Mated to the Alpha Twins by Jane Doe
Chapter 78
As I stood in the mirror analyzing the skimpy bikini the twins had packed for me, I decided that I in fact liked the bathing suit. It matched the color of my left eye perfectly, even if it was a bit too small.
I had never been slim in physique, and working out with Tori had only added to that fact. My waist was somewhat narrow, and my stomach had flattened more since training, but my hips flared out and my bust was larger than the average woman. The little triangles of the top managed to contain my br-easts, just barely, though. The bottoms on the other hand they were something else. Little bows sat on either side of my hips, and the bottoms covered perhaps a quarter of my full rear.
Tori came up behind me and c*oc*ked her head to the side, her curly ponytail of fiery locks bounced from the movement. She pursed her l!ps and wrinkled her nose, those cinnamon freckles scrunching.
“Why can’t I fill out like that?” She scoffed, and I tried to contain my surprise.
I wasn’t used to this—girl talk, that is. Tori was one of those females who accepted her body and embraced every curve, mark, and dip with incredible confidence. She embraced her s*e*xuality fully, something I was trying to do as well.
“You fill out just fine.” I snorted, shaking my head at her. “Plus, I’m sure you can fit into a lot more clothes than I can.”
“Eh, that’s not your fault though.” She retorted, placing her hands on her hips. “We all know the fashion industry caters to the small, Aurora.”
“I never knew you cared so much.” I teased, chuckling as she rolled her mossy eyes.
Tori was a bit shorter than I, and her form was a bit less curvy. Where my chest was practically spilling from the bikini top, hers were just small mounds. I’m not shaming her or anything, all chest sizes matter. Only an idiot would let something as ridiculous as br-east size determine the worth of a woman. Perhaps Tori was rubbing off on me, after all.
I c*oc*ked my own head as I stared my reflection in the mirror, and decided once and for all that I did like this bikini on my body. As silly as it sounded, it was my first time wearing a bikini.
When I was pretty young, living with my grandma, she had taken me to a community pool a few times. I had worn a simple one-piece bathing suit, as most little girls did. Never have I felt so exposed—or confident.
“Oh, I know that look.” Tori grinned widely, rubbing her hands together.
“Hey, they chose the bathing suit.” I shrugged, not bothering to fight the smirk that formed on my face. “It’s only fair that I make them regret it.”
It was a strange feeling, smiling this much. My cheeks ached from all the grins and laughter, but it wasn’t a bad feeling. It was one of those pains that reminded you that you were alive, that life was beautiful and worth living, despite the bad parts.
“I’m going to be seeing lots of hard-on’s today, aren’t I?” Tori snickered, but her emotions said something a little different.
I felt her amusement, and her happiness like sun-soaked petals and tanning lotion, but there was something else hidden beneath all of that. The emotion was so small that I was surprised I even felt it to begin with. Hiding beneath the amusement and happiness was just a hint of longing, and a dash of bitterness.
Those two emotions were miniscule in quant*ity, but had me halting for just a moment. Why would I have been given this gift, if not to use it? If I could help Tori, even for a moment, then perhaps my gift wasn’t so dangerous after all.
“Are you alright?” I frowned, nearly cringing at the worry in my voice. It was a tone I had never used, one that had also never been used on me. “I mean I’m not trying to pry, but you know I can’t control the whole emotion sensing thing.”
“What? I’m fine,” She replied, seemingly shocked that I asked such a thing. “Everything that’s going on, it’s stressful and everything, but I’m not upset over it.”
“It’s not that. I feel longing coming from you, and just a tiny bit of bitterness.” I cringed as I f0rced the words from my mouth.
After all, how bad did it sound telling someone what they felt? Part of me regretted even bringing it up, but I honestly just wanted to help. That guilt faded a bit when Tori’s shoulders sagged.
“It’s nothing against you, but when I see you with your mates… I just wonder when it’ll be my turn.” She sighed, brushing back a ringlet that had fallen from her ponytail. She gnawed on her lower l!p as she met my gaze, and I could feel the guilt that bubbled in her gut. “I mean, I’ve been eighteen for months now. That’s two years, two whole years without finding my mate. If he was in our pack, I would’ve found out already.”
“Is it possible he’s in a different pack? Like Garrett or Julian’s?” I asked. I knew what mates were and knew what it felt like to find them, to be with them but I couldn’t exactly pinpoint what it felt like to finally find Alec and Kade. All I remember is that it was incredibly overwhelming, feeling that drawn to two people, it wasn’t anything I had experienced before. “Can you, like, sense them or anything?”
“If only.” She snorted, shifting on her feet. “I a*s*sume he’s in a different pack, but he could be in England for all I know. I’ve never even left this pack before. Maybe that’s why I haven’t found him yet.”
“Well, you’re coming with us to the High Table meeting. That’s a good a chance as any.” I tried my best to rea*s*sure her when an idea came to mind. I would be Luna, right? That meant I was allowed certain freedoms, given the power to make certain decisions. With that in mind, I squared my shoulders and gave Tori a determined look. No longer did guilt taint my voice, only a sure-fire resolve. “When I take over as Luna, we’ll scour Garrett and Julian’s pack for your mate. If he isn’t there, then I’ll make sure you have whatever you need to go and find him.”
My words settled over Tori, her eyes growing wide as she processed them with careful attention. It almost offended me, her surprise. She was the first friend I had made here, the first friend I had in a long time. If I had the power to help her, how could I not? I’m not an expert on being a good friend, but I’m pretty sure I’d be a crappy friend if I didn’t help her find her soul-mate.
“You’d do that for me? Give me the money to go and look for my mate?” She squeaked, those emerald eyes growing watery.
“I’ll even send a group of warriors with you. I don’t know how often rogue attacks happen, but I’m not leaving anything up to chance.” I pressed, not daring to risk my friend at the claws of those feral rogues.
“You think Alec and Kade would agree to that?” She replied, hope blossoming in her face and heart.
Hope wasn’t an emotion I had experienced yet, and I basked in its uniqueness. Feeling emotions—they reminded me of experiences, tastes, and smells. They were all unique, all different depending on the person. Tori’s hope—it felt like those time’s I would climb onto the roof, basking in the silence of the night. I’d stare up at the stars and think, dreaming of a life beyond the one I lived in, beyond the hateful words of Melissa and Frank.
I didn’t need to ponder whether or not the twins would agree with my bold decision. They would do what was best for Tori. If not because she was an amazing person and member of the pack, then because she was my friend, the first true one I had in a long time.
“Think we’d agree to what?” Alec’s voice sounded from the open bedroom door, his head sticking just a few inches into the bedroom. His onyx hair fell over the side of his head, and he brushed it back with a rough motion.
“Nothing.” Tori chuckled, and I noticed her wiping the tears from her eyes, trying to be as covert as possible. “At least, nothing you need to worry about yet.”
“Getting into trouble already, sweetheart?” Kade’s voice filtered from down the hall.
I snorted at his words and tried to will the blush from my face. Alec’s eyes darted from Tori’s glossy eyes and over to me, and it was blatantly obvious when his attention was snagged on the bathing suit I wore. His eyes lingered on my chest for longer than necessary before drifting down my torso, and lazily running the length of my legs. Everywhere his eyes touched, goosebumps lifted on my skin.
“I think you should’ve chosen a different bathing suit for her, brother.” Alec cleared his throat, his eyes darting back towards my face. I distinctly noticed his hand drift lower, adjusting himself just out of Tori’s sight.
A few seconds passed and Kade appeared at the door, his eyes alluring and practically s*cking all of my attention towards him and Alec. As bad as it sounds, Tori faded to the background and all I could see were the twins—my twins. My stomach heated under their collective gaze, that honey-like warmth dripping down between my thighs.
Kade remained silent for nearly a minute, and I swore I could hear Tori snickering lightly under her breath.
“I regret nothing, though I do think she’ll be the death of us,” He grunted, giving me one last endlessly hungry look before sauntering through the bedroom and into the adjoining bathroom.
I’m sure my face was ripe with confusion when the shower sounded. Alec, however, seemed to know exactly what his brother was up to.
“I think I’ll be needing a cold shower as well,” Alec mumbled, a hand rubbing at the back of his neck.
I didn’t miss how his shirt had risen, exposing those delicious muscles that coated his stomach, nor the tent in his sweatpants when he followed Kade into the bathroom.
“We’ll meet you down at the pool in five minutes,” He called out, closing the bathroom door behind him with a cheeky grin.
“Girl, you’re going to be hurting later on.” Tori shook her head, making her curls bounce like tendrils of crackling flame.
I laughed in agreement, though I knew from experience that the kind of pain she was talking about was laced with more ple@sure than I had ever experienced in my short life.
“Maybe I have three mates’ out there.” She snickered as we walked down the curved staircase and towards the sliding glassdoors that led out to the pool. “Hm, or four. Can’t stand odd numbers.”
“Four mates?” I sputtered, shaking my head in disbelief. Could you imagine it? Four insatiable men, all claimed as yours while simultaneously claiming you as theirs. No, thank you! I’ll happily take my two mates and be on my way.
“It’s always been a dream of mine, to have a harem of my own.” Tori cooed somewhat jokingly; her hands clasped as she bounced out the backdoor.
“You’ve always dreamed of having a harem full of men?” I snorted, c*oc*king an eyebrow at my strange friend.
“Not really, but I wouldn’t argue if the Moon Goddess happened to pair me with four devastatingly handsome men.” She countered with a wave of her hand. “At this point though, I’m willing to take one without complaint.”
“You’ll find your mate, Tori. I’ll do whatever I can to help.” I rea*s*sured her with a smile.
The pool behind the cabin was as large as the community pool my grandma had taken me to swim at. It was shaped like a large ‘L’, and had a diving board at the end. While the community pool started at a whopping two feet deep, this pool started at nearly seven. I placed a few towels on the wicker sectional that sat on the deck and peered down at the crystal-clear water. It was incredibly humid outside, hot enough to make sweat trickle down the back of my neck. I dipped a toe in the water and nearly sighed at how cold it felt.
“Oh, Luna.” Tori cooed, and I didn’t bother turning around as I snorted at her. She knew she didn’t have to call me Luna, but I knew she wanted something whenever she used the word.
“Yes, my loyal subject?” I retorted, hearing her cackle behind me.
That was the last thing I had time to say as I was tackled from behind. I knew it was Tori from scent alone. She smelled of sunscreen and granny smith apples, a strange combination but it reminded me of summer. My mouth was open as we tumbled into the pool, a mess of arms and legs that couldn’t seem to untangle themselves.
I knew she had intended to shove me in, but my faster-than-human reflexes aided me for once. I managed to clasp my hand around her wrist and send her tumbling in alongside of me.
As we both resurfaced, hair a complete mess with lopsided grins on our faces, I splashed a playful wave at her face. I couldn’t help but laugh as the wave brushed back the strands of red hair that clung to her cheeks and neck.
As soon as our laughter ended, her mouth popped open and her eyes went wide. Her eyes darted downward for a moment before permanently plastering themselves to my face, refusing to look any lower than my forehead.
“Um, Aurora—” She sputtered, clearly fighting laughter.
“Did you hit your head or something?” I asked, an eyebrow raised. “I can’t tell with all that red hair.”
Something bobbed on the surface of the water nearly ten feet away. A thin scrap of sky-blue cloth. My jaw unhinged as Tori snorted, a hand flying up to cover her mouth.
“Seems like we came back just in time for the fun.”