Chapter 5 A Brothers Shadow

The packhouse was alive with whispers. Servants moved through the halls with hushed voices, their eyes darting nervously toward the guest chamber where Amanda had been placed. Rumors spread faster than fire: that the Alpha had brought in a strange girl, that the arranged bond with Angela Sebastian had failed, and that something powerful had shifted the balance of fate.

Amanda sat by the window, the blanket wrapped around her shoulders as the afternoon sun streamed weakly through the glass. She had not left the chamber since the scene in the council hall. Her heart still thundered at the memory of Andrew standing between her and Angela, his voice thick with power as he declared no one would touch her.

She should have felt safe. Yet the weight of every eye in the house pressed down on her. She could feel their suspicion, their doubt, their judgment. She was an outsider, a stray who had stumbled into the heart of the pack's greatest conflict.

Her thoughts were broken by a soft knock at the door. She tensed. When the door opened, it was not Andrew who stepped inside, but another man.

He was tall, broad-shouldered, with the same strong jawline and striking features as Andrew, though his hair was a shade lighter, more golden than dark. His eyes were a deep forest green, piercing and steady. He carried himself with the same authority, yet something about his presence felt warmer, less guarded.

"I did not mean to startle you," he said, his voice low and calm. "I am Ethan."

Amanda blinked, uncertain. The resemblance was undeniable. "You are... his brother?"

Ethan smiled faintly. "You could say that. Younger by two years, though he never lets me forget it."

Amanda hesitated, clutching the blanket tighter. There was something disarming about Ethan, something that made her shoulders relax despite herself. Unlike Andrew's intimidating aura, Ethan's presence was gentler, more human.

He stepped further into the room, keeping a respectful distance. "Word travels fast here. Everyone is speaking of you."

Amanda lowered her gaze, shame and fear twisting in her chest. "They must think I have ruined everything. The alliance... the marriage..."

Ethan studied her carefully. "You did not ruin anything. Do not carry guilt that is not yours."

His tone was firm yet kind, and Amanda felt a warmth stir inside her. No one had ever spoken to her like that before, not with such quiet conviction.

"Andrew saved you," Ethan continued, his eyes softening. "That means you are important, whether the council sees it yet or not. My brother is not a man who acts without reason."

Amanda's throat tightened. She wanted to believe those words, but the storm she had seen in the council chamber still haunted her. "I never asked for this," she whispered. "I only wanted to be free of the Sebastians. I did not know what would happen next."

Ethan's gaze lingered on her face, on the sadness in her eyes, and something inside him shifted. He had seen many women before, had laughed with them, even shared their company, but none had stirred him the way Amanda did in that moment. Her pain called to him, her quiet strength drew him in.

And though he did not yet understand it, his heart began to lean toward her in a way that would change everything.

That night, Andrew stood on the balcony of his chamber, the moonlight bathing his face in silver. His wolf paced inside him, restless, demanding he go to Amanda. The bond burned stronger every hour, clawing at his control.

Yet he forced himself to remain still.

The council was divided. Some demanded he go through with the alliance with Angela to secure the pack's future. Others had seen the truth in his failed attempt to mark her, whispers spreading that destiny had chosen another.

But destiny was not always welcomed.

Andrew's fists clenched against the railing. He knew the Sebastians would not surrender quietly. Angela's rage had been written across her face, and her parents' hunger for power would drive them to schemes darker than most could imagine.

And now there was Ethan.

Andrew had noticed the way his brother had looked at Amanda earlier, the softness in his eyes, the ease of his words that Amanda seemed to respond to. It made his wolf snarl with jealousy, the instinct to claim her overwhelming.

But Ethan was his brother. Blood of his blood.

Andrew closed his eyes, the weight of it pressing down on him. How could he protect Amanda from the Sebastians, from the council, from the growing tension in his own family?

The answer burned within him, clear as the moon. By claiming her. By making her his Luna.

But to do that would mean war.

Days passed, and Amanda found herself caught between two worlds. Andrew's presence was fire, scorching and consuming, his gaze enough to make her heart falter. Ethan's presence was water, soothing and steady, easing her fears.

And though her bond with Andrew was undeniable, her gratitude and growing comfort with Ethan tangled her heart in ways she could not admit.

One evening, as she walked through the garden to clear her mind, Ethan appeared beside her.

"You should not wander alone," he said gently. "There are still many who question why you are here."

Amanda glanced at him, her lips curving into the faintest smile. "And yet you came. Do you not question it?"

Ethan's eyes lingered on her face, and his voice dropped. "I do not. Because I know what I see when I look at you. Strength. Kindness. Something I... something I did not expect to find."

Amanda's breath caught at the intensity in his tone. She turned away, unsure how to respond. Her heart pulled in two directions, and the confusion frightened her.

Ethan's hand hovered near hers, though he did not touch. His restraint was almost more dangerous than if he had. "You are not alone anymore," he whispered.

From the shadows of the balcony above, Andrew watched, his jaw tight, his wolf growling deep in his chest.

The storm was coming.