FATED MATE OF THE ALPHA TWINS

CHAPTER 1 Bella I stood in the center of my dad’s office, staring at the empty space where our family legacy used to sit. Federal agents in heavy boots marched past me, carrying out the last boxes of encrypted hard drives. Behind the brown desk, my father sat collapsed in a velvet armchair. A half-empty bottle of cheap scotch was clutched between his trembling knees. "Dad," I whispered, stepping over a scattered pile of unpaid invoices. "What is going on? Where is all the money?" Robert Sterling didn't look up. He couldn't even meet my eyes. "It's gone, Bella," he choked out, his voice sounding raw. "All of it. The company, the house, your trust fund... even your college tuition." My heart dropped into my stomach. "My tuition? Dad, I graduate from Blackwood in three months! You told me the company was doing great!" "I lied!" He slammed his fist onto the desk, slurring his words. "I had to fix it, Bella! I thought I could double the money at the underground tables. But the numbers . . . the numbers just kept going red." Before I could process his words, the double doors clicked open. My stepmother, Patricia, walked in wearing her thick mink coat. Right behind her was my nineteen-year-old stepsister, Jennifer, crossing her arms with a bitter scowl. "Patricia?" I asked, completely bewildered. "What are you going to do about this?" "Do?" Patricia sneered coldly, pulling off her diamond rings and clutching her expensive handbag tight against her chest. "Your father is an i***t. He dragged us straight into the mud. The Sterling name is absolute trash now." Jennifer let out a loud, mocking laugh. "We're broke, Bella! Your precious business degree is completely useless. How are we supposed to live like royalty when he gambled away every single cent?" Patricia turned her sharp eyes directly onto me, pointing a manicured finger at my chest. "As the eldest daughter of this home, it's your responsibility to fix this mess. It's your job to step up and save this family." "My job?" I snapped, incredulous. "You spent his money for years!" Ignoring her, I turned back to my father. "Dad, tell me the truth. How much do you owe?" "Fifty million," he whimpered, tears spilling over his cheeks. "To the loan sharks. They gave me forty-eight hours, Bella. If I don't pay by tomorrow night, they promised to put a bullet through my head." The air left my lungs. Fifty million dollars. It was an impossible number. "Is there no one who can help us?" I begged. "No banks? No friends?" Dad suddenly wiped his face, his bloodshot eyes locking onto mine with a terrifying spark of hope. "There is one person. The Alpha King." I froze. "Adrian Vale? Dad, he's the ruler of the Silver crest Pack. He runs the Vale Group. He's a monster who destroys anyone that gets in his way!" "I saved his company five years ago!" Dad scrambled out of his chair, dropping to his knees right in front of me and grabbing my hands. "I traded secret corporate intelligence that saved his defense empire. He owes me a favor, Bella! He has to help us!" Thirty minutes later, we were in my dad's old sedan, driving through a heavy rainstorm into Silver crest territory. Patricia and Jennifer crammed into the back seat, complaining the entire way about the tight space and demanding that Dad make sure the Alpha gave us a luxury allowance. The sheer size of the Vale Group tower made my throat go tight. It was a massive, pitch-black skyscraper that seemed to reach straight into the dark clouds. Armed guards wearing black military uniforms escorted us up the private elevator. Patricia and Jennifer huddled near the mirror, whispering frantically about how wealthy the place looked. The atmosphere was terrifyingly quiet. The air smelled heavy, like ozone and power. When the elevator doors opened to the penthouse floor, two guards pushed open the metal doors. Alpha Adrian Vale sat behind a massive timber desk. He was dangerously handsome, with razor-sharp cheekbones, dark hair, and cold, storm-gray eyes. His shoulders were impossibly broad beneath his black suit. He looked less like a corporate CEO and more like a predator waiting for his prey to step into a trap. Dad immediately dropped to his hands and knees, dragging himself across the glossy floor. "Alpha King Vale!" Dad sobbed. "Please! I need a bailout! The loan sharks will kill me!" Adrian didn't even look down at my father. He didn't even pay him any attention. He completely ignored the grown man weeping on his floor. Instead, his piercing gray eyes moved slowly, locking directly onto me. An icy shudder ran down my spine. The way he looked at me made my blood run hot and cold all at once. "Stand up, Robert," Adrian said. His voice was a deep, quiet rumble that made the glass windows vibrate. "You look pathetic." Dad scrambled to his feet, wiping his face frantically. "Will you clear the debt? Please, Alpha, your family owes me!" "I owe you nothing," Adrian said calmly. He reached into his desk and opened his laptop. "However... I am willing to buy your debt and restore your family today." Dad let out a massive sigh of relief. "Thank you! Thank you, Alpha!" "Don't thank me yet," Adrian interrupted, his voice dropping an octave. Then, he began to type something on his laptop. Then he slowly looked at me. “My beta is on his way.” Then, he continued with what he was doing. How rude, I thought. What has his beta got to do with helping my dad? I wasn't surprised, from the stories I heard about him, Alpha Adrian was rarely seen. So, standing in the same room with him is supposed to be an honor. It took forever for a tall man, almost as handsome as Alpha Adrian to walk in. I guess he's the beta. He handed Alpha a few documents, slightly bowed, and walked out without uttering a word. Alpha Adrian slid the document across the smooth desk without checking it out. It stopped right in front of me. "There is one condition." I looked down at the top page. The title was written in bold, black ink, LEGAL MARRIAGE AND GUARDIANSHIP CONTRACT. My breath hitched. "What is this?" "Read clause four," Adrian commanded softly. I flipped the page, my hands shaking so badly the paper rattled. My eyes scanned down to the highlighted paragraph, In exchange for the full liquidation of all Sterling family debts, Bella Sterling agrees to enter a binding legal marriage with Adrian Vale, surrendering all personal assets, legal freedoms, and rights to his authority as head of household. "You want me to be your wife?" I gasped, looking up in horror. "I am not a piece of property you can just buy!" "You are whatever I need you to be to settle this debt," Adrian replied coldly. "Sign the paper, Bella. Or walk out that door and watch your father die tomorrow morning." "Bella, please!" Dad grabbed my shoulder, squeezing hard. "You have to sign it! You're saving my life!" From behind us, Patricia shoved forward, her eyes gleaming with greed and relief. "Don't be stupid, Bella! Sign it right now! It's your duty to save this family, and you get to marry an Alpha King!" "I won't do it!" I pulled away, taking a step backward toward the exit. "I am not selling my life to a stranger!" "You aren't leaving," Adrian said. He stood up from his chair. The movement was so smooth and fast it barely looked normal. In two strides, he crossed the room and closed the distance between us, stopping just inches away from my face. I opened my mouth to scream at him, taking a sharp breath in…And the world completely stopped. The heavy scent of dark cedar, crisp rain, and wild thunder hit my nose. A violent bolt of pure electricity shot straight down my spine, burning through my blood and setting every nerve ending in my body on fire. Deep inside my chest, my wolf who has been dormant and silent for years suddenly woke up with a deafening roar. Mate! she screamed in my mind. MATE! My heart hammered against my ribs like a trapped bird. My hands flew to my chest as my skin flushed burning hot. The magnetic pull was so intense, so overwhelmingly powerful, that my knees physically buckled. Adrian caught my wrist before I could hit the floor. His touch burned through my skin like liquid fire. He leaned down, his gray eyes flashing dangerously into mine but he didn't look at me with love or awe. He looked down at me like an owner assessing a piece of newly acquired property and that frightened me. He pulled me up brutally close, his lips brushing the shell of my ear as his cold voice chilled me to the bone. "Save your knees, Bella," he whispered softly. "It's far too early to fall. You'll need every bit of your strength for what I expect from you."