Page 112 of A Chance at Love for the Twin Alphas

I turn towards the two boys and lead them inside, but instead of staying in my office, I lead them further through an adjacent room. Both of them blink in confusion. The room is mainly empty, with tatami mats on the ground and cushions here and there. There are relaxing murals painted on the wall and a careful assortment of plants. Flora chose them.

“What are we doing here?” Henry asks while I sit down on one of the cushions.

“Sit,” I tell them.

They follow and eye me curiously. “Now it’s your turn first, Anthony.”

Anthony swallows visibly. He understands me instantly. “You know, Henry… that my connection to my wolf is a bit… strained,” he mutters, shifting around nervously. His voice trails off like he doesn’t know how to tell him what happened.

To my surprise, Henry interrupts the silence. “I’ve decided to go to therapy for Elodie’s sake and for the sake of our future pup.”

“What?” Anthony blinks.

“I have learned some strategies to tackle my OCD and SPD, but sometimes it gets too much for me to keep them under control. I lack proper methods then, and I’m going to be alpha one day. I can’t allow this issue to rule me.” He pauses. “So, a secret for a secret. Now it’s your turn.”

“My first mate died,” Anthony blurts out.

Henry stares at him, his mouth dropping open. “What… no way…” he whispers.

I let Anthony tell his story. Now that he has made the first step, it suddenly comes all out of him, and he tells Henry everything that happened.

“Goddess, Tony,” Henry says, his eyes full of pain for his brother. “I wish you would have told me. I… I would have done everything—”

“I know,” Anthony mutters.

“Now that you know,” I tell Henry. “It’s time to help your brother, don’t you think?”

“Absolutely.” Henry nods.

“Are you ready?” I ask Anthony.

“I am,” he says.

I grab the bag I carried with me and get up. It contains ashes from plants that grow around Silverlake. Liam and I used to burn them during every blue moon in a ritual to gather their unique essence. It’s going to keep us grounded while at the same time allowing our spirits to be free. I empty some of the ashes around us, pulling a huge circle around Anthony, Henry, and myself that way. Then I pull forward two large scented candles, lighting them.

“What are we going to do?” Henry asks nervously.

“It’s going to be a mix of meditating and projecting our minds,” I tell them. “I will help you with it. This here is just to help you open your minds.” I sat down again. “Ready?”

The boys exchange a short glance before nodding.

“Close your eyes,” I tell them. “And focus on the scent around you. Allow it to engulf you until you don’t smell anything else.” I give them some time to focus on the candle’s scent, noticing how Henry’s nose curls slightly, getting rid of all the other scents. Anthony’s stance relaxes, too. “And now,” I mutter. “I want you to focus on the bond inside you. You can feel the bonds to your mates, can’t you?”

They both nod.

“Touch them carefully. Imagine yourself in front of a broad, silky ribbon… What color does it have?”

“It’s red,” Anthony mutters.

“Blue.” Henry smiles.

“Good.” I nod. “Feel it between your fingers. Feel your mates through it and your love for them.” I let the both of them get in touch with their mate bond a bit before urging them to a new direction. “And now… I want you to move away from the ribbon representing your mate bond and search for other ones inside you.”

“There are quite a lot,” Anthony whispers.

His words make me smile. The more bonds, the better for a person. “These are ties and bonds that connect you to your friends, to your family, to your wolf spirit… but for now, I want you to find the one that connects you to each other.”

I let the guys delve into their minds a bit until I can see Anthony perking up. He reaches out his hand as if he is truly touching something. “It’s a white tie…”

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