Page 23 of Alpha’s Twins (Alpha Kings Island #3)

The blood rushes in my head, creating a noise so loud that I can barely think as I rush around the house, checking every room before accepting she’s not here.

Where is she?

Where the hell is she?

The questions pound through me, a relentless rhythm of fear and desperation.

I check the driveway, the garage, anywhere, everywhere, but she’s gone.

I push back into the house, my breaths coming in ragged gasps, and I feel the raw edge of panic clawing at me.

What if she’s collapsed? What if she’s hurt? What if she’s trying to run away?

“Fuck.” The word tears from my throat as I grab my phone, my hands shaking. I call her for the millionth time, but it goes straight to voicemail again, and the sound of her recorded voice is like a punch to the gut.

I sink to the floor, my back against the wall, and the world tilts around me.

I can’t lose her. I can’t lose her. The words loop around in my mind, and I feel something shift, something inside me that I can’t explain, but my wolf feels acutely.

It’s a strange awareness, a pull, a tether that wasn’t there before.

It feels like a strange warmth, a flicker of hope, and I slowly realize that I’m feeling Serena.

I can feel how scared she is.

A new kind of panic grips me, urgent and raw, and I dial Callum’s number, my fingers desperate on the screen. He answers on the third ring, his voice sharp with concern.

“She’s gone,” I say, the words tumbling out before he even speaks, frantic and broken. “I can’t find her. I think she’s leaving me, but she’s in danger.”

“Aiden?” Callum’s voice is confused. “Calm down. Let’s get Tristen on the line, too. Who’s gone?”

I hear the line connecting to Tristen, he answers quickly, and Callum cuts in immediately telling him to listen.

“Serena.” Her name tumbles from my mouth. “I left her at the clinic, and now she’s gone.”

There’s a pause, and I hear Tristen’s voice in the background, low and urgent as he tries to catch up. “What happened?” Callum asks. “Where are you?”

“At the house,” I say, barely able to get the words out. “I think she’s running. I need—”

“Did something happen between you?” Tristen’s voice is clearer now, and both of them are listening intently.

“Yes,” I admit, the truth bitter and burning. “I fucked up. She told me she’s pregnant.”

There’s a pause, and I hear them share a quick exchange, their voices too low to catch. “Aiden,” Callum says, his tone careful. “You need to slow down and think. Are you sure she’s running? Are you sure she’s in danger?”

“I can feel it,” I say, the words a rush of pure desperation.

“Shit,” I hear Tristen say in the background. “Is she okay?”

“That’s the thing,” I say, feeling the growing warmth, the strange connection. “I don’t know how, but I can feel her. She’s scared.” My voice breaks, the fear too much to contain. “I can feel how scared she is.”

There’s a pause, and I hear Callum and Tristen exchange a mental look. I can’t see their faces, but I know it all too well.

“You’re feeling the mate bond,” Callum says, his voice steady, like it’s the most natural thing in the world.

I freeze, the words hitting me like a slap. I never considered that the mate bond would feel like this. So strong and direct. “Is it because her magic was suppressed? Does that mean I can sense her wolf more, or is it because of the twins?” I ramble until I hear my brother’s collective gasps.

“Twins,” Callum exclaims.

“Woah,” Tristen laughs, “you are in trouble. Congrats, man.”

Hearing their congratulations does something to me, and I feel even stupider. Of course, this is good news. Why wouldn’t I see that immediately? I’ve never felt like a bigger fool than I do right now. How could I have walked out on her? And now she’s out there, scared. Of what?

A thought hits me just as another wave of fear rolls through the bond. Malik. The name is so clear that I know it comes from her.

“Malik,” I say down in the line, grabbing my keys and heading back out to the truck. “She’s scared of Malik. He has her.”

“You don’t know that for sure,” Tristen reasons, but I can hear the concern in his voice.

“I feel it. I-I need help,” I tell him, and in the background, I hear them both shouting instructions to others before Callum comes back on the line.

“You’ve got it, we’re on our way,” he says, and I can hear his truck engine roaring to life. “Follow the mate bond, let your wolf take over. He’ll take you to her, and we’ll track you.”

“Em is calling the witches,” Tristen says, his voice full of urgency. “We’re near the coven now, so close to the border anyway. We’ll get to you.”

I hang up, my mind on fire, my wolf clawing to get out. I reach the edge of the woods beyond the property, letting the bond guide me and the fear drive me. The urgency pulses through my veins, and I shift, the world blurring as my wolf fully takes over.

I run, my paws pounding the earth, the scent of her filling me, a beacon in the chaos.

She’s close. She has to be. The bond tugs at me, leading me deeper into the forest, and I push harder, faster, feeling the raw, electric pull.

I can only hope that this new bond is real and true, and not leading me in the wrong direction.

The towering trees blur past, a riot of color and scents, and I know I’m getting closer. I know because the flowers are everywhere, blooming wildly, unnaturally, beautifully, and chaotically. The air is thick with their scent, and I feel the bond tighten, feeling the warmth, fear, and life.

Pure Serena.

I turn a sharp bend in the trail, and suddenly the air changes, a dark, ominous energy creeping in. My wolf senses it before I do, a wrongness that makes my fur stand on end, my wolf baring teeth. The scent of her is stronger now, and I follow it, my heart a wild, frantic beat.

I reach a clearing, and the sight in front of me stops me in my tracks.

My wolf howls, the sound raw and furious.

Serena lies in the center, unconscious, her body limp and surrounded by a circle of dark energy.

The ground around her is scorched, the grass withered, and my heart stops as I see the blood on her head; it looks so stark against her pale skin.

A figure shifts beside her, hunched and twisted, and I know it's him. Malik. His face is gaunt and hollow, aged and filled with desperation, carved into every line. His eyes are fixed on Serena, a mad kind of hunger on his face, and I see the sickly glow of dark magic enveloping them both.

The sight sends a jolt of rage through me, and I lunge forward, my wolf wild and fierce, but an invisible force throws me back, the circle holding strong. Malik’s head snaps up, and I see the shock in his eyes as he stumbles back, his grip on Serena faltering before he recovers slightly.

“No,” he snarls, his voice a rasping hiss. “She’s mine. Her magic is mine.”

“Not a fucking chance,” I growl, the sound ripping from my throat.

I shift as I approach the edge of the circle again, my body human now but seething with power.

I feel the fire brimming beneath my skin, and I summon it, letting it surge to the surface, allowing it to consume me.

The flames roar to life, and I release a volley at one of the magic circle markers.

“I’ll finish you once I have her magic,” Malik sneers. “Her gifts will rejuvenate me, and then I will have yours too, alpha. ”

I ignore him. My only focus is on Serena as she stirs slightly.

Malik’s powers are obvious, as weak as he is, and whatever he’s trying to do isn’t happening quickly.

I summon my fire again and repeatedly fire at the magic circle markers.

I can tell it’s infuriating Malik, but he doesn’t stop his spell, and the bond only urges me on as I feel Serena’s body trying to resist.

I glance up, seeing the forest explode with light as Callum bursts through the trees.

His lightning immediately joins my fire as we focus on the circle.

I’m vaguely aware that he has brought his betas with him, and Ava too, who has shifted, something she rarely does, her wolf fierce and fixed on Malik.

Malik’s face twists with rage, his body hunched and desperate. “No!” he screams, his voice a raw, furious snarl. “You won’t take this from me.”

We don’t even speak, as no response is necessary, only brute force.

I barely register Tristen’s arrival, but I feel the force of it. The air fills with his magic as a tornado whips through the trees and batters the magic field of the circle.

A moment later, Marian, Emily, and the witches appear, white light surrounding them as they charge toward us. The other women follow, their presence a wave of energy and power. Marian’s magic joins with the alphas’, and I feel the heat, the force of it, surrounding us and battling the circle.

Malik’s face is a mask of fury, his eyes wild and burning as he tries to hold his ground. “I’ll kill you all for this,” he spits, but his voice is strained, his body shaking.

“Everyone focus,” Marian commands, her voice sharp and insistent. “He’s weaker than he looks.”

Malik’s face twists, and he falters again as the magic of all three alphas, the witches, and the pack finally begins to take its toll.

The circle flickers, and the air vibrates with a raw, electric tension.

I feel the bond surge, a desperate, urgent pulse, and I know Serena is fighting. I know she’s beginning to wake up.

I step forward, shouting her name even as the chaos continues around me.

I see her trying to stand, weak and unsteady.

Serena lifts her head, her eyes meeting mine across the chaos and through the magical barrier.

I see her determination, fierce and unyielding, and I know she’s not done yet. She’s stronger than any of us.

“Serena!” I shout, my voice a raw, desperate plea. “I’m here. I’m so fucking sorry.”

She looks at me, and I feel the bond tighten, feel the warmth, the life, the power.

I see the moment she decides, and she seems to know exactly what she has to do.

She stands, her body trembling as she faces Malik, and I see the dark magic falter; the circle sputters as she reaches within herself, letting her magic bloom.

The forest responds, an explosion of life and color, and I watch in awe as the ground beneath Malik surges, vines twisting and swelling, a massive tree erupting from the earth beneath his feet.

He stumbles back, his eyes wide with shock and terror as the tree envelops him before he can even raise his hands.

Thick branches curl around his struggling form, obscuring him from view.

I hear his scream, a furious, desperate sound that’s quickly swallowed by the thick bark, and then he’s gone, entombed within the tree itself.

The tree stands tall and impossibly ancient, considering it didn’t exist only moments before, its presence dominating the clearing, and I feel the dark energy that lingers just out of reach.

The barrier dissolves to nothing in front of us, and I watch in horror as Serena collapses to the ground, the forest floor bursting into a carpet of flowers as if to soften her fall.

“No,” I scream, rushing toward her. “Serena,” I whisper, the name a plea, a prayer, as I press my forehead to hers. “I’m so sorry. I need you. Please.”

The bond pulses, faint and flickering, and I feel the tears burn in my eyes, the terror of losing her more real than anything I’ve ever felt.

“Aiden,” I hear Callum’s voice, but it’s distant, like it’s coming from the end of a long tunnel. “Get her out of here. Get her to the clinic.”

I’m dimly aware of everyone’s movements, voices, and sounds, but I operate purely on autopilot as I begin the journey to the clinic, holding Serena’s pale and unconscious body in my arms. I don’t know exactly what she did, but it’s clear that Malik is defeated, or at least contained.

But so help me, goddess, if Serena dies, I will free him, so that I can kill him myself.