85

Kieran’s POV
I should have listened to that sinking feeling in my gut when I first locked eyes with Alpha Sebastian. I should have realized why Sophia’s unique eyes seemed so familiar-it was because I knew her father, Alpha Sebastian, exceedingly well. It was known he had a daughter with his mate, but there had been no rumors of another child.
In the werewolf community, illegitimate children hold the same standing. An Alpha’s firstborn is in line for the position, regardless of the mother. It didn’t take long to figure out the truth. The day Ethan and I went to Sophia’s house and found Sebastian standing in the doorway, our suspicions were aroused. The two of us knew for sure when we saw Sophia and Sebastian out at the restaurant. Her eyes, nose, and cheekbones were identical to his. Sophia had clearly taken after her father.
The moment we found out the truth, a sinking feeling formed in my gut. Sebastian had never liked our family, always coveting what he couldn’t have. He was jealous that our territory spanned farther than his, including a few major cities within our reach. What worried me most was Sophia. Sebastian was relentless when he wanted something, and I knew Sophia wouldn’t be able to handle it. She had been close to breaking down the day at the restaurant, for reasons still unknown.
The night we found her beaten replayed in my dreams, reliving the fury of finding her broken and alone. Ethan had dreams of that night as well, only daring to mention it when the two of us were alone. Sophia had become a weakness neither of us saw coming, and yet we couldn’t seem to let her go. Her secrets drove us mad.
When she moved in with Sebastian, we were forced to stay away. We didn’t know if Alpha Sebastian was aware of our connection to Sophia, and we wondered what the repercussions might be. It was against our law to keep mates away from each other. Sebastian was bound by law to hand Sophia over to us. Alpha Sebastian’s house was completely unguarded, meant as a taunt to my brother and me. He knew he was safe in our pack, allowed to be on our territory for his daughter.
The day everything went to hell, Ethan and I got a phone call from Kat. Sophia had been in school that day, something that surprised us. She had let us touch her so willingly, giving in to the mate-bond she tried to resist. It had taken all our willpower not to take Sophia in that empty classroom, completing the mating bond before she knew the truth.
As much as we wanted that, we couldn’t bring ourselves to do it. We hadn’t revealed the truth to Sophia to protect her. Her fragility was obvious, and the last thing we wanted was to scare her off. Kat had called us Saturday morning, frustration lacing her tone the moment I picked up. Ethan and I weren’t close with Kat and had our own friend group, but Kat was Sophia’s friend, which made her important. Kat would tell us about her conversations with Sophia and how she was doing that day. Sophia didn’t confide much in Kat, a fact that pissed her off to no end.
“Sophia told me what happened to her face,” Kat scoffed, her tone abrupt and angry. Without taking a breath, Kat continued, “Jessy saw her hanging around you two and tried to scare her off. She wouldn’t give me much detail, but she seemed shaken up. Apparently, Jessy threatened to hurt me if she told anyone. The human girl Lilian was in on it too. They set Sophia up.”
Kat’s words took a moment to sink in. Ethan had long ago paused his video game, his dark eyes locked on mine. A ripple passed between us, our expressions mirrored as murderous rage flowed through our bodies. Jessy had never been more than a toy to me, one who had long pressed her boundaries. Regardless of the countless times I had told her the truth, Jessy refused to accept it.
“We’ll deal with Jessy. Did Sophia plan to do anything about this? Or was she content remaining afraid and quiet?” I murmured, fighting to keep my voice even as my eyes remained on my brother. My anger shined through my words, and I wondered why Sophia wouldn’t tell us. Regardless of her thoughts towards us, she knew she could trust Ethan and me-the mate-bond told her that much.
“You know how she is,” Kat grumbled irritably. “Always trying to deal with things herself. It was hard enough getting her to admit what happened, and even then, I didn’t get many details.”
Ethan was dressed and ready to leave before I hung up the phone. His dark eyes held the same murderous tint as my own. Within five minutes, we were leaving the house, the plans we had for the day pushed back. Ethan and I were supposed to meet Alpha Williams, a man who had earned his title purely by coincidence. Williams was the leader of a group of rogues, quickly growing in size over the years. Alpha Williams had earned his title a month ago and made good use of his time. His claimed territory overlapped with ours, and the meeting was to discuss a potential treaty and a possible reshaping of our land.
Ethan is the nicer twin between us, quick to come to an understanding. I tend to be rash, living in the moment with little care for consequence. The only thing similar about the two of us is our looks and outrageous temper. While our parents stepped back and let us take the reins, they monitored every decision we made closely. Ethan and I had never let them stop us; we willingly stepped up to take the role. While they advised our decisions, they stepped back and let us take control. It had been hard for Dad at first, but he had never been one to enjoy relinquishing control.
We hadn’t told our parents about finding our mate yet. Neither of us looked forward to that conversation, unsure of the outcome. Twins sharing the same mate had never happened before, just as there had never been twin Alphas. Sophia belonged to Ethan as much as she belonged to me. Neither of us worried about what others would think; we wouldn’t change anything about meeting Sophia.
Our parents were in the kitchen, laughing as Dad made breakfast. He had been a stern Alpha, but always had a soft spot for Mom. They were the perfect example of what mates should be.
“About time you two woke up,” Mom chuckled, her eyes bright as she looked at Dad.
Ethan and I looked identical to our father. The three of us shared the same dark chestnut hair, deep brown eyes, and similar facial features. Mom stood out next to us with her light blonde hair, slim face, and bright seafoam-colored eyes-so different from our dark ones.
“We’re pushing back the meeting with Alpha Williams,” I said, getting straight to the point.
“Anything you guys need to talk about?” Mom looked between us, her seafoam eyes scanning our angry expressions.
“No,” Ethan shook his head, his eyes hardening.
“Do what you think is right,” Dad said, seeing the anger and impatience in our eyes.
Ethan and I left the house, driving quickly towards Jessy’s. When we first became Alphas, we chose two Betas-our best friends, Jack and Justin, who were also the best warriors in the pack. The downside was the constant chatter in our heads through the mind-link.
‘Push back the meeting with Alpha Williams,’ Ethan directed through the mind-link to Jack and Justin.
‘How far back?’ Justin’s voice overlapped with Jack’s.
“Three hours?” Ethan asked me, his eyes hard as we sped down the road.
“We can get information from her in two,” I replied, a grim smirk on my lips.
‘Push it back two hours,’ Ethan responded, cutting the mind-link short before they could say anything further.
We were silent as we pulled into Jessy’s driveway. Her parents had been killed when she was young, and she had been raised by a distant aunt. Her life had made her bitter, intent on ruining anything good.
I knocked on her front door, my sight turning a sickly shade of red. My wolf clawed at the edges of my mind, urging me to break down the door. Jessy failed miserably to hide the flash of fear in her eyes as she opened the door. A coy smile played on her lips, but fear lingered in her gaze.
She had repeatedly asked if Ethan and I would share her. My patience had worn thin as I continued to refuse her.
“Kieran-” Jessy said, her voice trembling as I shoved her inside the house. Her back slammed into the wall, and fear bled into her eyes as she realized we knew.
“It doesn’t matter. You won’t see her again,” Jessy chuckled, her face flushed from my grip on her throat.