Page 18 of Alpha’s Twins (Alpha Kings Island #3)

The garden is alive, wild, and breathing, and I can’t believe it’s mine. I can’t help but smile. I did this. Despite the chaos, despite everything, I made this happen.

It may not earn money like my store did, or win any awards. But it feels tangible and somehow better.

I stand in the middle of it all holding my morning coffee, the early sunlight casting a soft glow over the riot of colors, and I remember how bare it was when I first arrived.

Now, the yard looks like something out of a dream, a cottage garden bursting with life.

Foxgloves and hollyhocks tower over beds of lupines and daisies, their blooms swaying gently in the breeze.

Sweet peas climb up makeshift trellises, their tendrils curling around anything they can reach, and the scent of lavender and roses fills the air, intoxicating and sweet.

I walk along the gravel path that Aiden laid, the crunch underfoot grounding me, and I reach out to touch the petals as I pass, feeling their delicate softness under my fingers.

It’s like I’m in my own little world here, a world I’ve created, and despite everything else, it feels good. It feels right.

I think of Aiden, of how he looked at me last night, his eyes dark and wanting.

My cheeks flush at the memory of his hands on me, his mouth on me, the way he took me like he couldn’t get enough.

There’s a wildness to him, a passion that I didn’t expect.

Or at least, a passion I never thought would be directed at someone like me.

I’ve always known the way other shifters look at me, the way they see my lack of wolf and curves, and dismiss me as less-than.

I’d grown accustomed to it and was even expecting it with Aiden at first. But the way he wants me, the way he acts like he can’t get enough, makes me believe that maybe I’m wrong—that maybe Emily was right, and he does really want me.

I push a loose strand of hair behind my ear, trying to calm the rush of hope that I know is dangerous.

Aiden is everything I didn’t even know I wanted, and that’s what scares me the most. I’m terrified that it’s not real, that I’ll let myself believe it and end up losing him.

What if he’s just sleeping with me because I’m here—I’m his official mate, after all—and I’m convenient?

But that won’t stop him from wanting other women, too, will it?

I think of the way he looks when he’s with his pack. He’s so sure of himself, so fiercely in control. A true alpha. I worry that I’m just a novelty that’ll wear off when he realizes I’m not like the others and never will be. I can’t run with him, can’t shift, and be part of that world.

I’m not sure I’ll ever really belong here, not without a wolf. Not looking the way I do.

The thought is a bitter seed, one that I can’t seem to stop from growing. I look around the garden, at the wild beauty of it, and I wish I could feel at home beyond the boundary of this creation. However lovely it is.

I take a sip of my coffee, the warmth spreading through me, but there’s a strange sensation that follows, a rush of nausea and dizziness beneath the heat.

I pause, trying to shake it off, but the feeling lingers, and I reach out to steady myself against the tall stalk of a delphinium.

As soon as my fingers brush the leaves, the world around me seems to explode.

The flowers seem to surge to life in an uncontrollable rush of color and movement.

I watch, stunned, as the garden transforms before my eyes, overflowing with magic.

Vines twist and stretch, climbing the fence, tangling together in a frenzy of growth, and the blooms swell beyond anything natural, vibrant, and wild.

It’s like the entire garden has been electrified, the plants growing at an impossible rate, and I didn’t even mean to use my magic.

I step back, my heart racing, and try to catch my breath.

The flowers are out of control, spilling over the path and creeping up the sides of the house.

My coffee slips from my hand, and I reach for it, but the cup is already buried beneath a layer of sweet peas and ivy.

I stand there, frozen, as the chaos unfolds, swallowing the beauty I’d found so comforting only moments ago.

“Hello?” Emily’s voice calls from the gate, and I spin around, startled. She and Marian are standing a few feet away at the entrance, wearing matching expressions of confusion and amusement.

“Are we interrupting, dear?” Marian chuckles. “You’ve got a head start today, it seems.”

The distraction seems to do the trick, and the growth of the flowers slows. Looking around, though, the damage is done. The garden is a mess. I cringe as the women walk toward me, carefully climbing over some of the larger roots that have all but burst from the ground.

“Impressive,” Emily says. There’s laughter in her voice, but I can’t tell if she’s impressed or concerned.

“I didn’t mean to,” I say, my voice shaky. “I wasn’t even trying this time.”

Marian’s eyes are bright as she surveys the tangled mess. “You should see the look on your face,” she says, her laughter warm. “It’s quite entertaining.”

I try to smile, but it feels brittle. “It’s too much,” I confess, the defeat thick in my voice. “I can’t control it.”

She waves a hand, dismissing my worry. “Nonsense. It’s just a matter of practice. You’ll learn.”

Emily steps forward, touching my arm. “Let’s tidy up a bit, and then we can practice. We can help.”

I nod, but the thought of another outburst like this makes my stomach clench. We get to work tidying up some of the mess, and as the morning wears on, I put another pot of coffee on but decide not to have any myself, not after what happened last time I took a sip of my favorite blend.

Back outside, I kneel near a cluster of daisies, my hands trembling as I reach toward them. “Okay,” I say, trying to sound more confident than I feel. “Here goes.”

I close my eyes, feeling the familiar hum of magic, but this time it feels different, an uneven surge that’s hard to hold onto.

My heart pounds, and I try to steady my breath, but the energy slips from my fingers and the daisies all but explode.

They don’t even grow or bloom prettily. The petals simply start popping.

“Oh my,” Marian says, peering closer. “That’s not ideal.”

I look at her, fighting the wave of frustration. “Tell me about it.” The words come out sharper than I intend, and I feel a pang of guilt. “Sorry,” I add quickly, “I just don’t know what’s going on.”

“Let’s try again,” Emily says, her tone encouraging. “We’ll figure it out.”

I nod, trying to believe her. “Okay,” I agree, but the exhaustion in my voice betrays me.

I reach toward the plant again, determined, but the energy inside me feels wild, like a live wire.

It slips from my grasp, and this time, the daisies wilt under my touch, their petals drooping and falling in a lifeless heap. Better than exploding, I guess.

“I just don’t understand,” I say, my voice a mix of confusion and defeat. “It’s never been like this. I don’t even know what this is.”

“Don’t worry,” Marian says, though her eyes are more curious than concerned. “It’s unusual, but not unheard of.”

“Unheard of for what?” I ask, desperate for answers.

She pauses, a thoughtful look crossing her face. “Are you tired? Dizzy?”

I nod, remembering the nausea and the strange rush I experienced this morning. “Sort of, but only this morning,” I say, explaining what happened just before they arrived. “It was the coffee, I think.”

Marian tips her head back and cackles, “It was most definitely not the coffee that did this to you.”

I catch a flash of confusion, and then a knowing look appears on Emily’s face, as if she’s just caught on to what Marian is saying, and I’m the only one left confused.

“Could it be…” Emily starts, but Marian interrupts her.

“Pregnancy,” she announces, like it’s the most obvious thing in the world.

“Pregnant?” I echo, my voice high and strangled. “But…how?”

Emily raises an eyebrow, a slight smirk on her lips. “I can explain the mechanics if you’d like.”

Heat rises to my cheeks, and my mind races. Could it be true? My hands creep to my stomach, the thought so huge, so unexpected, that I can barely breathe.

“Pregnant,” I say again, trying to process the word, the reality of it. “I can’t be.”

Marian’s laughter dances through the air. “You most certainly can be.”

“But what if Aiden doesn’t want…” I start, the panic settling in like a stone.

The two women watch me with sympathy written all over their faces, and I feel my emotions threatening to spill over, all my fears racing to the surface.

“Do you want me to confirm it?” Marian suggests, more gently. “I can perform a fertility spell, then you’ll know for sure.”

I freeze for a moment, but then nod, even though I’m terrified. I need to know. Marian looks at Emily, a quick flick of her eyes, and Emily steps closer to me, reassuring and warm.

“It’s going to be okay, Serena,” she says, but I can barely hear her over the roar in my head.

I watch as Marian lowers herself to the ground beside me, her presence demanding and impossibly magical with the backdrop of my wild garden. Everything seems to still around us, and I sense the shift in the air, a gathering of energy that’s both familiar and foreign.

Marian’s hands hover over my stomach, her expression one of intense concentration, and I hold my breath, waiting for her to say something, anything, to break this unbearable suspense.

The moment stretches on forever until finally, she sits back, a satisfied grin spreading across her face. “Not just pregnant,” she declares, her voice rich with amusement. “Twins.”

My heart stops, then starts again in a frantic rhythm. Twins. The word is too big, too impossible, and I feel the world spin around me, a dizzying, overwhelming rush.

“Oh,” I say, the sound small and lost.

Emily’s eyes are wide with excitement. “That’s amazing, Serena,” she says, her words tumbling over each other.

“Is it?” I ask, my voice barely above a whisper. I feel the panic rise, a wave threatening to pull me under. “What if Aiden doesn’t want pups? What if…what if he doesn’t want me?”

Marian shakes her head, a knowing smile on her lips. “Oh, he wants you, dear.”

Emily squeezes my hand, but I can’t shake the feeling of terror that’s clawing its way through me.

“What if…what if I get fat?” I blurt the words in a tumbling rush of desperation. “I’m already too fat. What if I get bigger and he doesn’t want me anymore?”

The silence that follows is heavy and unbearable. I see the look of sympathy on Emily’s face, the surprise in Marian’s eyes, and it’s too much. The world spins, and I struggle to breathe, to think, to hold onto anything.

My magic flares again, wild and untamed, and I watch in horror as the flowers surge around us, the blooms swelling and popping in a shower of petals. I can’t control it. I can’t control anything.

“Serena,” Emily says, trying to calm me. “It’s okay. It’s going to be okay.”

I know they’re just trying to help, but I can’t see how anything is going to be okay.

“You just need some time to process all this,” Marian suggests soothingly. “Let’s spend some time today calming your magic so you don’t have to deal with that as well. I can use a gentle spell to, er, put a lid on it, so to speak.”

I hesitate; the thought of suppressing my magic like this is both a relief and a strange kind of defeat. But the chaos of the garden, the chaos inside me, makes the decision for me. “Okay,” I say, nodding. “Do it.”

Marian moves closer, her hands hovering over me with an assuredness that I envy.

I close my eyes, bracing myself, and feel a gentle warmth spreading from her fingertips, a soft pulse that seems to settle into my skin, my bones.

It feels like a sigh, like a release, and I relax, the tension easing from my body.

“There,” Marian says, her voice like a satisfied purr. “That should make things more manageable for a while. A few days, at least.”

I open my eyes, and the world around me seems quieter, the wild buzz of magic no longer threatening to spill over. “It’s…different,” I say, surprised at the calm.

Emily watches me, her expression one of concern and hope. “Better?”

I nod, a strange mix of gratitude and uncertainty filling me. “Thank you,” I say.

“The chaos in your magic is linked to your fears,” Marian says, her hand resting on mine. “When they settle, we’ll be able to resume training your magic.”

I wish I could believe her. I wish I could believe any of it. “Thank you,” I say again, and this time I mean it.

“I went through something similar with my own magic,” Emily says quietly, “I had no idea mine has the same source as Malik’s and it was too much for my mother’s body to handle. So I know what it’s like to feel out of control. You will be ok.”

She smiles reassuringly, but her words take me aback, “I’m so sorry, I had no idea.” I say as she reaches out to touch my hand reassuringly. “You’re so brave. Figuring out how to control it all and nearly destroying Malik. Despite worrying…”

“It was only possible because of Tristen and all that we have here,” She smiles.

“It’s easier to be brave when you’re doing it for the people you love.

Besides, I may not have known my parents, but in a way, I was doing it for them.

I don’t know what kind of man my father was before he met my mother, but he loved her, and he tried to stop Malik from taking over the island.

It seems fitting that I should be the one to ruin his plans with the rogues. ”

Emily’s usually calm facade cracks slightly as I see the strength of her resolve beneath the surface, and I nod in understanding. I can only wonder if I’ll be able to find a fraction of the inner strength she has shown.

Eventually, the afternoon sun begins to dip lower, casting long shadows across the garden, and the two witches begin to gather their things. Emily turns and gives me a hug at the gate. “You’ll be fine. We’ll come back in a few days, see how you’re doing.”

I nod, trying to take it all in. “I can’t tell Aiden until I get my own head around it,” I say, looking between them. “Promise you won’t say anything.”

“Of course,” Emily says, her tone reassuring. “It’s your news to share. We’ll keep quiet.”

Marian turns to me, the late afternoon sun illuminating her ethereal hair. “You’ve got a lot to think about. A lot to look forward to.” Her eyes are bright, and I can see she’s genuinely excited about this turn of events.

I nod, trying to mirror at least a fraction of her certainty as I watch them walk back to Emily’s truck. Turning back to the garden, I wonder how I’m going to explain the absolute carnage here to Aiden when he gets back.