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So I turned around to Alaroth instead. “Demonstration?”

He smiled. “Just a little show to see what the alphas are capable of.”

I didn’t trust him for a minute, but I was under strict orders to obey and behave, so all I could do was smile back and turn around. I caught Nivardi’s eye, a look of deep sadness on his face, before he cleared it and gestured towards a small arena.

“Please, follow me.”

Alphas stood at attention along the path, naked aside from loincloths and small wristlets of silver. Their chests heaved as I passed, and one even took a step from his position until Ezra barked at him to return to his post.

Alaroth looked too amused, gripping my shoulder and turning towards Nivardi. “The twins are quite powerful, aren’t they?”

The captain kept his eyes straight ahead. “Yes, quite.”

The fighting ring was a small arena, surrounded by a wooden wall, two gates on either end for opposing fighters to enter. Alaroth, Nivardi and I took cushioned seats under a large canopy on a platform overlooking the grounds, while Ezra remained standing off to the side.

One of the guards whispered in the king’s ear, and he nodded while getting up to leave. “If you’ll excuse me, I’ll return in a moment. Ezra?” My brother turned around. “Watch your sister.”

Nivardi flinched at the dig, but kept his distance between us anyway, refusing to look at me or my brother.

I wondered if Ezra knew about our parents’ history with the captain. Or if the captain knew Ezra had killed them.

Did Nivardi harbor any resentment towards us? Did my mom not want to marry him because he was a jerk?

It was so awkward I could hardly stand it, especially since he looked so young. My parents had aged like humans on Earth, but here people could live hundreds of years. I wondered if being cut off from Vespera’s magic had shortened their lifespans.

Well,Ezrahad shortened their lifespans.

I bit the bullet and broke the silence. “I know about you and my parents.”

He let out a derisive chuckle. “Oh? I wonder which version you heard.”

My cheeks heated and he glanced over, exhaling deeply. “My apologies, I know you are an innocent in all this. You just look so much like her, and Ezra like your father. It brings back a lot of unpleasant memories.”

Ezra looked over his shoulder, his eyes meeting mine briefly before I turned away. I could hardly stand to look at him anymore.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered.

A pained smile crossed his face. “You shouldn’t be, child. It was their coupling that produced the fated twin wolves, after all. It was always meant to be this way.”

It was really weird being called ‘child’ by a man who looked my age.

Alphas were gathering outside of the arena now, their strong scents overwhelming me. My body released a wave of my perfume on its own, perhaps as some submissive defense mechanism.

Nivardi clutched his knee, his knuckles turning white as it hit him, and a chorus of growls sounded from around us as the alphas began to close in.

“Back!” barked Ezra, and they complied instantly.

“Your perfume… it’s really quite powerful,” Nivardi choked. “Between this and your mother’s face looking at me through yours, I… I must compose myself elsewhere.” He got up and raced towards the edge of the platform, taking in gulps of fresh air.

Ezra took Nivardi’s spot beside me and gritted his teeth. “Can’t you turn that off?”

I ignored him, picking at the skin around my nails.

“Look, I’m sorry about this morning, but…”

“Ezra,” I interrupted. “I need to remain calm so your king doesn’t do unspeakable things to me and the males I love, and every second I spend alone with you is pushing me closer to the edge.”

His shoulder shrank. “I wasn’t insinuating anything when I saw you, I swear.”