Mated to the Alpha Twins by Jane Doe
Chapter 119
I turned on my heel, a hand clasped over where my own bullet wound should have been. My mind was reeling, but my body understood what to do as I stumbled over to where Kade lay on the cement floor.
Alec was hunched over him tearing the clothes from one of the d**d inner circle members, a middle-aged man with greying hair and a scar just above his l*p. The thousand-dollar suit jacket was shining with Kade’s blood, even as Alec held it tightly against his chest. I could feel the blood pumping out with each ragged heartbeat.
A small clump of silver metal sat beside Alec’s knelt form, the bullet he had fished from Kade’s chest. Kade shifted into his human form after the bullet had been removed, his skin translucent and pale. There was a thin sheen of sweat that covered him, even though he was cold to the touch.
Alec’s eyes met mine, unending darkness that seemed surprisingly calm despite the earthquake of emotions shattering what strength he had.
I glanced around the room, the taste and scent of fresh blood still lingering in the air. Four sets of eyes on my skin, two of which made a chill skitter down my spine. I f0rced my eyes past Marcus and Ariana, who seemed content at watching me fail, even in d***h.
There was no one left alive for me to feed from, to miraculously heal Kade as I had done before.
I grabbed hold of Alec’s hand, my breath coming in short pants. The sound of a heartbeat thudded in my ears, but it wasn’t my own. Kade’s pulse was slowing, tearing me from my perpetual state of shock.
A life without Kade flashed through my head, one where both Alec and I were crippled in our grief, f0rced to live without ever feeling whole.
There were only three flames left, though one was still weak. Kade’s flickered and curled, growing dimmer with each passing second.
Rather than use the soul of someone else, I pulled on both Alec and me. Where I had thought there would be resistance, I found none. Alec’s soul willingly leapt at the change to help his brother, his other half just as much as Kade was mine.
I tore the sopping w*t suit jacket from Kade’s chest, my stomach turning at the sight of his dark blood coating my fingers.
Pressing the palm of my hand against his openly bleeding wound, I f0rced every bit of strength I could into his d***g form.
A gasp was torn from my throat as I felt the immediate drain, like I was using one of Ariana’s knifes to cut a piece of my essence. Alec’s hand gripped mine tighter, his pain filled eyes urging me to continue.
In that moment, I knew that if I would have tried to save Kade on my own, the effort would have k****d me.
A gurgle left his l*ps, and he thrashed against my hand. Alec hissed under his breath and used his free arm to pin Kade down. Biting back the sob that threatened to escape, I was bathed in Kade’s agony as my magic seared him from the inside out.
I held my breath as I felt the tissue and muscle knitting itself together, holding back the blood that continued to flow. Even when spots danced behind my eyes, I couldn’t f0rce my lungs to work.
Only when color blossomed on Kade’s cheeks and his eyelids fluttered, did Alec and I tear our hand from his chest with identical gr0@ns of pain. My head thunked against the floor, echoing Alec’s.
“F**k, that hurts.” He hissed through clenched teeth, and I answered with a gr0@n.
“No one told you to k**l yourself trying to save me.” Kade grunted, his voice surprisingly clear.
2 Like an excited puppy, my wolf’s ears perked at the sound of his voice, and a rush of energy pulsed through my limbs.
I rolled onto my side and managed to sit up, freezing once I realized Kade was already standing. Rubbing at his chest, he stared down at the tiny puncture wound with a scowl on his face. A single bead of blood formed, smearing on his finger.
Glancing between Alec and I, Kade came to a conclusion that made his eyes darken and eyebrows knit together.
“You’re hurt.” He grimaced, pinning me against his torso while peeling back the shredded pieces of the t-shirt I wore.
Where Ariana’s claws had sunken into my shoulders, she had shredded the fabric of the t-shirt. The sting of pain was nothing compared to the drain of her magic.
“It’s not severe, and I’m holding a grudge against you.” My warning was weak, and I let out a sigh of relief as his fingers skated across my skin. “You jumped in front of a bullet for me”
Gone was the coldness that meant d***h was creeping. His skin felt warm, and beneath the sinew and muscle, I could hear his strong heartbeat.
It was his arms wrapped around my waist that kept me from tumbling to the floor. I clung to his shoulders, tangling my fingers in his hair as I breathed in the scent of sandalwood.
“And I would do it all again, sweetheart.” He chuckled against the hollow of my throat, making me shudder. His breath fanned across his mark on my neck, unraveling the knot of utter terror that had formed as I watched him almost d*e. “Alec actually jumped as well. I just happened to be closer to the gun.”
“So, you’re telling me I should hold a grudge against both of you?” I asked, just a tad breathless.
“You can try.” He smirked, the expression on his rugged face made my insides warm. Even as blood and d***h flashed behind my eyes, those images forever seared into my mind, I found myself smiling. The feel of his l*ps against my jaw sent those brutal images scattering. “We have a long time to convince you otherwise, but until then…”
“Until then, we have so much to do.” I sighed, but it wasn’t one of defeat or resignation. “Starting with ending the fight before more wolves d*e.”
Marcus had damaged the world, though not irreparably. It would take time, so much time but there was finally a chance for peace.
Even in this room where so many had d*ied, my mates were able to wipe the h****r from my mind with smooth words and soft touches.
“In order to do that, I’m going to need some help standing up.” Alec grunted from his place on the floor. He managed to get into a sitting position, but the strain was obvious in his eyes.
I placed a hand against the cement wall, using it to support most of my weight.
Kade offered a hand to Alec, hauling him up and onto his feet. The two embraced, and a mutual sense of understanding passed between them. No matter how much it would destroy the other, they’d sacrifice themselves first before letting anything happen to me.
The thought sent me back to Kade’s raspy breaths, but I smothered the fear that rose like a tidal wave. Even though I was weak, I would protect the two of them with every ounce of magic I had.
Knowing I would need courage for these next few hours, I steeled my spine and faced my mates.
“We should take him with us, so we can prove that he’s d**d.” My voice came out strong, but my stomach flipped at the thought.
I could still feel a set of cold eyes on my back, and that lingering sense of fear that returned with each cold chill that skittered down my spine. It would take some time, just like it had when I first began trusting the twins.
“What about the a*s*sa*s*sin?” Kade asked, the darkness in his voice had me giving him a look of surprise. There was no satisfaction as he glared down at her, just unending loathing. “She said you’d rot down here; shouldn’t we extend the same courtesy?”
I hesitated for a moment, feeling my hatred for her rattle in my chest. K****g her hadn’t made it go away, nor did it chase away the feeling of her touch as it drained the magic from my body. Forcing myself to look her in the eyes, I knew what I needed to do.
“No, I won’t leave her down here.” I shook my head, biting back the bile that stung my throat. Reminding myself that she was d**d, I tried to let go of the burning emotion. “I’m not going to spend the rest of my life hating her. If she has family, I’ll contact them, and they can have her body. We’ll send someone to pick her up later. Right now, we have a war to end.”
The entire walk back, Marcus’s hand dragged across the rocky earth. Thrown over Kade’s back after shifting into his wolf form, his silver -plated eyes stared lifelessly into the sky. Alec broke one of his arms when placing him on Kade, and it hung at an awkward angle. The crack still echoed in my ears.
With both of my mates shifted and at my side, we broke through the forest line and into what remained of the fight. Neither side were relenting, both h**l-bent on being the victor.
Through the snarls and whining of d***g wolves, I could hear Marcus’s hand dragging across the earth.
Alec stood at my right, snarling, and lunging at anyone who dared come close.
There were some whose eyes happened to drift to Marcus’s lifeless body, dr@ped over Kade’s back like an expensive rug, but their hesitation caused them precious seconds as their opponents took advantage of the distraction.
I would have been lost without Alec and Kade, stumbling through this b****y battlefield as I gaped at the dd. The wolves with glassy eyes and torn throats, muzzles forever open or mauled by sharp claws.
Homes were burning and car alarms screaming shrilly, trees were overturned, and businesses destroyed. There was even a fire hydrant missing, which bubbled and gurgled as it flooded the street.
As we made it to the thickest part of the battle, I prayed that I looked as confident as the twins.
The more I looked around, the more d**d I saw, and the less living I noticed. I couldn’t tell the difference between the wolves, not by color or any other feature. I couldn’t see Tori through the ma*s*ses, or even Zayne and Jaspar.
Fear and rage jabbed at me, reminding me of the cold clutches of Ariana’s power. The memory snapped something in me, the restraint I had once had.
All at once, I pulled from the wolves fighting. Each and every one, whether friend or foe. Hundreds or even thousands of flames, some flickering where others burned bright.
There was no need to pull hard, just the smallest amount sent warmth flooding my body. Within seconds my head felt light, the colors around me brighter, somehow. Through the dried blood caked onto my skin, I could feel the puncture wounds in my shoulders closing.
As tempting as it was to keep all that power for myself, I released it down and into the earth.
I was sure that I was the only one who could feel the sharp pulse that rippled beneath the earth, before the ground began trembling. Wolves were thrown left and right, toppling over one another. A crack splintered down the street, kicking up dust and knocking over a stop sign.
The only unaffected area was where the twins and I stood.
When the dust settled, the fighting had finally stopped. Thousands of eyes pierced my skin, not all friendly. Daggers of hatred and rage, flickers of hope and desperation.
Kade tossed Marcus’s body to the ground with a sickening thud, but I refused to flinch under the eyes of so many wolves. Some instinct buried in my bones wouldn’t let me show such weakness.
The edges of the crowd moved parting as two wolves charged to the front. One with pale eyes and silver fur, and another with my friends’ fiery locks.
Zayne and Tori were both covered in blood, like most of the other wolves. Their chests were still heaving, but it was Zayne I found myself staring at.
His eyes were blown wide as he stared down at his father, even if I could only feel a whisper of that surprise myself. When he had his fill, undoubtedly convincing himself Marcus was d**d, his eyes flickered up to my own.
The barest of movements, but I could’ve sworn Zayne nodded at me.
I made my voice as loud as I could without screaming, knowing that my words would ripple over the b****y crowd. I didn’t recognize the woman speaking, where the lilting tone had deepened into something raspier.
“This is the man many of you willingly chose to follow. I won’t k**l you for what you’ve done, I won’t make the same choices Marcus made. The same choices that led him to where he is now, a corpse at my feet.” I gave them a few long seconds, clenching my jaw as I stared them down. “Those of you who have never been given a choice, here’s your first one. Stand down and go back to your families or continue k*g in the name of a d**d man.”
Many of their eyes weren’t on me, but the d**d man at my feet. Silence reigned for so long that I wondered if it would ever end.
Confusion and disbelief stained the air, even more potent than the rage coming from those who supported Marcus. The ones who had no choice, they never once considered a life without bowing to the whims of someone else.
Some wolves stalked into the forest, backing away with narrowed and suspicious eyes. Many shifted or stalked back to half destroyed homes. The fading scent of blood still lingered in the air, but there was finally a sense of closure.
In action movies, the battle itself is always made out to be the worst part. The bloodshed and carnal violence that takes over a man when they’re at their lowest. It’s the resolution, the clean-up that’s the worst part of battle. Counting the dd, placing names to lifeless faces and b****y wolves.
It’s easier to k**l when you don’t see the target as a person.
I stepped away from Marcus’s corpse as Jaspar approached, clothed and in human form. At his side was Ava, her face covered in dirt and dried blood. Her onyx hair was singed in some spots, and she rocked on her heels with an elated grin on her face. In her hands were a few stacks of clothes, two of which she sat in front of Alec and Kade.
“The bs really d**d.” She laughed, the sound bordering on a sob as it rang out into the open air.
The hours that followed were even darker than battle.
When I had thought that Marcus’s depravity could reach no lower, Jaspar and I stumbled upon where Marcus kept his prized white wolves. Hidden behind a false wall in his mansion, we found countless women imprisoned in rooms identical to what I had been in.
Even the touch of the twin’s couldn’t chase the chill from my skin as I watched thirty women leave the cells they had spent years in. Some of the women held infants in their arms, while the other were visibly pregnant. While some looked serene and hopeful, there were a few whose inner light seemed to permanently dim.
“Some of these women might not want their babies.” I told the twin’s once the women were outside and out of hearing range. I could feel the trauma etched deep in some of them, along with a disconnect between them and the life they carried.
It was natural, considering all they must’ve been through, but both mother and infant deserved a chance. “If they want to keep their children, they’ll be given everything they need. If not, then they can choose how to proceed.”
We left Marcus’s pack nearly eight hours after the battle had finished. Some of the wolves decided to stay and salvage what was left of their homes, while others chose to follow the twin’s, Tori, and I back home.
What seemed to be brewing between Tori and Zayne had been abruptly halted when Tori insisted on coming back. An hour later, Zayne, Jaspar, and Ava declared they were coming as well.
Jaspar and Zayne wanted to talk business with the twin’s, while Ava’s family planned on visiting the twin’s pack for a change. I had a sneaking suspicion Zayne was coming for more than post-war planning.
I knew we were in for h**l when we turned onto the street where the twin’s house sat. There were nearly a dozen cars, all parked beside the sidewalk. Four sat in the driveway of the twin’s house, none of which belonging to their parents.
As we found a clear spot down the street and walked up towards the front of the house, I could hear the muffled shouting through the screen door.
“She is d**d, Garrett.” Kady’s mom hissed under her breath, flipping back her golden hair with a manicured hand.
“Mom—” I could hear Kady speak, her falsetto hard and full of warning.
As I spotted them through the screen door, she at least had the nerve to look apologetic for hurting her mate. “You have another daughter, one who has been trained to take over.”
Kady and I locked eyes through the flimsy screen. Her entire form stiffened, seafoam eyes wide and golden curls wild. Without missing a beat, a roguish grin stole her face, and she turned to her mother.
“You know what, I don’t want to rule Dad’s pack. Actually, I can’t think of anything I want to do less.” She cackled when her mother’s red painted l*ps opened and closed, a sputtering sound emerging. “In fact, I think I’m going to enroll at the university.”
“Someone has to take care of the pack, Kady.” Her mother snarled, following closely behind as Kady strutted past her and through the screen door. “You won’t have time for school when–“
The words shriveled and d*ied on her tongue as she locked eyes with me, a sourer looking version of her daughter. L*ps pursed in a perpetual frown; eyebrows knitted together. There was obvious disappointment but hidden beneath that was the smallest satisfaction that I hadn’t d*ied. I suppose some people were wicked, but not so much as to wish d***h on someone else.
Thankfully, the twin’s and I were no longer covered in blood and grime. We had stopped at a hotel along the ride home. Riding the high of our victory, we stayed up the entire night. In between frantic touches, when I managed to sneak into the bathroom before one of the twin’s dragged me back into the bed, I swore I could hear Tori and Zayne’s hushed arguing.
“Aurora?” Garrett’s voice came from the kitchen, growing louder as he finally emerged through the front door. His face was as concerned as I had ever seen it, and for this one time, I gave into the ache that settled in my stomach. When he wrapped his arms around my shoulders, pulling me into a crinkled suit jacket that smelled of peppermint and tobacco, I burned the feeling into my memory.
I blinked back the tears that stung my eyes because his concern was finally genuine. He wasn’t worried for the future leader of his pack, but for his daughter who was fighting a battle much larger than herself. His voice was a bit gruff as he spoke, “Last any of us heard, you were captured. Your twins aren’t very sK*lled in communication.”
“I was, and it s*cked. The twin’s and Tori rescued me.” I began, “There’s a lot to explain, and–“
“Actually, I’d like to take some of the credit.” Ava called out as she jogged up the driveway, Tori was matching her stride. She had traded her old headphones for a pair of Bluetooth buds, which she consistently lost the entire trip home.
Rummaging through the sedan had made her late to the conversation, though that rarely dissuaded her from joining in. “Zayne might’ve let your guys in, but who do you think was key in his little plan working?”
“So, you’re a white wolf too?” I lifted an eyebrow at Kady’s tone, and the way she leaned forwards as she looked Ava up and down.
Ava noticed as well, smoothing out the dark material of her skirt as she came up onto the porch. I could see her eyes shift, her defenses rising at the sight of another mean girl, but the two stopped in their tracks.
A gentle breeze passed through and both girls stiffened. Kady seemed more surprised than Ava, realization dawning in the depths of her eyes as her l*ps parted and a strangled gasp emerged.
My own eyes widened as I felt their bond snap into place, an unbreakable tether that bound their two souls. I glanced towards Tori, who took half a second to catch up.
“Kady, explain this right now.” Her mother’s voice was almost sharp, worry seeping through the cracks.
Tori jumped into action, corralling Kady’s mother into the house.
“That’s exactly what we’re not going to do. You’ve pushed her away enough, don’t s*****w this up too.” I heard Tori grunt as the screen door slammed shut behind her.
Both Alec and Kade planted a soft k!ss to my forehead before going inside to see their own parents, who were in the kitchen waiting anxiously.
Garrett’s eyebrows crept up into his hairline, eyes darting between his daughter and her mate. Where there was clear indecision from Kady’s mother, Garrett felt surprise and just a whisper of joy for his daughter.
“I’ll explain everything inside.” I couldn’t keep the smile from twitching onto my face as I looped an arm through Garrett’s and welcomed the comforting scent of the twin’s home.