Page 143 of A Chance at Love for the Twin Alphas

Do it again, Henry, do it again. I close my eyes, the memory flashing in front of my eyes. I’ve never told anyone about it, not even Tony. It was when I was ten and needed help with my math class. I was lazy and suddenly couldn’t follow the class anymore. Dad hired a tutor for me. He seemed nice at first glance, and it started slow without me noticing it first. His snide comments. You aren’t worth it, Henry. Are you really supposed to be an alpha, Henry? Alphas are strong and not weak, Henry. Do it again, Henry, do it again. He held a small ruler and would smack the palm of my hand when I messed up one of his math tasks.

I shake my head. Get out of my head, get the fuck out of my head. It’s been years, years, for fuck’s sake. I know now how wrong it was, how I should have never allowed him to gaslight and manipulate me, how I should have told Dad. Dad would have killed the man on the spot for having laid a finger on me.

But the ten-year-old me could only find one solution. Get better, don’t be lazy, don’t fail.

It only lasted a few weeks, then my tutor was in an accident and died, and I felt relieved about it, and then guilty because no one is supposed to feel happy about someone else’s death.

I take a shaky breath, trying to focus on the present day. To my shock, I’m holding a book in my hand, and half of the bookshelf is in order again. I did this?

I look at the book in my hands, noticing it starts with an A. Oh, Goddess, I messed up. It’s not the correct order. It starts with an A.

I need to do it again.

*ANTHONY*

I toss the knife aside. Fuck it, I can’t do it, not yet. I need to get her body back home. I need to bury her, and make sure that my friends are alright, then I will make sure to meet the Goddess. And she will not evade me this time. I will make sure to stand right in front of her, with no way back.

T… ony…

I blink my tears away, my eyes swollen from crying. My hand hurts for having hit the tiles on the ground over and over again. I hit them again, not even registering the pain anymore.

Tony, stop it.

My breath gets caught in my throat.Lys… Lysander…Tears fill my eyes again.I’m so sorry, Lys, I couldn’t protect her. I failed her again. I failed her.

Tony,Lys yells.It’s not real. Stop it, please. It’s not real.

I gasp for air. Breathing has become more and more difficult.What… I saw her die. She probably asked Auset to send her here, and she—

Just feel it, my boy. Feel the warmth of our bond. No illusion can ever destroy it.

His words make something snap inside me. Wait, what? I try to feel for the bonds inside me, just like Uncle Elden showed me when I connected with Lysander again. I pause as I see the beautiful fiery red tie that symbolizes my bond to Dalila, full of my love and passion for her.

It’s still there.

It’s an illusion.Lys’ voice comes through again.Something blocked me, a force. That’s probably their deity’s doing.

I can’t believe it. Uncle Elden warned me, Maahes warned me, and what did I do? Fell right into their fucking trap!

Don’t beat yourself up over it,Lys says softly.He played with your trauma. You are out of it now, aren’t you?

Absolutely,I think grimly.And I bet he is pulling that shit with the others, too. He doesn’t want to kill us; he wants us to kill ourselves.

You are back with me?

Yes, thanks, Lys,I say, taking a shaky breath. I squeeze my eyes a bit, looking down at Dalila’s body. To my shock, it’s slowly turning into thin air.

It’s good that you are back because the guards are very real!

These fuckers! They were probably enjoying the show of me tumbling around, crying, and hitting the ground over and over again. An anger so deep and real fills me like I’ve never felt it before. I’m done with playing. Jumping up to my feet, I approach the first guard, who keeps watching me, not realizing I broke out of the illusion.

We are not holding back anymore, Lys. Let’s unleash it.

He growls.Let’s take them down!

I close my eyes, feeling my anger, my pain, and the sorrow they made me live through, over and over again, then I let as many pheromones loose as Lys wants, basically spraying them all into the dude’s face.

His whole stance changes once I have done it. I grab him by his collar. “Tell me now, what would you do for me!?”

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