Chapter 3 The Gambit

Aurora's hands didn't shake as she slipped Marcus's study key into the lock. Three years she'd carried this key, trusted with his most sensitive files because she was reliable, invisible, safe. The perfect assistant who would never betray him.

Funny how quickly things changed.

The lock clicked open. Aurora glanced at the clock on Marcus's desk—2:47 AM. The pack house slept peacefully around her while she committed what technically counted as treason. But then again, Marcus had committed treason first.

She just hadn't known it yet.

The file cabinet opened with barely a whisper. Aurora's fingers moved through folders with practiced efficiency. Financial records, territorial agreements, alliance negotiations—all the paperwork of pack leadership she'd helped him organize and maintain.

Then her fingers found the folder that didn't belong. Thick, unmarked, hidden behind the legitimate files like a guilty secret.

Aurora pulled it out and opened it on Marcus's desk.

The first document was a floor plan of the pack house with security positions marked in red ink. Guard rotations, blind spots, camera locations. Someone had spent time studying how to move through the building unseen.

The second document was a schedule. Alpha Jaxson's daily routine mapped out in meticulous detail. Morning runs, evening patrols, weekly inspections of pack territory. His habits laid bare by someone who'd been watching, planning, waiting for the right moment.

The third document made Aurora's blood run cold.

A contract with hired guns. Three rogues from outside pack territory, paid to eliminate a target during the new moon ritual next week. When pack defenses would be focused on ceremony instead of security. When the Alpha would be isolated and vulnerable.

Marcus was planning to murder his own father.

Aurora sank into Marcus's chair, her mind racing through implications. The new moon was five days away. Jaxson would be killed during the ritual, making it look like an attack by enemy packs. Marcus would ascend to Alpha in a wave of grief and righteous anger, with the pack rallying behind him for vengeance.

It was brilliant, actually. Cruel and murderous, but strategically sound.

Aurora kept reading. Payment schedules for the assassins. Escape routes planned to the minute. Contingency plans if the first attempt failed. This wasn't some impulsive decision—Marcus had been planning his father's death for months.

While she'd been helping him prepare for leadership, he'd been preparing to steal it through patricide.

The final document was the most damning. A letter of intent to Elena, promising her Luna status immediately after Jaxson's death. No waiting period, no traditional mourning. Marcus would consolidate power by taking both the Alpha position and a new mate in one decisive move.

Aurora photographed every page with her phone, her hands steady despite the magnitude of what she was discovering. This was it. This was the weapon that would destroy Marcus more thoroughly than any revenge she could have imagined.

But photographing evidence wasn't enough. She needed a plan.

Aurora leaned back in Marcus's chair—the chair where he'd made a hundred decisions with her input, where they'd planned pack strategy and dreamed about their future together. Now she was planning his destruction in the same spot.

The irony was almost poetic.

She thought about her options. She could expose Marcus publicly, but that would destabilize the pack and possibly trigger the very power struggle he was trying to avoid. She could warn Jaxson directly, but without proof of her own loyalty, he might see her as a desperate ex-mate trying to cause trouble.

Or she could turn Marcus's own strategy against him.

Aurora smiled, the expression sharp enough to cut glass. Marcus wanted to eliminate Jaxson and take power through treachery. But what if someone more worthy was positioned to benefit from that revelation instead?

Someone like the wronged mate who'd just discovered her ex-partner was a murderous traitor.

Someone with royal blood, political connections, and intimate knowledge of how pack leadership actually functioned.

Someone who'd spent five years proving she could handle the responsibilities Marcus had always taken credit for.

Aurora locked the files away and headed upstairs to prepare for the most important performance of her life.

---

She'd never paid much attention to her appearance beyond being presentable for Marcus's public image. Pretty enough to complement him, polished enough to reflect well on his status, invisible enough not to overshadow him.

Tonight, invisible was the last thing she wanted to be.

Aurora stood before her full-length mirror in the silk dress she'd bought for a diplomatic dinner last year. Deep emerald green that made her eyes luminous, cut to showcase curves she usually downplayed. She'd always dressed like Marcus's accessory. Time to dress like the powerful woman she'd always been underneath.

Her dark hair fell in waves past her shoulders instead of the neat bun she usually wore. Makeup that enhanced rather than concealed. Jewelry that caught the light when she moved.

When she was finished, Aurora barely recognized herself. This wasn't the demure future Luna who managed pack politics from the shadows. This was a woman who could command attention, inspire desire, seize power.

This was who she'd been before Marcus taught her to make herself smaller.

Aurora checked the time. 3:30 AM. Jaxson would be in his study, brooding over pack business like he did most nights since his mate died. He was a creature of habit—another thing she'd learned from five years of managing Marcus's schedule around his father's routines.

She gathered the printed photographs of Marcus's assassination plan and headed for the Alpha's private wing.

---

Jaxson Stone looked every inch the Alpha even at three in the morning. Tall, broad-shouldered, silver threading through dark hair that only made him more distinguished. He sat behind his massive oak desk reviewing territorial reports, a glass of whiskey at his elbow.

He looked up when Aurora knocked, his expression shifting from surprise to concern.

"Aurora. Is everything all right?"

She stepped into his study, closing the door behind her. The room smelled like leather and wood smoke and the particular scent of Alpha power that had always intimidated her when she was Marcus's quiet girlfriend. Tonight, it felt like coming home.

"I need to speak with you about Marcus."

Jaxson's expression tightened. "I heard about the dissolution. I'm sorry, Aurora. You deserved better."

"Did I?" Aurora moved closer to his desk, noting how his eyes tracked her movement. "Or did I deserve exactly what I accepted for five years?"

"That's not what I meant."

"I know what you meant." Aurora placed the photographs on his desk, spreading them out like a deadly hand of cards. "But I'm not here for sympathy, Jaxson. I'm here to save your life."

The Alpha went very still. His eyes moved from Aurora's face to the documents, then back again.

"What is this?"

"Evidence that your son is planning to murder you during the new moon ritual."

Jaxson's face went white. He reached for the photographs with hands that weren't quite steady, scanning the assassination contract, the floor plans, the payment schedules.

"Where did you get these?"

"Marcus's private files. The ones he thought were secure from everyone, including me." Aurora perched on the edge of his desk, close enough that her perfume would distract him. "Apparently being treated like furniture has its advantages. People forget you have eyes and ears."

Jaxson studied the contract with hired killers, his expression growing colder with each detail. "How long have you known?"

"I found them tonight. Three hours ago." Aurora leaned forward, her voice dropping to a whisper. "He's been planning this for months, Jaxson. While I was helping him prepare for leadership, he was preparing to take it by murdering his own father."

"My God." Jaxson set down the photographs and reached for his whiskey. His hand shook slightly as he lifted the glass. "My own son."

"Your son who just dissolved our mate bond so he could elevate Elena to Luna immediately after your death. No waiting period, no respect for traditional mourning. He wants to consolidate power as quickly as possible."

Jaxson drained his whiskey in one swallow. Aurora watched him process the betrayal, the same shock and pain she'd felt discovering Marcus with Elena. But where her betrayal had been personal, his was political. The future of the pack hung in the balance.

"Why are you telling me this?" he asked finally.

Aurora slid off the desk and moved around to his side. "Because you deserve to know. And because the pack deserves better than a leader who murders his way to power."

"And what do you get out of it?"

Aurora smiled. The question she'd been waiting for. "That depends on what you're offering."

Jaxson's eyes sharpened. He was Alpha for good reasons—intelligent, strategic, capable of recognizing opportunity even in crisis.

"What do you want, Aurora?"

"Respect. Recognition. A place in this pack that reflects my actual abilities instead of my usefulness to your son." She moved closer, close enough to touch. "I want what I earned through five years of building Marcus's reputation while he took credit for my work."

"Which is?"

"A partnership. With someone who values intelligence over appearance, strategy over empty charm." Aurora's hand found his shoulder, her fingers tracing the strong line of muscle beneath his shirt. "Someone who understands that power shared is power multiplied."

Jaxson's breath caught. His eyes moved from her face to her lips and back again. "Aurora—"

"I'm not Marcus's discarded mate anymore, Jaxson. I'm not the quiet girl who hid her abilities to make him feel stronger." She moved even closer, her body almost touching his. "I'm a woman with royal blood who just saved your life. I'm the political strategist who built your son's career from nothing. I'm the future Luna this pack actually needs."

"Your bloodline," Jaxson said slowly.

Aurora smiled. He was thinking like an Alpha now, weighing political advantages against personal desire.

"Alpha Viktor Blackthorne of the Shadowmoon Pack. My biological father." She'd never claimed that connection publicly, but Marcus's betrayal had freed her from caring about illegitimate birth status. "Royal bloodline, powerful alliances, legitimate claim to Luna status if the right Alpha chooses to recognize it."

Jaxson stood, his body close enough that Aurora could feel his heat. "You're asking me to choose you as my mate."

"I'm offering to save your pack from a murderous usurper who would destroy everything you've built." Aurora met his eyes without flinching. "The fact that I'm also offering genuine partnership, political connections, and proven ability to manage pack leadership is just a bonus."

"And if I refuse?"

Aurora shrugged. "Then I disappear quietly like Marcus expects me to. He murders you next week, becomes Alpha, and destroys this pack through his own incompetence while Elena plays dress-up as Luna."

Jaxson circled her slowly, like a predator evaluating prey. Except Aurora didn't feel like prey anymore. She felt like an equal force meeting its match.

"You're not the same woman who used to plan my son's schedule," he said.

"No, I'm not. That woman died tonight when your son ripped out her heart and threw it away." Aurora turned to face him as he completed his circle. "This woman knows exactly what she's worth."

"And what are you worth, Aurora Blackthorne?"

Aurora stepped closer, eliminating the last inches between them. "I'm worth an Alpha who recognizes talent when he sees it. I'm worth a mate who values my mind as much as my body. I'm worth a partner who understands that the strongest packs are built on mutual respect, not male ego."

Jaxson's hand cupped her face, his thumb tracing her cheekbone. "You're asking me to trust you completely."

"I'm offering you the same." Aurora's pulse raced as his scent surrounded her—power and strength and the promise of everything Marcus had never been able to give her. "One night to prove we're better together than either of us could be apart."

"One night," Jaxson repeated.

"To start." Aurora's smile was pure invitation. "Unless you're not interested in having a Luna who can actually help you run this pack instead of just looking pretty at ceremonies."

Jaxson's answering smile was predatory. "I've been alone for three years, Aurora. I'd forgotten what it felt like to want a true partner."

"Then stop forgetting."

He kissed her then, and it was nothing like kissing Marcus. Where Marcus had been familiar and comfortable, Jaxson was fire and demand and the intoxicating taste of real power. His hands tangled in her hair, his body pressed against hers with an urgency that made her knees weak.

This wasn't the grateful affection of a young man being supported. This was the hunger of an Alpha claiming his equal.

Aurora melted into him, her body responding to his strength with an intensity that shocked her. The mate bond with Marcus had been warm, comfortable, built on shared goals and gentle affection.

This was raw desire and mutual recognition and the electric thrill of two powerful forces choosing each other.

"Are you sure?" Jaxson asked against her lips.

Aurora answered by pulling him closer, by showing him exactly how sure she was with her body and her mouth and her complete surrender to this moment that would change everything.

They moved together toward the leather sofa by his fireplace, hands exploring, clothes disappearing, the careful political discussion transforming into something primal and essential.

When Jaxson's hands mapped her body with reverent hunger, Aurora felt beautiful in a way she'd never experienced. Not as decoration or accessory, but as a woman worthy of worship by a man who could have anyone he chose.

When she traced the scars on his chest from decades of pack leadership, she felt the weight of his experience, his strength, his absolute confidence in his own power.

When they came together, it was with the fierce joy of recognition. Two people who understood exactly what they were offering each other, what they were choosing, what they were building.

Aurora cried out as waves of pleasure crashed through her, her body arching against his as he followed her over the edge. In that moment of complete connection, she felt the first stirrings of something that might become a mate bond if they chose to nurture it.

But more than that, she felt power. Real power, earned and claimed and shared with someone who valued her for everything she truly was.

They lay together afterward, Aurora's head on Jaxson's chest, their breathing slowly returning to normal.

"The pack won't understand this," Jaxson said quietly.

"They'll understand strength," Aurora replied. "They'll understand that their Alpha chose a Luna who can actually help him lead instead of just smiling and looking decorative."

"Marcus will be furious."

Aurora's smile was sharp with satisfaction. "Marcus will be destroyed. And Elena will learn that stealing another woman's life has consequences."

Jaxson's arms tightened around her. "No regrets?"

Aurora thought about Marcus and Elena, celebrating their victory while planning to murder the man who held her now. She thought about five years of being taken for granted, dismissed, reduced to useful furniture.

She thought about the look on Marcus's face when he realized his discarded mate had become his father's chosen Luna.

"None at all."

---

Two days later, Aurora stood beside Jaxson as he called for an emergency pack assembly. The great hall filled with confused, concerned pack members who sensed crisis but didn't yet understand its scope.

Aurora wore a deep blue dress that marked her as Luna-elect, her posture regal and confident. She was no longer hiding in shadows or deferring to someone else's authority. She stood as Jaxson's equal, ready to claim her rightful place.

Marcus entered with Elena on his arm, both of them glowing with the satisfaction of their victory. Elena wore Aurora's former engagement ring, claiming even Aurora's jewelry as spoils of war.

They took seats in the front row, clearly expecting routine pack business. Marcus caught Aurora's eye and nodded politely, probably pleased that she was handling the transition so gracefully.

He had no idea what was coming.

"Pack members," Jaxson's voice carried easily through the hall. "I've called this emergency assembly to address a threat to pack security that requires immediate action."

A murmur ran through the crowd. Marcus leaned forward, his Alpha instincts sensing danger.

"Three nights ago, I received credible evidence of a planned assassination attempt on my life." Jaxson's voice stayed level, but Aurora could feel the rage beneath his control. "The attack was scheduled for the new moon ritual, using hired rogues to make it appear like an enemy pack assault."

The murmur became alarmed conversation. Pack members looked around nervously, searching for threats.

Marcus had gone very still.

"The evidence was brought to me by Aurora Blackthorne," Jaxson continued, his hand finding hers. "Who discovered the assassination plot and chose to warn me rather than allow the murder of her Alpha."

All eyes turned to Aurora. She met their gazes with calm confidence, no longer the quiet woman who'd managed pack affairs from the shadows.

"The person planning my murder," Jaxson said, his voice carrying to every corner of the hall, "is my own son. Marcus Stone."

The silence that followed was deafening.

Marcus shot to his feet. "That's insane. Aurora's lying—"

"Aurora provided documented evidence. Contracts with hired killers, building schematics, payment schedules." Jaxson held up the photographs Aurora had taken. "All in your handwriting, Marcus. All bearing your personal seal."

Elena grabbed Marcus's arm, her face white with shock. Whether she'd known about the assassination plan or not, she clearly understood that her victory had just turned into disaster.

"You planned to murder me during the new moon ritual," Jaxson continued relentlessly. "Then claim the Alpha position while the pack grieved, with Elena as your chosen Luna to consolidate power immediately."

Marcus's composure cracked. "Father, you have to understand—"

"I understand perfectly." Jaxson's Alpha voice filled the hall with undeniable authority. "I understand that I raised a son who would commit patricide for power. I understand that you're a traitor to this pack and everything it stands for."

The pack erupted. Shouts of anger, disbelief, demands for justice. Marcus found himself surrounded by hostile faces, pack members who'd respected him as future Alpha now seeing him as the murderous usurper he'd revealed himself to be.

"By pack law and Alpha authority," Jaxson announced, "Marcus Stone is stripped of all titles and privileges. He is exiled from pack territory immediately and permanently."

"No!" Elena's voice cut through the chaos. "You can't do this! Marcus is your son!"

"Marcus chose to be my enemy the moment he decided to murder me," Jaxson replied coldly. "And you, Elena, are complicit in treason against pack leadership."

Elena looked around desperately, searching for allies who were no longer there. Her dreams of Luna status evaporated as pack members stared at her with disgust and suspicion.

"Furthermore," Jaxson continued, his hand tightening on Aurora's, "I hereby claim Aurora Blackthorne as my chosen mate and Luna of the Crimson Moon Pack."

The announcement hit like a thunderbolt. Aurora stepped forward, no longer Marcus's discarded ex-mate but Jaxson's chosen partner. The transformation was complete, devastating, perfect.

Marcus stared at her in shock, finally understanding the magnitude of what had happened. The woman he'd thrown away had not only exposed his deepest secret—she'd used it to claim everything he'd ever wanted.

"You," he whispered, his voice carrying despite the hall's chaos. "You did this."

Aurora smiled, the same perfect smile she'd worn for five years while building his career and managing his life and creating his reputation.

"I learned from the best, Marcus. You taught me that loyalty is weakness and power is everything." Her voice carried clearly through the hall. "Thank you for the education."

Marcus lunged toward her, but pack guards intercepted him. As they dragged him toward the doors, his eyes never left Aurora's face.

"This isn't over," he snarled.

Aurora's smile never wavered. "Yes, it is."

She watched Marcus and Elena being escorted from the hall, from the pack, from the life they'd stolen from her only to lose everything in their moment of victory.

Then she turned to face the pack as their new Luna, Jaxson's hand warm and strong in hers, power and recognition and respect finally, finally hers.

The woman who'd been reduced to breeding stock three days ago now wore the crown her intelligence and strength had always deserved.

And Marcus Stone, the man who'd taught her she was disposable, learned too late that he'd thrown away the only thing standing between him and complete destruction.

Aurora had built him up for five years.

It had taken her three days to tear him down.