Page 13 of Alpha’s Twins (Alpha Kings Island #3)

I’m torn between the overpowering instinct to follow Serena and needing to know what the hell is going on.

I had only come in with Jace for a snack, and I was pleased to see her here with the women, but then I quickly realized it had all gone to hell.

My wolf paces restlessly, his concern for Serena only frustrating me more.

She’s got to stop running away like this.

I spin around to face Sarah and Cate. “Will someone please enlighten me?”

Just as Sarah is about to open her mouth, one of the older shifters, Bren, comes over. “I fear this is our fault, Aiden,” he says, looking genuinely remorseful. “We were just chatting…it is unusual for her not to be able to shift. I can see it’s upset the girl.”

“She’s not just a girl, Bren,” I snap, “She’s your luna.”

Bren dips his head, and I sigh. Then, raising my voice so everyone can hear, I add, “You will treat my luna with the respect she deserves.” Looking around the bakery, I see heads nodding, and I glance back at Sarah and Cate. “Sara? Cate?”

“She was holding her own. She just got overwhelmed,” Sarah says, smiling. “I don’t think some people realize how difficult it is moving to a new pack.”

She says the last part pointedly at Bren, who looks suitably sorry. I thank her and, ignoring everyone else, turn and head out of the bakery, my sole focus on Serena. Jace doesn’t follow, he knows better, and I don’t bother even looking back as I follow her scent along Main Street toward the house.

I can see now that I was an idiot to think I’d accept a mate from Nolan’s pack and she’d just move to the island and fit into my life, sleep in my bed, and not care who else I slept with.

I grimace as I think about how my father, Ralph, would have dealt with this situation.

Probably slapped her, told her to pull herself together, and then gone out and slept with one of his mistresses.

While I don’t think I’m much different from Ralph in some respects, I sure as hell know how to treat people better than he did.

I never planned on being faithful, and yet that is exactly what I have been since she arrived—my walk slows as I realize I haven’t even wanted to be with anyone else.

Sure, I’ve considered it, because that’s my default, but I haven’t actually wanted anyone.

Maybe it’s because I do want her, and I keep thinking she’ll let me in eventually. It will all be worth the chase. But I’m not even sure she realizes I’m chasing her. I flirt the same as I do with other women, but it has no effect. Sure, I can make her blush, but I want more.

I jog up the steps to the house. Her scent has permeated the whole building after weeks of her being here.

My wolf breathes it in her scent wafting through the wind, floral and fierce, and I follow it like a rope pulling me in.

The rooms are silent as I walk through the house, but then I see her, a small figure on the back steps with her back to me, knees tucked up under her chin.

She doesn’t even look up when I approach.

I stop a few feet away and catch my breath, trying to sound calmer than I feel. “Serena.”

She remains silent, her eyes fixed on some distant point, and waves of discontent rolling off her.

“I was standing up for you,” I continue, frustration bleeding into my voice despite my best attempts to stay calm. “You didn’t have to run off like that.”

Still nothing. Just the soft sound of her breathing, even and measured, like she’s counting each inhale, each exhale, to keep from exploding.

I step closer, my shadow stretching over her, and she finally raises her head. Her eyes are bright with unshed tears and overwhelming emotion.

“What?” I ask, throwing my hands up. “What did I do wrong?”

“You don’t get it, do you?” Her voice is quiet, barely a whisper. “I’m not sad because they were mean to me, I’m sad because they’re right.”

I let out a breath and sat down next to her. “They’re not.”

“I can’t shift, Aiden.” She presses her palms to her eyes. “I’m supposed to be your luna, and I can’t even do the one thing that defines us. I don’t look like a shifter, I’m not strong or beautiful.”

Her words hang in the air like a storm cloud, heavy and crackling. I’m not used to dealing with women’s emotions, or even men’s emotions. I feel completely adrift, but my wolf is demanding that I put this right.

“Emily’s a witch, Ava can’t really shift…” I begin, but she cuts me off.

“Emily is practically a witch high priestess who almost destroyed Malik single-handedly, and Ava can shift when it counts; she saved her daughter…and she’s stunning,” she says, seeming to have an answer for everything.

“You’re stunning too, what’s that got to do with anything?” I say, exasperated. She scoffs and goes to stand, but I grab her arm and hold her in place, growling, “No running away.”

Suddenly, something in the air shifts between us, and I find myself staring at where my hand is making contact with her skin, the warmth under my touch spreading through my whole body.

“Y-you shouldn’t make fun of me,” she replies shakily.

I shake my head, “I’m not,” I say, reaching out with my free hand to tuck a stray piece of hair behind her ear. She leans slightly into the touch, and her delicate breath dances across my hand, sending shockwaves straight to my cock. I don’t want to remove my hand; I don’t want to break the spell.

Her eyes flick up to mine, and I can see her warring with my words in her head. “You are beautiful, Serena,” I tell her. “Your magic with the plants is powerful and beautiful. You’re small for a shifter, but I like it. You make me want to protect you, your curves drive me crazy, I—”

She takes me by complete surprise when she suddenly bridges the space between us and presses her lips to mine. My wolf is about to start celebrating when she pulls away, blushing furiously.

“Oh my goddess,” she mumbles, “I’m sorry, I can’t believe I just…I’m an idiot.”

“Don’t you dare say sorry,” I laugh, pulling her closer to me and looking down at her. “Tell me no, tell me to stop, and I will, but if not, I’m going to kiss you again. Okay?”

She looks at me, eyes wide and bewildered, and then she nods.

Her cheeks are flushed, and something in her expression finally clicks into place, like she’s accepting an answer she didn’t know she needed.

I don’t waste any more time. My mouth is on hers before she can second-guess herself or me.

My hands tangle in her hair, and the softness takes me by surprise.

It’s hard to believe someone can feel this good.

The longer I kiss her, the more I forget where I end and she begins.

She melts against me, the tension in her body seeming to dissolve, and is replaced by a hunger that almost matches my own.

My wolf is frantic, but I force myself to slow down, to savor this moment.

I ease her back onto the steps, hovering over her, my lips trailing from her mouth to her neck, feeling the pulse there, quick and insistent.

She shivers, her breath hitching, and her fingers dig into my arms, pulling me closer.

It’s the closest I think I’ve ever felt to madness, wanting her like this, and when she moans my name, I swear I might lose my mind completely.

“Aiden,” she gasps, and it sounds like a plea for something she doesn’t understand.

“I’ve got you,” I whisper, my hands sliding under her ass until I pull her against me, her legs wrapping around me as I carry her into the house.

My wolf doesn’t care that I’m fumbling for the first time in my life, that my heart is pounding in a way that is entirely foreign to me.

It’s like I’ve never been with a woman before, like I don’t know how to do anything but want her.

I move through the house with her in my arms. Her hair is spilling around us, her body pressing against mine.

When I kick the bedroom door open, it hits the wall with a thud, shaking the whole house.

Her lips curl into a smile against my neck, and although I know I shouldn’t be too rough with her, part of me thinks she likes it.

The thought drives me wild. I crash us down onto the bed, trying not to crush her, but I can feel her excitement, her eagerness. It matches my own.

I kiss her again, slower this time. Her hands are hesitant but tug at my shirt, and I pull back long enough to rip it off.

I don’t miss the way her eyes go wide as she takes in my body and the redness that creeps across her cheeks.

I pull at the hem of her own top, sliding my fingers against the soft exposed skin, marveling at how her breathing has become quick and shallow.

“Are you sure?” I ask, my voice rough and hoarse.

Her hands fist the sheets, but she nods. “I want to…I want you.” Her voice is so full of vulnerability, I feel it like a punch to the gut.

I pull her shirt over her head, my body tense and ready to explode.

I pause for a second, looking at her, bare and beautiful.

She’s curvier than any woman I’ve been with, and it drives me absolutely wild in a way I didn’t even expect.

I run my hands over her, savoring the feel of her soft skin and the way she shudders at my touch.

“Fuck, Serena,” I breathe, “you have no idea how much I want this.”

Her eyes meet mine, and I see a flicker of uncertainty.

“Don’t,” I tell her, my fingers tracing the edge of her bra.

“Don’t doubt how much I want you.” I unclasp it, sliding it off, and her large breasts spill free into my waiting hands, my cock growing painfully hard.

Her arms come up, almost hiding herself, but I’m already leaning down, kissing the swell of her flesh and sucking her large nipple into my mouth, and she gasps, her body arching up to meet mine.

I work her jeans off, and she’s trembling, her breath coming in short, desperate bursts.

She’s wearing pink panties, and the sight of them nearly undoes me.

I strip them away and immediately dip my finger between her folds.

I’m so wound up, I almost miss how tight she is until I feel the resistance when I push deeper inside.

“Oh fuck,” I manage, my brain catching up with the realization. “Serena, are you…?”

She looks away, blushing. “I didn’t want to tell you,” she says, her voice almost a whisper. “I thought you’d—”

“Stop?” I ask, incredulous. “Why the hell would I stop?” I press my finger deeper, feeling her gasp and shudder. I pull away, kissing a trail down her soft stomach, spreading her legs wide beneath me. “I want this, Serena. I want to be your first.”

Her hands are in my hair as soon as my tongue flicks over her clit, her hips bucking wildly, and I have to grip her thighs to hold her in place.

She’s wet, sweet, and more than anything I’ve ever had, and I groan against her, my mouth working her until she’s panting, until her voice is breaking with small, breathless cries.

“Aiden!” She’s trembling so hard I think she might break apart.

I slide two fingers inside her, curling them, feeling her tighten around me, and she cries out, her entire body clenching so hard, I know she’s almost there.

Her whole body goes still for a moment, and then she’s falling apart, shaking against my mouth, and I hold on tight, working her through it, letting her ride out wave after wave until she’s limp, her breath ragged and broken.

It’s the hottest thing I’ve ever witnessed, and I barely give her time to recover before I’m yanking off my jeans, my cock finally free and aching.

I press against her, letting her feel how desperate I am, how much I want her.

Her eyes are wide and glazed with pleasure, and I know she’s ready when she pulls me closer, wrapping herself around me.

“Tell me to stop, Serena,” I growl, positioning myself, the tip of me nudging at her entrance, feeling how wet and open she is. “Tell me to stop, and I will.”

She shakes her head, and I see her bite her lip. “I don’t want you to stop.”

The words unleash something primal in me. I slide in slowly, feeling her stretch around me, impossibly tight and warm. She gasps, her nails digging into my back.

“Holy shit,” I groan, forcing myself to go slow even though every instinct is screaming at me to take her hard. She’s panting, writhing beneath me, and I can barely hold on. “You feel so fucking good.”

I push deeper, and I feel something give. She moans, the sound caught between pleasure and pain, and I stop, the last shred of my self-control stretched thin. She’s so tight, I can barely stand it, my body shaking with the effort not to lose myself.

“Are you okay?” I ask, my voice strangled.

She nods, and her hips shift, taking in more of me, and I almost explode. The movement sends me deeper, and I grit my teeth, trying to hold back.

“Don’t hold back,” she says, her voice breathy and urgent.

Her words set me on fire, and I pull almost all the way out and then thrust back in, hard. She cries out, and I do it again, and again, until I’m pounding into her, watching her face change from surprise to need, her body moving with mine, matching each hard thrust.

I’ve never felt anything like it, her nails raking down my back, her legs tight around me, her voice ringing in my ears, and I lose the last bit of control I have.

Everything is frantic, my hips slamming against hers, my body straining to hold on until she’s there with me.

Her eyes are wide, her mouth open in a silent scream, and I feel her shatter around me, her entire body pulsing and tightening with release.

I let myself go, my own climax hitting so hard I can’t breathe, can’t think. I’m vaguely aware of a crash, the sound of glass smashing, but I’m too lost in her to care.

Then I see it—magic, wild and alive. The vines that cover the back of the cabin burst through the window, the room exploding with flowers, and the smell of honeysuckle fills the air.

We both gasp, eyes wide in disbelief, and I have just enough time to register the shock and wonder on her face before her magic takes over completely.

It’s everywhere. Vines and blossoms, along with the sweet, heady scent of flowers, wrap themselves around the headboard and cover the ceiling, a visual representation of everything that has just happened, of everything she is. It’s beautiful but overwhelming.

I collapse on top of her, both of us breathing hard, and I can feel her trembling beneath me, not just from what we did, but from the power she just unleashed.