, her eyes raking over me with disapproval. “Though I must say, the bride looks rather young. And pale. Are you eating properly, dear? You’ll need your strength.”

The condescension in her voice made my wolf bristle. This woman was trying to make me feel small. Just like everyone else.

Fuck that.

“I’m quite healthy, thank you,” I said, keeping my voice pleasant even as I imagined telling her exactly where she could shove her concern. “The dress is just a bit tight. You know how wedding gowns can be.”

Vivienne’s eyes narrowed fractionally. She hadn’t expected me to respond. Most omegas would have just ducked their heads and taken the criticism.

But I wasn’t most omegas.

I was my mother’s daughter.

“Mother,” Nate said again, his voice dropping to a warning tone that made the hair on my arms stand up. “Ella is my wife. And she is more than adequate for the role of luna. I won’t have her disrespected at my own table. Not by anyone.”

The declaration sent a shock wave through the nearby guests.

Vivienne’s mouth pressed into a thin line. “How noble of you, Nate.”

Adequate.

The word should have stung. Should have reminded me that I was a political arrangement, not a chosen mate.

But the way Nate said it, the edge of steel in his voice, the possessive tightening of his hand on my waist made it sound like a threat to anyone who dared question me.

And goddess help me, that protective streak did something to me.

Made my wolf purr even as my mind screamed that I shouldn’t be drawn to this cold, dangerous man.

But I was.

“Isabella,” Vivienne called, gesturing to a stunning woman standing nearby. Tall, dark-haired, with a body that belonged in a men’s magazine and eyes that tracked Nate’s every movement. “You remember Isabella Moretti, don’t you, Nate? She was supposed to be your bride before this arrangement took precedence.”

So this was the woman Nate was supposed to marry. The one he’d probably wanted. The one who looked like she could run a pack with her eyes closed and still have time to look flawless doing it.

Isabella smiled at Nate with longing. “Congratulations on your wedding, Alpha. Though I must admit, I’m disappointed things worked out differently.”

The words hung in the air like a challenge.

I waited for Nate to respond. To tell Isabella that our marriage meant something, that I was his choice now.

But he didn’t.

He just nodded curtly, his face unreadable, and I felt something cold settle in my chest.

Right. This wasn’t a love match. This was business. And apparently, I was the consolation prize.

Good, I told myself fiercely. You don’t need his love. You just need his name and his pack and the chance to prove what you’re capable of.

Love was what got you hurt. Love was what made you weak.

Power was what kept you safe.

And I was going to be the most powerful Luna this territory had ever seen. Not because Nate Blackthorne allowed it, but because I was my mother’s daughter, and I’d make damn sure everyone knew it.

“If you’ll excuse me,” I said, my voice steady despite the churning in my gut. “I need to freshen up.”

Nate’s hand tightened briefly on my waist. “Don’t be long.”

It wasn’t a request. It was an order.

My wolf should have bristled at the command. Should have wanted to defy him just to prove I could.

Instead, heat flooded through me at the dominance in his tone.

What is wrong with me?

I nodded and made my way through the crowd, heading toward the restrooms at the far end of the ballroom.

The hallway was blessedly empty and quiet. I leaned against the wall, trying to catch my breath, trying not to think about Isabella’s perfect smile and the way Nate hadn’t defended our marriage.

It doesn’t matter, I told myself. You’re Luna now. That’s what matters.

But goddess, it stung.

“Running away from your husband already?”

The voice stopped my heart.

I turned, and my body betrayed me instantly. Heat flooded through me at the sight of him, bow tie hanging loose around his neck, shirt wrinkled, hair disheveled like he’d been pulling at it. His eyes were wild, dark, tracking my every movement.

Levi.

God, I wanted him. Even now. Especially now.

The guilt hit a second later, crushing and suffocating.

I just married his brother.

“You can’t be here.” My voice shook. “We can’t.”

“I tried staying away.” He pushed off the wall, and there was something unhinged in the way he moved. “Made it exactly forty-three minutes before I wanted to burn the whole fucking reception down.”

He was closer now, enough that I could see his chest rising and falling too fast. Close enough to smell whiskey on his breath.

“What we did last night…” I pressed back against the wall. “It was a mistake.”

His hand slammed against the wall beside my head.

“Don’t.” His jaw was clenched so tight I could see the muscle jump. “Don’t you dare call it that.”

“What else would I call it?”

“It was the realest thing I’ve felt in my entire fucking life.” The words came out harsh. Raw. “So call it wrong, call it destructive, call it whatever you want, but don’t call it a mistake.”

My breath caught at the intensity in his voice.

“You’re his brother,” I whispered.

“I know.” He laughed, bitter and broken. “Believe me, I know. I stood there and watched you promise yourself to him while all I could think about was how you tasted on my tongue.”

Heat shot through me, pooling low in my belly.

No. Stop it.

“We can’t do this.”

“Why not?” His other hand came up, fingers trembling slightly as they touched my face. “Give me one good reason.”

“Because it’s wrong.”

“I don’t care.” His thumb traced my jaw, and I hated how my body leaned into the touch. “I tried to care. Spent all day trying to convince myself to walk away. But I can’t. I can’t watch him have you when…”

He stopped himself, jaw working.

“When what?”

Instead of answering, he leaned in. His nose brushed my temple, breathing me in like he was drowning.

“You smell like him now,” he murmured against my skin. “His cologne. His house. And it’s driving me fucking insane.”

His hand slid down my neck, over my shoulder, down my side. Possessive. Desperate.

My breath came faster. “Levi…”

“Why did you leave this morning?” His forehead dropped to mine. “I reached for you and you were gone and I…” His hand fisted in the fabric at my hip. “I lost my mind.”

I could feel him shaking. Could feel the barely leashed need in the tension of his body.

“I had to marry him. If I had known…”

I froze, something flashing through my mind.

The words hung in the air between us.

His hand stilled on my waist.

“If you had known what?” His voice was careful now. Too careful.

My heart started pounding. “That you were his brother. That you were…”

“Is that all?”

Something in his tone made my stomach drop.

“Levi.” I pulled back enough to see his face. “Did you know who I was? At the hotel?”

His eyes held mine. Dark and unapologetic.

“Yes.”

The word hit like a physical blow.

“Since when?” My voice cracked.

“Since yesterday. When Nate announced he was getting married.” No hesitation. No shame. “I went to the Obsidian because I knew that’s where you’d run.”

Pain lanced through my chest. “Why would you…”

“I wanted to see how my brother’s fiancée tastes.” His hand tightened on my waist, pulling me against him. “And fuck, Ella. You tasted perfect.”

The casual cruelty of it made tears spring to my eyes.

But my traitorous body responded to being pressed against him. To the heat of him. The hardness of him against my stomach.

“I was just a weapon.” The words came out broken. “A way to hurt him.”

“He gets everything.” His voice turned harsh. Bitter. “Everything I’ve ever wanted, he takes. The pack. The respect. Our mother’s approval. Everything handed to him while I…”

He stopped, breathing hard, his hand sliding up my back.

“So yes. I wanted to take something of his. Just once.”

“You used me.” Tears streamed down my face even as my body arched into his touch.

“No.” His other hand came up, tangling in my hair. “Fuck, no. It started that way but then…”

“But then what?” I demanded, even as my fingers curled into his shirt.

“Then you looked at me like I mattered.” His voice broke. “And I couldn’t, I can’t…”

He kissed me.

Desperate and claiming, his tongue sweeping into my mouth, his hand fisting tighter in my hair.

And god help me, I kissed him back.

My body knew what it wanted even as my heart was breaking.

His hand slid to my thigh, bunching my dress, fingers digging into bare skin, and I moaned into his mouth.

No.

I grabbed his wrist and wrenched it away, shoving him back hard.

He stumbled, breathing hard, eyes wild.

“I hate you.” The words came out vicious. “I hate you for lying to me. For using me. For making me think…”

My voice broke.

His chest heaved. “Ella.”

“Nothing can ever happen between us again.” I backed away even though my body screamed to move closer. “Do you understand? Nothing.”

“You don’t mean that.”

“Yes, I do.” I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to hold together. “Stay away from me, Levi. Stay away from my marriage. I don’t want to see you. I don’t want…”

“Liar.” He moved toward me again, and I saw it then, the desperation. The need. “Your body knows what it wants even if you won’t admit it.”

“It doesn’t matter what my body wants.”

“Doesn’t it?” His hand shot out, catching my wrist, pressing my palm flat against his chest. His heart was racing. “You feel that? That’s what you do to me. That’s what you’ve done to me since the moment I saw you.”

I jerked my hand back. “I don’t care! I will not be part of your games, and I don’t care!”

“Yes, you do.” His smile was sharp. Knowing. “And tonight when he touches you, you’ll be thinking of me.”

The words hit like a slap.

“Go to hell.”

“Already there.” His eyes held mine. “But at least I got to taste heaven first.”

I turned and walked away, my whole body shaking with rage and hurt and unwanted desire.

Behind me, I heard him punch the wall.

Heard him say my name like a prayer.

I didn’t look back.

I should have used the bathroom to fix my makeup. Should have taken a moment to breathe.

Instead, I made it three steps into the ballroom before a hand closed around my wrist, firm and unyielding, and pulled me through a side door into a darkened study.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​