Alpha Nathan Pov.

"She's lying," I realized with growing certainty, though her distress clearly contained some element of real emotional pain.

Before I could question her more closely, her mate appeared at the top of the stairs, his expression darkening as he spotted me holding Mila protectively.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded, descending the stairs with aggressive speed that triggered my defensive instincts.

"She's MY Luna. You have no right to interfere in our marriage!"

His challenging tone and aggressive posture represented a clear departure from the respectful attitude he had always previously maintained in my presence, confirming my earlier suspicions about his political ambitions.

Without releasing Mila, I reached out with supernatural speed to grasp her mate by the throat, lifting him slightly off the ground with one hand while keeping my sister safely positioned against my side with the other.

"How dare you speak to me with such disrespect?" I growled, allowing my eyes to glow Alpha red as a reminder of my superior status and power.

"And how DARE you raise your hand against my sister?"

Despite his predicament, I noticed confusion flicker across his features between gasps for air-not the guilty fear of an abuser caught in his lies, but genuine bewilderment at the accusation.

"I didn't!" he choked out, his hands grasping ineffectually at my iron grip.

"She's lying... no reason... wants to leave..."

The fragmented words confirmed my growing suspicion that something more complex than simple domestic abuse was unfolding in this household.

I released his throat but maintained my intimidating posture, gesturing for him to follow me outside where we could speak privately.

"Follow me," I commanded in a tone that brooked no argument, turning to Mila with firm authority.

"You stay here until I return."

Her eyes widened with something that looked suspiciously like panic rather than relief, her hand reaching toward me imploringly.

"No, Nathan, don't listen to him! He'll just lie to you! You have to take me with you now!"

The desperation in her voice seemed excessive for the situation, particularly given the presence of multiple security personnel who would prevent any potential retaliation during my brief absence.

"I said stay," I repeated more firmly, infusing the command with enough Alpha authority to ensure compliance even from a willful sister.

"This will only take a moment."

Though clearly unhappy with my decision, Mila ly stepped back, her expression shifting between fear and something that looked disturbingly like calculation as she watched us exit through the main doors.

Once outside and safely beyond Mila's hearing range, I turned to confront her mate directly, determined to uncover the truth behind this bizarre situation.

"So, tell me what's really going on," I demanded, studying his expression for any signs of deception.

"And before you answer, understand that if you've harmed my sister in any way, this conversation will be your last."

Despite my threat, the man before me showed none of the defensive aggression typical of abusers confronted with their behavior.

Instead, he ran his fingers through his hair with a gesture of genuine distress and confusion, his shoulders slumping with what appeared to be genuine emotional exhaustion rather than calculated performance.

"I swear to god, Nathan, I have no idea what's happening," he began, his voice carrying the ragged edge of someone pushed beyond their emotional limits.

"Everything was completely normal between us until yesterday morning when I mentioned your new mating."

His explanation continued with increasing agitation that seemed born of genuine bewilderment rather than deception.

"I simply told her that you had finally taken a Luna and suggested we wait a few days before visiting to congratulate you-to give you some privacy during your bonding period as is customary."

He shook his head with evident confusion, his expression troubled and sincere.

"The moment I mentioned your mating, she completely lost control. She started smashing vases, throwing furniture, screaming that I was a liar and demanding I break our mating bond immediately."

The description sounded nothing like the composed, rational sister I had known all her life-Mila had always been emotional, certainly, but never destructively volatile without serious provocation.

"She kept repeating how much she hated me, how she had never wanted to be my mate, how everything between us had been a mistake from the beginning," he continued, pain evident in his voice.

"After ten years of marriage, Nathan-ten years of what I thought was a happy union-it was like speaking to a stranger who despised everything about me."

His account created more questions than answers, leaving me struggling to understand the dramatic shift in my sister's behavior.

"So why did you yell at me when I called?" I pressed, still suspicious despite his seemingly genuine distress.

"Why say it was 'none of my business' when I asked about Mila's welfare?"

He sighed deeply, looking momentarily embarrassed by his earlier behavior.

"Because I was angry and hurt," he admitted with surprising candor.

"After hours of her screaming about how much she hated me, then watching her desperately try to contact you instead of working through our issues together, something just... snapped. When you called, all I could think was that she was trying to turn you against me without even giving me a chance to understand what had gone wrong."

His explanation made sense from a psychological perspective-the defensive reaction of someone feeling cornered and unfairly accused-but still didn't explain the fundamental mystery of Mila's sudden rejection of her mate after a decade of apparent contentment.

He hesitated before continuing, clearly uncomfortable with his next revelation but determined to speak honestly.

"There's something else you should know," he began, stepping closer and lowering his voice despite our relative privacy.

"Something I've suspected for a while but never wanted to acknowledge."

His expression shifted to one of profound discomfort mixed with resignation as he met my gaze directly.

"I believe your sister has feelings for you that go far beyond normal sibling affection."

The statement landed like a physical blow, so unexpected and disturbing that I initially rejected it outright.

"Are you insane?" I scoffed, unable to process the implication. "She's my younger sister! That's completely absurd."

Despite my immediate denial, something cold and uneasy settled in my stomach as I recalled subtle moments over the years that I had dismissed or reinterpreted-her unusual possessiveness regarding my relationships, her excessive physical affection that sometimes bordered on inappropriate, her intense interest in my romantic life that went beyond normal sibling concern.

Tears welled in his eyes, surprising me with their genuine emotion as he continued despite my obvious disbelief.

"Maybe to you she's just a sister," he acknowledged sadly, "but I don't think that's how she sees you."

He swallowed hard, visibly struggling with the painful admission.

"I've felt it for years-the way she compares me to you, how she brightens when you visit in a way she never does for me, how she keeps photos of you throughout our home that she touches when she thinks I'm not watching."

Each observation struck uncomfortably close to behaviors I had noticed but dismissed, creating a disturbing new context for interactions I had interpreted as simple sibling devotion.

"It's just my instinct," he concluded with quiet dignity despite the humiliation such an admission must have cost him, "but I think you should take her with you today. I can't force her to stay with someone she clearly doesn't want anymore."

His willingness to release her without fight or recrimination, despite the supernatural pain of breaking a mate bond, spoke to either extraordinary selflessness or profound emotional exhaustion-perhaps both.

Before I could formulate a response to these troubling revelations, Mila's voice suddenly rang out from the doorway, her tone sharp with accusation and something that sounded disturbingly like possessive jealousy.

"How could you get mated, Nathan, without telling me?" she demanded, stalking toward us with uncharacteristic aggression.

"Don't I deserve to know something that important before everyone else?"

The entitled nature of her question-as though she had some special claim to my personal decisions-suddenly struck me as concerning in light of her mate's observations.