Page 54 of Twinning and Sinning

I sniffed; the story sounded familiar.

"One day, the woman's mother had died back in her homeland. She was to be buried beside her father at her mother's request. Her husband let her go alone for the first time in many years since he was a busy man. The woman was the only one to attend her mother's funeral and visit long-lost friends. The day was darker than most. Winter was in the air. The sun could not be seen behind the clouds, and snowflakes dared to fall."

Mommy tucked me under the covers so I could continue to listen, but my eyelids began to droop.

"After the ceremony, a man with flaming red hair, just like mine, walked to her. He was wearing the strangest of clothes. It was warrior regalia that had come from another world. His legs have tight leather bindings, pouches full of food, knives, and provisions. He had scars across his chest, but his eyes are what captivated her the most. They were green, green as the Ireland hills of summer.

"What troubles you, my lady?" The woman's hands rung out the tissue. It was now worn and unusable, so she stuck it in her coat pocket.

She chuckled, "saying goodbye to my mother." The muscular bearded man looked down at her. A twinkle in his eye. His hand reached for her cheek; sparks flew across her face while she gasped. The man only smiled, turning his head to look at the tombstone. His ears were pointed, but that didn't concern her. It was the first time a tender, loving touch was put on her body.

Her body warmed, and she craved to be next to his. She forgot about the devil's husband at home and leaned into his open arms. It was an unspoken gesture, they knew there was a connection, and the woman couldn't understand it. She felt more at home in his arms than at any point in her life.

A few days later, it was time for the woman to return to her evil husband. She told the red-headed warrior she would meet him the next day, so she had time to gather her belongings, and they would run away together. The woman feared he would be killed or tortured if she didn't return to her old life. Her husband was evil, and his wrath was great. He had a connection in many countries, and even now, she risked her own life to see her love. Her fear got the best of her, and instead of returning the next day to run away with the mysterious man and his warm caresses, she went back to the devil to save her lover's life. Not a day goes by that she doesn’t regret her decision deeply."

"That's so sad, mommy," I yawned, half asleep. "Does the woman find the man again?" Mommy sniffed, and a tear fell on her cheek.

"I don't know, my little fire, but one thing is for sure, she was given a gift far greater than anything she could have ever asked for," she said.

"And what was that?" I yawned once more. The dark closed around me while my mother whispered.

"That gift was you."

Chapter Thirty

Seraphina

Thefollowingday,Iate my breakfast in silence. As usual, Dimitri and Dax flanked me at the buffet line. They had plenty of offers from the omegas asking if they could fill their plates, and make them something more suitable to their liking, but they were humble. They reacted with kindness and even shook their hands which was a sign of mutual respect. For the omegas, they felt utterly honored.

I didn't like how the omegas were cooking and refilling glasses, I felt like everyone used them as slaves, but Dax only said it wasn't like that. They had the choice of what they wanted to do. They could be trained as warriors, which many of them did train, or they could help serve the pack in other ways. Everyone pitched in and the strongest fought while the others kept the pack running.

"So there isn't any bullying or pushing others around because they aren't as strong as the others?" I stuff another bite of scrambled eggs into my mouth. It was mouth-watering delicious; they must put some sort of secret spice in it because they had a bit of a kick.

"There is a no-tolerance policy," Dimitri wiped the crumbs from his face. "In fact, there was a war about it many, many years ago." This sparked my interest. I scoot towards Dimitri, batting my eyelashes.

"I like stories," I said. Heck, I had a real good story to tell them about my dream last night, but I needed to hear this one. Dimitri chuckled, putting his arm around me. Dax shoved another sausage in his mouth. He was on his fourth helping as he gripped my thigh.

"Not much to tell unless you like blood and gore. Our grandparents, King Elijah and Queen Eden, came into power over a thousand years ago and had a massive war over it. That every Wolf is treated equally and with respect," he spoke nonchalantly. I choked, sipping my orange juice.

"A-a thousand years ago!? How old are your parents? How old are you, guys!?" Dax playfully growled in his chest; at least, I think it was a growling. "Werewolves continue to live a long time; we aren't immortal per-say, we can be killed. We stop aging at 30 and continue living on until our hearts stop beating."

Holy shiatzu.

But I was human. I would continue to age, and they wouldn't. I'll be an old grandma, and they would look as handsome as ever. I pushed my food around my plate, gripping the fork a bit too tightly. Would they get a new mate then? The thought alone grabbed me in the heart. I wouldn't be their one and only; how unfair that would be to them. Dimitri put his arm around me, then pulled me into his lap. "Stop thinking, Seraphina, talk to me." He pushed away my hair, kissed my cheek.

"Humans don't live that long," I cleared my throat. "You don't have me forever." Dimitri's face worried, then smiled.

"Oh, Seraphina," he hugged me tightly, and I hugged him back. "You are so adorable. Are you that upset?" A heavy breath left me that didn't even deserve a response. How could he ask me that? It made me angry that he would think I wouldn't be!

"What do you think?" I snapped.

"You will be with us forever too, my sweet mate." My head lifted from his shoulder.

"How?" Dax moved my long hair from my shoulder, tickling it with the pad of his finger. "Because this mark we both lay on you will keep you with us. It ties our souls together. We cannot live without the other. If I die, you and Dimitri will follow. Our souls will be intertwined with one another, and with our bite, you will live with us, never aging. There is a choice you can make if you want that we forgot to mention." Dax shoved another large bite of eggs in his mouth. Dimitri scowled at him.

"Um, yes," Dax put his fork down, swallowing his giant wad of food in his mouth. "We can mark you, and then later, if you wanted, you could become a Wolf, like us. We could inject you with our venom right where our mark lays. Since you are human, you will inherit all of the Wolf DNA. You can shift, run, become strong, just like us." Dimitri beamed with pride; I swore I saw his chest get a bit bigger as my eyes widened.

Being a Werewolf would be awesome! I could mind-link with them; I could talk to them and not be left out of any conversations. However, they said I would be a full-blooded Werewolf compared to what?

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