Page 21 of Alpha’s Twins (Alpha Kings Island #3)

Twins. Twins.

The word goes round and round in my head in a perpetual loop of pure panic.

The door slams behind me, and I’m dimly aware of the shock it causes in the small clinic, as the nervous glances and whispers follow me as I storm out of the building. The sunshine hits me in the face as I walk back to the truck, feeling like I’m going to heave.

First, it was the pure panic that struck me when I stepped out onto the porch, holding two plates, and saw Serena collapsing to the ground.

It takes a lot for a shifter to faint; in fact, we don’t, really.

Seeing her drop to the ground like that did something to my wolf; the fear was tangible.

But it is nothing compared to the overwhelming fear that gripped me the moment she said she was pregnant.

I drive away from the clinic, hoping the roar of the engine will drown out the noise in my head, but the word ‘twins’ beats along with it, pounding like a drum, a rhythm of pure fucking terror.

How long have you known?

My voice echoes, accusing and raw, and I grit my teeth against the memory of Serena’s face, the look of shock and hurt as I walked out.

I’m not stupid, I know we weren’t being careful, but I can’t be a father. Can I? Not yet, not now.

The drive back to the house is a blur, the roads twisting and turning as I navigate the panic inside my own head.

It’s too much. Serena. The twins. Malik.

The pack. I can’t breathe, the pressure building until I feel like I’m going to explode.

I slam the steering wheel in frustration, and at the last minute, I veer away from town, taking the old trail that leads into the forest. I need to run.

I need to get out of my own head before it crushes me.

The truck skids to a halt, and I’m out before the engine dies, my body already shifting before I hit the tree line.

The world blurs, my wolf taking over, and I give in, letting him run, letting the raw energy burn through me.

My paws hit the ground hard, and I push faster, feeling the wind cut through my fur, feeling the release of movement, of escape.

The forest is dense, wild, and I weave through the trees, the familiar scents of pine and earth grounding me.

It’s the only place I’ve ever felt free, the only place that’s truly mine.

I run until my legs burn, until my lungs are raw, and I don’t stop until I reach the mountain trails that lead to the lookout posts along the ridge.

I stand at the edge, the valley spreading out below, the mountains stretching as far as I can see.

The wind is cold here, biting, and I let it whip through me, trying to clear my head, trying to figure out what the fuck I’m going to do.

I shift back, the transition leaving me breathless, and I sink to the ground, my back leaning against a jagged rock.

Twins.

The word is relentless, looping through my mind, and I can’t escape it. I never thought this far ahead, never let myself imagine what it would mean. A family. Pups. The reality of it is like a punch to the gut, and I feel the panic clawing at me again.

What if I’m like Ralph?

The thought hits me harder than I expect, and I clench my fists, trying to shove it away.

I’m not going to be like him. I’m not going to let that happen.

But the doubt is there, insidious and creeping, and I can’t shake it.

What if I screw this up? What if I screw Serena up?

The way Ralph screwed up my mom until she just faded away? The way he screwed up me?

The sky is darkening, and I watch the shadows stretch across the valley, the mountains looming.

I stand, heading over to the small outpost where we keep a stash of clothes.

I pull on some shorts and grab some water from the barrel, then return to the ridge and study the mountain caves dotted along the peaks.

Despite the turmoil in my mind, I still can’t resist looking for Malik, wondering if he’s even here at all.

If I can’t even find Malik, how the hell am I going to do this?

I think of Serena, of the way she looked at me in the clinic, her face pale and her eyes wide with fear and something else, something like hope, and I feel like I’m going to be sick.

I left her there. I fucking left her. My wolf growls, restless, but I don’t know how to face her.

I don’t know how to be what she needs right now.

The sky grows darker, the valley sinking into shadow behind the clouds, and I stand there, feeling the chill seep into my skin, feeling the weight of everything press down on me. I can’t do this. I can’t do any of this.

“Aiden?” The voice is sudden, cutting through the cold air, and I whip around, startled.

Jace stands there, his expression a mix of surprise and concern. “You know, you’re not actually that hard to find,” he chuckles, coming closer. “I thought you might be up here.”

I sigh; news travels fast in the pack. I shouldn’t be surprised, really. One of Jace’s sisters is a nurse at the clinic; I can only imagine how quickly she got onto the phone to him.

"Word gets around," Jace says, confirming what I've already suspected.

"Seems like it does," I reply, my voice steady.

He settles down beside me, his gaze unwavering, as if he's trying to look right into my soul. "Do you want to talk about it?" he asks, his tone surprisingly gentle considering we don’t talk about our feelings very often.

I lean back against the rock, feeling the words knotting up in my throat, refusing to come out easily. "Not much to say," I finally manage to get out, each word feeling like it's clawing its way up. "I'm fucked."

He raises an eyebrow, remaining silent, just waiting for me to continue, offering no judgment, only patience.

"I didn’t sign up for this," I blurt out, the admission raw and unfiltered. “I don’t know how to handle it."

"And Serena?" he asks, his tone cautious, like he's carefully navigating a minefield.

I grit my teeth, the memory of leaving her slicing through me like a knife twisting deeper with every thought. "I don’t know how to handle that either," I admit, the words heavy with regret and confusion, as if speaking them aloud makes the situation more real and impossible to ignore.

"I thought I'd have time to figure this out," I say, my voice raw and exposed. "Time to get used to everything before it got…serious."

Jace nods, and there's a knowing look in his eyes, a look I wasn't expecting. "That's life, right?" he says. "Never waitin' for you to be ready."

I stare at the valley below, at the endless stretch of mountains, and I feel the words bubbling up, needing to be said. "What if I can't do it, Jace?" I blurt out, the fear sharp and real. "What if I'm just like Ralph? What if I ruin everything?"

He looks at me, and I see something shift in his expression, a rare sincerity. "You're not him, Aiden," he says, his voice steady. "And you never will be."

"But what if I don't want this yet?" I say, the doubt creeping in. "What if I’m not ready to settle down? To be what she needs?

"It’s not that I don’t want her," I admit, my voice rough with frustration and need. "I just don't know if I can be a father, be better than Ralph, the pack, the threat of Malik. I don’t know if I can do it. Any of it."

Jace laughs softly, shaking his head. "You surprise me, man."

"What do you mean?" I ask, thrown by the glimmer of amusement in his eyes.

"I thought you, of all people, would be excited," he says, leaning back. "You have the respect of your pack, your mate, and pups on the way. What more could you want?"

I stare at him, the words not quite registering. "You’re the last person I would have thought would find that exciting," I say, confused. "Thought you were happy sleeping around, playing the field."

He shrugs, a hint of longing in his voice. "I'd love to find my mate."

"You serious?" I ask, stunned.

"Yeah," he replies, grinning. "Thought that was obvious."

I’m floored. I always thought he had it all sorted, that he was living the life I’d miss out on if I stayed with Serena. "I didn’t know," I say, trying to process this new version of Jace.

He laughs again, nudging my shoulder. "Guess you’re not the only one who can hide how they’re feeling.”

We fall into silence for a moment and my wolf niggles at the recesses of my mind, reminding me that we already have what Jace says he wants.

A mate. We knew it that night in the forest when we caught her sneaking out.

We knew it during the ceremony when I didn’t feel a hint of fear over taking her as my mate.

I told myself it was because it didn’t mean anything, but the reality is that it meant everything. It just felt easy because it was right.

It’s always been her. It’s always been Serena. I’m just too young and stupid to see our relationship for what it is: fucking perfect.

"What the hell am I doing, Jace? I’ve been acting like an idiot."

He grins, wide and infectious. "Pretty much."

The sky brightens again, the sun emerging, and I feel a rush of urgency building inside me, a desperate need to make this right before it’s too late. I stand, the determination burning in my chest.

"I’ve gotta go," I say, the words a rush of clarity.

Jace nods, a knowing gleam in his eyes. "You do."

I turn, my heart pounding with the need to get to Serena, to tell her everything I should have said before. The wind howls around me, but I barely feel it, my mind fixed on one thing, one person.

"I’ll catch you later," I call over my shoulder, already moving, already running.

"Go get her, and I’d start by apologizing," he shouts, his voice lost to the distance as I sprint back toward the trail.

I shift as soon as I hit the trees, my wolf taking over, the drive to get to Serena more urgent than ever.

The forest blurs past me, and I reach the truck in record time.

I shift back, my body shaking with the need to get to her, to explain.

I pull on the clothes I left by the truck, my hands fumbling in my urgency.

I’m an idiot. A fucking idiot. I give myself one last mental slap, and I’m in the truck, the roar of the engine matching the pounding of my heart.

I drive like I’m possessed, the tires kicking up dust and gravel, the landscape a blur as I race toward town. The words echo in my head, a mantra of desperation, of hope. I’m coming, Serena. I’m coming. I hope to the goddess she’s going to forgive me for leaving like that.

The truck skids to a stop outside the clinic, and I barely remember to cut the engine before I’m out, sprinting toward the doors.

The nurse at the front desk looks up, surprise flickering across her face as she sees me, but I don’t stop, heading straight to the room where I left Serena, flinging open the door and bracing myself for her response.

But I’m met with silence. The room is empty.

I stare at the bed, the sheet rumpled, the smell of her still in the air, and my heart lurches.

“Serena?” Her name is a whisper, a plea, and I turn, desperate, my pulse pounding in my ears.

The nurse appears in the doorway, a look of surprise on her face. “She was here a few minutes ago,” she says quickly, seeing the rising panic in my eyes. “She was supposed to stay for some more tests. She still felt dizzy.”

My wolf howls, the sound a raw, visceral panic, and I struggle to keep control. “Where is she?” I demand, my voice rough.

The nurse shakes her head, a mix of confusion and concern. “I don’t know. She was just here. She can’t have gone far.”

I push past her, my mind a storm, the fear choking me. What if she’s collapsed again? What if she’s hurt?

I think back to the night we met in the forest, when she was trying to run away. What if she’s leaving me?

No one would even blame her after how I reacted.