Page 16 of Alpha’s Twins (Alpha Kings Island #3)

Aiden's stare prickles the back of my neck, and I find it increasingly difficult to concentrate. Marian follows my gaze toward the window, her lips curling into a wry smile.

“I think he's trying to make sure I don’t break you,” she says, her eyes glittering with amusement. Emily snorts, flicking a loose tendril of hair from her eyes, and I can’t help but grin. Aiden’s shadow tenses in the window, and I must admit it is amusing how intimidated he is by Marian.

Who wouldn’t be, though? The old witch arrived with Emily early this morning, breezing through the house as if levitating, her long white-blonde hair blazing around her. It didn’t take long to realize that Aiden would rather face a hundred Maliks than one Marian, and he retreated to his office.

I think I quite like her.

Marian turns back to me, her expression softening ever so slightly.

“So, Serena, tell me again what happens when you’re working with the flowers?

Tell me exactly.” Her voice is surprisingly gentle, unwinding the tight coil of anxiety I’ve been carrying.

I look past her to the garden, where riotous blooms swell and sway, and try to explain.

“Sometimes it feels like…like I breathe with them. I know it sounds stupid, but it’s like they grow into me, and I grow into them.

” I pause, searching for the right words.

“But it’s more intense now. Uncontrolled.

” The last word hangs heavy in the air, admitting more than I’d meant to. Emily touches my arm, a warm anchor.

“Maybe it’s just grown faster than you expected,” she suggests. Her empathy is tangible, soothing. “Like a snowball effect. Once it starts…”

Marian nods thoughtfully. “And you’ve never felt anything similar to this level of power before? No hint of this as a child?”

I shake my head. “Nothing like this. I was just good with plants, you know. It was always magical, but it was gentle. People just thought I had a green thumb.”

“Some green thumb,” Emily says, gesturing to the garden. Her eyes dance with a mix of envy and admiration. “I’ve never seen anything like it, and I’ve been around a while.”

“But I don’t even know what it is,” I confess, the frustration creeping back in. “And I don’t know what it means for…if it means anything at all. I just need to be able to control it. I think.” I glance up at the window, but Aiden’s gone.

“Can I see it again?” Marian asks. She’s like a curious crow, her attention sharp and consuming despite her soothing tone.

I close my eyes, trying to ignore the nervous flutter in my stomach, and reach toward the small potted plant in front of me, my fingers dancing lightly over the tiny, wilted leaves.

At first, it feels like nothing, just the familiar hum of connection beginning to thrum, and I’m sure the plant will bloom, but then something new and unspoken seems to amplify it, and I feel the energy swell, rushing toward me like a tidal wave.

I pull back, not wanting it to get out of hand, and when I open my eyes, I swear I see a look of triumph spark in Marian’s eyes.

“Remarkable,” she says, grinning widely.

“I’ve wondered if she could be part witch, but it doesn’t feel clear,” Emily says, her voice tinged with excitement.

Marian’s eyes narrow, sizing me up. “It’s possible, though I doubt either of your parents were witches,” she muses, more to herself than to me. “Feels older. More latent than obvious.”

My heart stutters, a mix of hope and disbelief. “But I do have a wolf? I can’t shift, but my parents were shifters, but my mother had no wolf, but my father did, so I must have one,” I say, almost defensively.

Marian nods, not missing a beat. “You do. But the magic is stronger. Your mother’s side then…but not a witch.”

Stronger. The word echoes, full of promise and hope, but equally a strange sort of dread.

I think of Aiden, of how important it is for a shifter to fit into their pack.

How much I’ve always wanted that. “Could I have my wolf instead?” I blurt out, my voice betraying my longing.

“Couldn’t this be…I don’t know, suppressed? ”

Emily frowns as if the thought is foreign to her. However, Marian just laughs. It’s a strangely warm sound, but a cackle at the same time.

“Why would you want to?” she asks, her eyes crinkling with amusement. “Your gifts are rare. Appreciate them. Our world is full of wolves. Too many, really. Wouldn’t you say, Emily dear?”

Marian giggles slightly, and I catch Emily rolling her eyes, knowing she’s mates with Tristen. I assume Marian likes to push her buttons, judging by the dynamic between them. I lower my gaze, unsure how to respond. The world is full of wolves.

Emily squeezes my hand reassuringly. “I think what Marian is trying to say,” she says kindly, “is that your gift is clearly very special and you should be proud of it.”

“Special,” Marian agrees, her eyes still watching me, too perceptive. “Not every day we see something like this. Truly.”

I nod, still uncertain. I know they mean well, but they don’t understand. They don’t know how it feels to want something so desperately, and to have it turn out to be something else entirely. Something that you never even imagined.

“Thank you,” I say, not sure if I mean it, not sure if I don’t.

“Serena,” Emily says, her voice gentle, like she knows exactly what I’m thinking. “It’s a lot to take in. I know. But…”

Marian stretches, a cat-like motion, and I can see the edge of exhaustion in the lines of her wise but somehow still youthful face.

“I think we need some more coffee,” I say, not wanting Emily to continue when I can feel the emotion threatening to overwhelm me. “Shall I put a fresh pot on?”

Emily nods, and I stand, brushing imaginary dirt from my skirt. “Let’s have a break. I’ll be right back.”

I can feel them watching me as I walk back into the house. I fight the urge to keep on going, to escape my own thoughts and the heaviness of the day. But I know I’ll stay; I don’t want to be rude to Emily, and I definitely don’t want to be rude to Marian. I don’t want to seem ungrateful.

I just need a moment to breathe. I fill the kettle, hearing the faint murmur of their voices through the window, and I stand at the counter, letting the sound of the coffee pot settle me.

The suffocating quiet of the large house presses in around me, and I think about what Marian said.

Stronger. Special. It should feel like a gift, but instead, it feels like a burden I didn’t ask for.

I liked working with the flowers, creating displays, and making people happy with my pretty blooms. It did feel like a gift then, or at least a consolation for not having a wolf.

But this—this is different. It’s wild, uncontrollable.

And to think that perhaps my wolf would be present if it weren’t for the magic just feels cruel.

I should be able to choose, shouldn’t I?

All my life, I would have given anything to be like the other shifters.

If I didn’t have my magic, would my wolf make me more accepted?

I’d still look like this, short and curvy.

I’d still be me, wouldn’t I?

I can’t help but think of the way Aiden slipped into my bed last night, his touch gentle, his breath warm against my neck.

I’d expected him to stay out longer, maybe all night, after the way we left things between us.

I pushed him away because I was angry, but most of all because I felt lost and afraid.

Instead, he came home, the smell of alcohol on his breath, and slipped into my room like he couldn’t stay away.

I didn’t know what he wanted, didn’t know if he’d try to sleep with me or want to talk about it, but instead he took me by surprise and just held me.

The thought of it now is enough to make my pulse quicken and make the hope I’ve tried so hard to suppress come rushing back to the surface.

It felt real. It felt more dangerous than the night he took my virginity, more dangerous because it felt like more than just sex.

More dangerous because I think I want it too much.

The pot clicks off, and I pour three mugs, the warmth soothing my hands. As I’m about to head back out, the door opens, and Aiden is there, filling the space, his sudden presence making my heart jump.

“Hey,” he says, his voice more tentative than usual. He looks at me, searching for something in my face. “How’s it going out there?”

“Overwhelming,” I admit, before I can stop myself. I tighten my grip on the mugs, steadying my voice. “Marian’s intense. You really don’t want to join us?”

He laughs, a dark sound. “I’m not afraid of her,” he says, but there’s a flicker of something in his eyes, a shadow, and I can’t help but smile. “Okay, maybe a little,” he concedes. “But only because she’s unpredictable.”

“And terrifying?” I prompt, and he smirks.

“Fine,” he laughs, “and terrifying.”

There's a pause, and I can tell he wants to say something. His eyes catch mine, and I feel the heat rise in my cheeks. “You’re not mad about last night?” he finally asks, and there’s an edge to his voice, a vulnerability I’ve never seen before.

“No,” I say, too quickly, and then I hesitate. “I mean, I didn’t mind.”

His expression softens, a slow smile that sends my heart racing. “Okay,” he says, “I’m glad.”

I nod, feeling the precarious balance between us. “Me too,” I admit, and suddenly the air feels charged, full of things neither of us knows how to say. I shift the mugs in my hands, breaking the tension. “I should get these out to them.”

He nods, stepping back, and I can feel the reluctance in his movement. “I’ll be in my office,” he says, turning to walk away.

“Okay,” I say, the word feeling too small for the moment, and he turns, leaving me with my heart pounding in my chest. I watch him go, the space he leaves behind almost tangible.

I steady myself, taking a breath, and walk back to the garden.

Emily and Marian look up as I approach, questions written all over their faces.

“Refill,” I announce casually, setting the mugs down.

Emily smirks. “And how’s the big bad alpha?”

“Terrified,” I say, and Marian cackles in delight.

“Smart wolf,” she says, sipping her coffee.

Emily nudges my knee with hers. “And how are you doing with him?” Her voice is soft, but there’s a knowing edge.

I hesitate, wrapping my hands around my mug, feeling the warmth seep into my skin. “I don’t know,” I admit, the words tumbling out before I can stop them. “I don’t know if I can be what he wants. What any of them want. I’m not exactly a typical shifter.”

Emily frowns, a look of concern crossing her face. “What do you mean?”

I swallow, the words catching in my throat. “I mean, look at me,” I say, gesturing to myself. “I’m not thin or tall or…a wolf.” I try to laugh it off, but even I can hear the pain in my voice. I swallow it down with more coffee, but it tastes bitter.

Emily sighs, “You’ve got it all wrong,” she says. “Aiden can’t take his eyes off you. You’re exactly what he wants. And more importantly, what he needs.”

I feel my face flush, thinking of the way he looked at me in the kitchen, the way he slipped into my bed last night. “I don’t know,” I say again, unsure if I believe her, unsure if I dare to.

“Trust me,” Emily insists, “he wouldn’t be acting so crazy if he didn’t want you. You should have seen Tristen before we were properly together. He was a nightmare.”

Marian cackles again. “Was he, now?”

Emily rolls her eyes at her fellow witch.

“You know what I mean,” she says, looking back at me, seriousness creeping into her eyes.

“I’m not a shifter at all, and we’re fine.

You don’t need to fit into a picture-perfect vision of what your old pack thought you should be.

You are free to be yourself. You’re beautiful, and probably more powerful than any of them. ”

I study her for a moment, trying to work out whether she’s just teasing me, but I see nothing but honesty reflected back.

Suddenly, I get a tingle of awareness creeping across my neck, accompanied by a gentle feeling of warmth from behind me.

I turn slightly, the sun catching my eye as I look up at the house and see Aiden’s silhouette in his office window, the sun shifts, and my gaze finds his.

I feel the color rise in my cheeks, and the thought of him watching me sends a thrill of something dangerously close to happiness through my chest.

“See what I mean?” Emily says, a laugh in her voice.

I nod, holding onto her words like a lifeline, hoping they’re true. Hoping I can believe her.

“Come on,” Marian says, setting her mug down. “Let’s have another look at this magic. Let’s see what you can do.”

I take a breath, letting it fill my lungs and calm my mind.

They watch me as I reach toward the plant again, the same nervous twist in my stomach, but this time, I don’t pull back.

I close my eyes and let the energy rush over me, into me, the warmth and the light, and I feel it bloom, wild and beautiful, and this time, I don’t stop it.