Page 11 of Alpha's Twins
“Bottoms up,” he says, and it’s as I’m about to down mine that I hear Sarah’s voice behind me.
“Aiden. Jace,” she says quietly. The barmaid seems to catch Sarah’s eye and disappear rapidly.
I turn, nearly choking on the drink, and see that Serena is with her, holding some drinks. I didn’t even notice them come over.
Serena’s eyes are wide, and her expression is unreadable. Suddenly uncomfortable with how this might look, I reach over and make a point of kissing Serena’s cheek. She bristles, and I hear Sarah scoff lightly. I notice Serena’s hands are trembling, and she turns to Sarah. “I shouldn’t be here,” she says. “Thank you for inviting me, but I’m going to head back now.” She sets the drinks down and spins around to leave. I reach out a hand to stop her.
“Wait,” I say, “You don’t have to go.”
She freezes, and her eyes finally meet mine, a storm of confusion and sadness. “It’s fine,” she says, her tone lighter than her expression. “I don’t want to make things awkward for you. Or your friend.” Her voice quivers on the last word, and she glances back at the barmaid, who’s now with Jace.
“That’s not—” I start to say, but she’s already moving. My wolf feels like it’s being shredded, which is ridiculous. I move quickly and grab hold of her arm to stop her. That’s when she spins around, and suddenly all the centerpiece flowers on the tables burst into life, growing rapidly and mutating with spiked leaves and sharp needles. There are screams as shifters and witches alike leap out of their seats, and I notice Tristen and Aiden rush through into the main bar to see what is going on.
Serena gasps; she’s clearly shocked herself, and instinctively takes a step forward to avoid one of the spikes, so I pull her into my arms. She’s hesitant at first, but then allows me to maneuver her toward the door.
I catch Jace’s eye, and he nods, “Go. We’ll sort this out.”
I nod at my brothers, who look equally surprised and impressed all at once, before pulling Serena through the bar doors and into the cool night air. Turning to look at her, I noticeshe’s as white as a sheet. Something tells me that she wasn’t expecting that to happen, either.
The storm has just started to break, the first few drops of rain spotting the pavement around us, and I have to resist the urge to pull her close. She’s trembling, but I can’t tell if it’s from the shock of what just happened or something else.
“Serena,” I start to say, but she cuts me off.
“Can we just get out of here?” she asks shakily, and I nod, leading her over to the truck. It’s only a short ride to the house, and we drive in silence as I try to think of the right thing to say. I should have gone over as soon as she arrived. She’s my mate; I made us both look bad. I internally groan at how it must have looked when the barmaid was flirting…even if I wasn’t going to do anything.
But the flowers…that’s certainly different.
As we get out of the truck, the street is quiet, and I can tell she’s feeling calmer. “Are you okay?” I ask, concern, and regret lacing my words.
She nods, but her eyes betray her, and I can tell she’s shaken. Her lips tremble as she opens her mouth to speak.
“I’m sorry,” she says, her voice barely a whisper. “I didn’t mean to—it just happened. I’m sorry.”
“Serena,” I say, reaching out and tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. It’s softer than I imagined, and her eyes widen at the contact. “I’m the one who’s sorry. I didn’t mean to make you feel—”
“Stupid?” she says, and the accusation cuts deep. I try to speak, but she cuts me off. “It’s okay. Iamstupid for getting upset about it. You don’t owe me anything; this was a dealbetween our packs. I know it’s not a real mating, and I know you don’t want me.”
“Of course I want you,” I say, the words tumbling out before I can stop myself. Why would she think I wouldn’t want her?
Her eyes meet mine instantly, and for just a moment, I see a flicker of interest reflected back, but it’s gone in a flash as she instantly brushes it off. “You don’t have to say that; it just makes it worse. I don’t need you to make fun of me, okay?”
She turns, and I see her hand tremble as she opens the door, her shoulders tense and rigid. I don’t want her to go. Not like this.
Taking a deep breath, I follow her up the steps. “Serena, I’m not making fun of you. I’ve never…” I pause, trying to find the right words. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”
“I know, " she says, an attempt at a smile on her face. I want to say more, but I don’t know how to handle the situation. Before I can do anything else, she slips inside and leaves me standing on the porch feeling completely out of my depth, my wolf pacing over the night's events like he could rip straight through me out of pure frustration.
How am I going to put this right or get through to her?
Chapter 7 - Serena
“Two nights in a row?” Aiden snaps. “Tell me that’s a coincidence.”
He paces the kitchen with his brothers on speakerphone, and I’m not sure whether I should go and give him some privacy. I move to stand, but he motions for me to stay, so I slide back into my seat and pretend to make myself busy drinking my tea.
I hear Callum let out a long breath down the line, and I can tell he’s feeling the strain, too. Only a week after the meeting at the bar where the other alphas decided to pull back from patrolling the mountain borders, they’re back due to magic-driven fires springing up in all three packs. I can tell Aiden disagreed with that decision and probably wants to say I told you so, but I think he’s trying to hold back. I don’t know his relationship with his brothers, but they all seem like strong alphas.
“I know what you’re thinking, Aiden,” Tristen’s voice comes over the line, sounding as weary. “But we don’t know it’s Malik, yet. Let’s not jump to conclusions.”
