Page 6 of Alpha’s Twins (Alpha Kings Island #3)

I’m not really sure what I expected from having a mate. I’ll admit I probably didn’t give it enough thought; I was too caught up in the ways I didn’t want things to change. I never anticipated what my mate might be expecting.

Discovering that Serena was the sexy woman I caught trying to leave the night before the ceremony was one thing—that she was trying to escape me, that was a first. I don’t usually send women running, but apparently this one is different.

The second is that she barely wants to look at me, never mind talk to me.

She seems completely immune to any of the usual ways I charm women.

She looked completely radiant during the ceremony.

Nervous, but radiant. I was tempted to tease her about her near escape, but something in the way her eyes kept darting to Nolan told me to leave it alone.

Her fear out on the trail was real, and I felt like a total jerk as I sent her back to her pack, but the fallout would have been immense if one of Nolan’s party had run away—so much worse if it had been the woman they’d brought over to be my mate.

I’d almost told my brothers about my encounter with the beautiful, tiny shifter this morning, but now I’m glad I didn’t.

I don’t know why, but once I realized who she was, joking about a woman running from Nolan didn’t seem as amusing.

Even if I still think Nolan is an asshole.

What is even less funny is that my mate still appears to want to run, even now that she knows who I am. So is Nolan the asshole, or am I?

It appears the answer may be both of us, given that Serena appears less than happy about being my mate.

I didn’t expect this reaction; I was so caught up in my feelings that it didn’t even occur to me that she might not be happy about her part in it.

Women like me, after all. I wasn’t expecting a great romance, but I at least thought we’d consummate the mating and have some fun.

I was right about one thing: she was happy enough to be leaving Nolan and even the people traveling with him.

She barely gave them a backward glance as I introduced her to Ava, Emily, and my brothers.

She seemed genuinely shocked to discover that Tristen’s mate is a witch and almost as short as she is.

The pack party after the ceremony continued well into the evening, but Serena retreated to the house at the first opportunity when the girls offered to show her where she’d be staying.

Once she was in the house, she pretty much locked herself in the spare room—so much for consummating the mating.

I didn’t want her to feel awkward as the party continued, so I stayed at the house, too; I bet everyone thought we were having a wild night.

I scoff at the thought as I slam my fist into the bag hanging from the pack gym’s roof.

It’s been forty-eight hours, and I still can’t shake the irritation every time someone ribs me about my mate, insinuates we fucked all night, or asks how it’s going.

My wolf feels more on edge than ever. Even getting back to patrolling last night didn’t help.

I assumed I was just feeling restless over Malik, but it feels so much bigger than that.

How can anything feel bigger than Malik’s lingering threat?

I hit the bag again and again until I feel a satisfying burn in my knuckles.

The guys are beginning to arrive for tonight’s patrol, and I can feel my wolf’s stark need to run coursing through my veins.

I need to run or fuck, and only one of those outcomes is likely tonight.

I know I could technically hit up the bars on the edge of town—I’ve no doubt those witches would like another round, and goddess knows I could do with a drink if that had any more of that batch.

But something about being seen as cheating on my mate within two days of the ceremony doesn’t seem as appealing anymore.

The truth is, I don’t even know her. I still maintain I shouldn’t care.

But she makes me feel off balance somehow.

Out on the trail that night, and then again when I took her hand during the ceremony, I noticed that my wolf reacted so strongly.

I would assume it’s confused by the mating ceremony, but it happened before that, too, when I didn’t even know who she was.

It’s only when she’s around, or I think of her, that the feeling rises so fast and so intensely.

Like I need her in some primal way that I’ve never felt before.

It’s unnerving. I don’t like being unnerved.

I also don’t like having no clue what’s going on in my own home.

I saw her briefly in the kitchen this morning, blushing furiously as she grabbed some food that I’d told her was there, before shutting herself in her room again.

She’s probably still in there right now, hiding out while I’m gone.

I need to figure out what the hell is going on with her. Is it me, or is it something else?

I snarl at the bag as it swings, turning away to join the rest of the patrol. I pull on my shirt, ignoring the curious looks. I know they’re wondering why I’m not in my usual easygoing mood. I’m beginning to wonder the same thing myself.

“There you are,” Jace says as he walks through the gym door. “I was going to call by the house but didn’t want to interrupt anything.”

He laughs, but when I don’t reciprocate, his amusement trails off.

I notice Sam and some of the other betas drifting away, obviously knowing better than to get in my way.

Jace, my oldest friend, seems resolved to take a different tack.

“I’m just joking, man,” he shrugs lightly, grabbing the bag I’m punching to steady it for me. “Things going okay there?”

I ease up slightly and sigh. “She’s still not talking to me,” I admit.

Jace chuckles, “Not the first time you’ve upset a woman, Aiden.”

I roll my eyes and slam my fist into the bag again, sending him staggering back to steady himself. “I usually have to at least talk to them first before they’re pissed off; Serena arrived upset.”

Maybe it’s because I sent her back to Nolan, but why didn’t she just say who she was then?

“Have you considered that she didn’t want the ceremony?” Jace asks, causing me to stop suddenly. “Maybe she didn’t want to come here.”

I feel stupid for a minute as I stare at him, trying to process what he said. I’ve been so hung up on how my life would change that I didn’t really consider the process from her side. “I mean, don’t most female shifters want to be a luna?” I finally say, cringing at how it sounds.

Jace laughs. “Are you saying you’re a catch, Aiden?” He continues laughing even after I’ve swung the bag at him.

Deciding I can’t take any more of this and unwilling to have a deeper conversation about any of it standing in the gym, I turn to Sam and the others who are busy pretending they’re not listening.

“Ben Thompson called in to say his cattle were skittish in the top fields boarding the valley, so we’re going to concentrate over that way tonight, check it out for him. ”

Everyone nods; they’re a well-oiled machine at this point when it comes to patrols.

I know it’s a long shot, but Ben was pretty stressed when he called, so it makes sense to patrol the valley tonight.

Besides, I’m glad of the distraction, but I can’t help but notice that the rush of adrenaline I’d normally feel before a patrol is missing.

I shake my head, like I can physically push the thoughts away, and lead the others out of the gym.

I shift as soon as we’re past the tree line, hoping my wolf will settle and push me into the right headspace.

It doesn’t. We start the patrol, and I focus everything on doing it to the best of my ability, my senses scanning for threats as we run hard through the dense night.

It feels good, but not good enough. The wind is fresh and bracing, but something feels missing. My wolf is restless, and I wonder why it’s not enough to be out here. I push us harder, my paws pounding the ground, but the feeling lingers, an itch I can’t quite scratch.

The patrol is uneventful. We find no signs of Malik’s pack venturing this far.

Not even the stray scent of a lone wolf.

There’s nothing to suggest why Ben’s cattle are nervous, but we make a long sweep of the valley anyway, just to be sure.

I’ll call him in the morning to reassure him.

Hell, I can’t blame anyone for still being suspicious when I’m the one still patrolling so hard.

The guys are all in good spirits, but I know they can tell I’m not.

I’m distant and pissed off, even though I try not to show it.

We return from the patrol around midnight, and the others head back to the gym to change.

I go straight to the house, still in wolf form, and circle the perimeter.

I have no reason to think there’s any threat, but it feels like something I should do.

I’m not sure who I’m trying to reassure more, really.

I shift back as I reach the front door and grab some clothes from the hamper I keep on the porch.

I feel weary in a way I’m not used to as I walk into the house.

It’s quiet inside, and I guess Serena’s probably asleep.

Tomorrow I will have to try again. Try harder, perhaps, if this is going to work.

Maybe I could get Ava or Emily to talk to her.

Maybe that will get me some answers without me having to ask for them myself.

I notice the door to her room is slightly open as I walk down the hall, and for a moment, I consider that she might be waiting for me.

The hope dies as I peer in and see she isn’t there.

The bed is still made, like it hasn’t been touched.

I curse under my breath, not sure if I should be more annoyed or simply worried.

At least it’s a change from the door being shut in my face, I guess.

I move through the house to the back door, scanning the dark yard for any sign of her.

I don’t see anything at first, but then I notice her.

She’s out past the edge of the garden, by the old woodshed.

I watch from the shadows, trying to figure out what she’s doing out there.

For a moment, I wonder if she’s planning to run again, but she’s not dressed for it.

Her light, flowing shirt is almost luminescent in the moonlight, catching a breeze that lifts the edges around her like a halo.

I almost want to laugh at myself for the sense of calm I feel when I realize she’s not about to take off. It’s ridiculous.

I close the distance between us, still unsure what she’s doing out here.

I’m about to call out her name when I see the flowers she’s looking at.

It’s strange that I didn’t notice them growing here before; they’re tall and wild-looking, but the way they react to Serena’s touch is even stranger.

She’s crouched in front of them, and as she reaches out, I see the flowers physically turn towards her, like she’s the sun.

They begin to flourish, the same way her bouquet did at the ceremony, this time rising upward and twisting to form an arch before cascading down in a beautiful display.

Despite only having the moonlight, I can see the colors bursting to life.

I stop dead in my tracks, sure this isn’t something that’s supposed to happen.

I don’t know what the hell it means, but it’s beautiful, and I can’t take my eyes off her.

Her hair is loose, and her head is tilted slightly as she watches the flowers.

Her expression is so soft and serene that it makes my chest tighten.

I’m caught up in it, in her, when suddenly she seems to sense something.

Someone. I should just step out and talk to her, but that just feels too hard.

I never usually have a problem talking to women, and I didn’t expect this to be any different.

But then I’ve never had a mate before, and I never expected it to be someone as intriguing as Serena.

I slip back into the house, and a few minutes later, I hear the back door click shut and the sound of her rushing quietly back to her room. I wonder if she’s ever going to stop hiding from me.