Page 1 of Alpha’s Twins (Alpha Kings Island #3)

From high on the ridge, I can almost see the edges of my pack’s borders—on a clear day, that is. Not today, with the undulating clouds covering the mountain peaks and cascading down into the valleys, coating everything in a hazy, thick white soup.

Pausing by the old lookout, I shift back to my human form and grab one of the spare sets of clothes my pack keeps out here, along with an energy bar from one of the all-weather containers.

Shrugging the T-shirt over my head, I return to my spot on the edge of the ridge, barely sparing the sheer drop below a glance.

The cold wind whips across my bare arms, sending goosebumps down my spine, but it doesn’t compare to the icy grip that has taken up residence in my stomach. I tear open the energy bar and chew mechanically, tasting nothing as I scan the mountains and caves opposite.

I watch some birds flit along the mountain’s jagged sides.

The caves themselves are completely inaccessible, even to wolves.

But not to Malik if he were in his dragon form.

The air here tastes of snow and pine, clean and sharp.

The jagged peaks stretch out into the distance, with the edges of Callum’s forest to one side and the descent towards Tristen’s pack in the opposite direction.

Overhead, the sky is an endless canvas of grays and whites today, slowly fading as evening approaches.

I pull my gaze back to the caves, searching for any sign of movement. It's been many weeks since we last saw Malik. The fight was brutal and definitive as far as his small rogue army was concerned. All but wiped out. But could he have survived?

If he did, his dragon would surely have been seen again by now, but still…my stomach churns at the thought that he might be on my territory. That my pack may be harboring the island’s biggest threat.

Chewing on the tasteless but filling energy bar, I close my eyes and lean back against the rocky outcrop. The chill seeps through my shirt, reminding me of how alone I am here since I sent the rest of the patrol further on to cover the southern ridges.

My brothers think I'm weak because I can't find him, that I'm incapable of protecting my pack. They ask for updates every time we speak, their eyes boring into mine like they're daring me to lie.

I can feel them judging me with every passing day.

It’s like they think they would have found him by now if it were their territory.

That I'm not as worthy an alpha because I’m the youngest brother, not as experienced or wise, and not having had enough time to learn under Ralph—not that he was much of a teacher.

The more we’ve pieced together about Malik and his brother, Emily’s father.

It seems Ralph knew Malik could still be a threat, but thought he was powerful enough to contain him because Malik was weak after his brother nearly destroyed him in their final battle.

He never bothered to take him out years ago when he could, and just assumed he was another outcast. Malik saw his opportunity when the island was split and the rogues wanted their pound of flesh.

He must have been laughing at us, thinking we were too weak to fight back once his rogue army started to grow.

And Ralph? He didn’t care enough to even warn us of the danger lurking in the mountains.

But then, that’s not much of a surprise.

My brothers liked to play protectors back then, shielding me from the worst of our father’s behavior.

It’s not that I don’t appreciate what they did, but ever since the island was split, with us each taking our places as alphas of our own packs, I feel like they’ve forgotten that I’m not their responsibility anymore.

The situation with Malik only increased their micromanagement of my affairs.

I love my brothers, but my wolf is dangerously close to snapping at them.

They’re even pissing me off about this offer from Nolan.

The rogues grew in numbers due to mercenaries arriving from the mainland, which exposed a general weakness in our sea borders.

We don’t normally work with other packs, but Nolan has become an ally, and now he’s offering us an alliance to stop future mercenaries from coming over via the shipping routes.

It’s a good deal for the island—a good deal for all our packs.

And beyond some financial and trade conditions, the only sticking point is that Nolan wants a traditional mate pact.

He’s offering one of his female shifters as a mate, and I’m the only available alpha.

It seems a bit backward and old-fashioned to me, but I’m not one to judge.

I agreed almost straight away. It’s Callum and Tristen who are far more worked up about it.

They don’t get it—I have no intention of being held to some romantic standard of love that they’ve found with Ava and Emily.

As happy for them as I am, this is purely a business deal.

Hopefully, whoever Nolan has in mind is pretty enough to fuck occasionally, but sensible enough to know this isn’t anything other than a necessary arrangement.

Once agreements become longstanding between our packs, we can quietly go our separate ways, anyway. It’s just not a big deal.

They seem to think I’m trading my soul for a lifelong romantic partner.

They don’t dispute the benefits of an alliance with the mainland, but their need to endlessly discuss whether or not I should accept a mate is grating.

Just because they’ve found love doesn’t mean we’re all going to, or even want to.

I don’t think the apple fell far from the tree, where I’m concerned—Ralph was a cheating bastard who could never settle.

I don’t intend to break hearts by pretending otherwise. I’ll be honest with whatever female Nolan sends over. It’s business, that’s all.

The wind whips up again, and in the distance, I hear my betas howl, signaling they’ve reached the other peaks.

They clearly haven’t discovered anything new, or they would have raised the alarm by now.

I let out a sigh of frustration. Shaking my head, I finish the last of the energy bar.

I know I should be grateful that things have returned to some sort of normalcy since we destroyed Malik’s rogue army and injured, if not killed, him. But the scars of his attacks remain.

Throwing the caves one last assessing look, I growl in frustration as I shrug out of the T-shirt, let my wolf take over, and let the shift begin.

Howling to my pack, I turn my back on the mountains and all the answers I don’t yet have.

As I pause on the trail, I hear my betas approaching.

Their frustration courses through our pack bond, and I know these nightly patrols are taking their toll on everyone.

Few realize the strain I’m under better than my beta Jace; he’s my right-hand man, and the wolf closest to me next to my own brothers.

Hell, I almost consider him a brother; he’s saved my life almost as many times as I’ve saved his, we’ve fought side by side, and shared pretty much everything. Women included.

As Jace falls in step beside me, I glance over and give him a nod.

His eyes glow with unrestrained energy that needs burning, and I’m sure my own are just the same.

As we sprint toward the town, I try to shake off lingering thoughts of Malik, my brothers, and Nolan—including his stupid idea of trading alliances for marriage.

I don’t care who he’s got lined up. All I care about is who Jace and I will find to fuck in the bar on the edge of town that attracts late-night visitors from across the island. Everyone there knows the score: to have fun. And that is exactly what I intend to do.