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"Then our father began favoring me over him.

It started with little things..." His voice trailed off, like he was remembering something, ".

..then, it migrated to bigger things. Josiah was the older twin by twenty minutes, he was supposed to be the Alpha Leader of our people.

But my father was training me to take over after him.

Josiah behaved like he didn't mind, but I know he did.

I felt the pain of rejection he tried so hard to hide. "

"I told our father over and over again that I am not interested in being the leader of the clan, but it was like talking to a deaf man.

I tried to defy him over and over again, but I couldn't quite manage it.

The rebellion which came very easy for Josiah was so hard for me.

I hated what he was doing, I tried to make up for it as much as I could, but it was never enough.

As we grew, the things that came easy for me, Josiah had to work for them. "

Sandra listened, feeling sad for both of them. "That's awfully sad. What about your mother?"

His face softened a bit, "Our mother loved us equally.

Like me, she was always trying to make up for the love our father never gave Josiah.

I love our mother dearly but Josiah? He loved her more than his own life.

Mother was the only person he actually listened to.

When she died, he was..." Alphose shook his head, "I don't think Josiah ever recovered from her death.

Our father made it worse by blaming him for her death. "

"What!? Why would he do that?" Sandra asked, horrified.

"He always told us to avoid the Caves of Hemar.

The older ones always said it was dangerous, but the young ones always called their bluff.

A lot of changelings in their twenties hang out there because it's a beautiful sight.

Very peaceful. We went there all the time, for five years.

" He stopped talking. A muscle ticked in his forehead.

Sandra didn't interrupt. She waited patiently for him. Already she knows that she would not like this story. Judging from his dark features, he does not want to tell the story either.

"Ten years ago, when we were twenty-two, we were out there hanging out with a few other friends of ours when we were attacked by Wild Ones.

Hundreds of them at once. Till today, I have never seen them attack in such a large pack before.

" His voice grave, his eyes reflected the painful memories, "We were only eight Alphas.

But we fought them as much as we could. Three of our friends died in that battle.

Josiah was gonna die too but our mother ran into the warzone like a mother hen. "

"She found out we've dissapeared from the house, so she traced our scent to the Cave of Hemar, only to stumble upon the bloody fight.

Mother saved both our lives, but she died there.

" He swallowed tightly, "Our father blamed us for her death, but Josiah took the greater mass of his anger.

I tried to tell him that Josiah didn't force me to go with him to that cave, but he never believed I went willingly.

We've been hanging out there for five years.

No one forced me. But it was easier for him to point fingers at the twin he hated. "

"That was very awful of him. He shouldn't be pointing fingers at all!

None of you knew something like that would happen!

None of you wanted your mother dead, it was a mistake!

" You both would have died if not for her intervention.

Why would he taint her priceless love for her sons and reduce it to something as meaningless misplaced as guilt! ?" Sandra was fuming in anger.

Alphose shrugged, "It was easier for him to blame us—Josiah, I guess.

Our mother saved our lives that day, but our father did not see it that way.

You cannot blame him for that, her death was our fault anyway.

I just hated that he was blaming only Josiah, making him suffer for the sins we both committed.

Three months later, Josiah couldn't take it anymore.

He met with the Alpha King and pleaded to be sent to the human world to work for NAALC. That was how he left."

"He worked hard to prove himself. It didn't take long for him to work his way up to the very top of the ladder as the CEO of the NAALC branch in Oklahoma. That place is—"

"Wait! our own Oklahoma...!?" Sandra gasped.

He nodded, "Ismena worked in his branch before she quit her job.

When she was still running from Wolfaraine after pawning his ring, she ran into Josiah the day she was going to quit her job.

He was the one that called the Alpha King and reported that he perceived Wolfaraine's scent on a human female.

That was how the Alpha King tracked your best friend to Oklahoma. "

"Woaaaah!!! Ismena told me all about that. Wow, so the infamous CEO of her company, Josiah Steele, is your twin brother!?" Her brain was whirling, "Of course. Your name is Alphose Steele. He IS your twin brother."

"He is." Alphose confirmed, "That is his own world now.

Anyway, he never stepped foot in Naturiah again, not even when our father died.

We became strangers to each other. Whenever I go to his branch on a business, we treat each other like the strangers we are.

We can barely tolerate each other. Josiah hates me now. " He deadpanned, his face neutral.

But, Sandra can see the pain he was hiding under that mask of indifference. She could almost taste it. "I'm so sorry, Alphose." She whispered, softly.

He averted his eyes, "I tried everything I could to stand with him in front of our father's rage and hate, but it didn't change anything.

I was the coward that could never pull off the rebellious act.

I think Josiah hated me for that too. It broke me when I woke up that morning and realized he has left for the human world. "

"I sent all kinds of messages for him to come back.

I pleaded. I begged. I escaped from home over and over again, tracked him down, and begged him to come home.

But Josiah refused. I could never get through to him.

The pain was immeasurable." He admitted, "Twelve months later, I escaped the last time and went to him.

I was desperate. I told him that if he does not return with me that he was dead to me. "

Sandra saw the remorse, the pain, and the grief in his eyes. She hurt for him. She hurt for the both of them.

"He chose the human world over me anyway.

When our father's guards dragged me back to Naturiah, I was beyond heartbroken.

I felt like I lost a huge part of myself.

But that was our last friendly interaction with each other.

" For a few seconds, Sandra saw him drowning in grief right before her very eyes and it broke her heart.

But he blinked his eyes and it was gone. "Anyway, that is the story about me and my twin."

It was a heartbreaking story. Her happiness for the evening was long gone. She almost wished she never asked.

"When was the last time you saw him?" She inquired in a sad, gentle voice .

"Six months ago, when I was running a business errand for Wolfariaine. It was the first day we met, you and I. That day we bumped into each other, you remember? I was at a meeting with him and the shareholders an hour ago."

"Really!?" Sandra's eyes widened like saucers.

That day was still as clear as the day to her.

Ismena had bumped into Alphose on their way out of the mall where they'd shopped for the things Ismena would need for her wild vacation and her ridiculous To-Do list. "Wow, what a coincidence. What is he like now? Josiah?"

"Cold. As cold as ice." Alphose stated matter-of-factly.

"Not just to me but to everyone, according to his workers.

Oh, he can turn up the charm ninety degrees whenever he wanted to, but they are all facades.

His eyes are as cold as an icicle and his emotions are almost non-existent.

Our father succeeded in beating all his feelings away until a hard, unfeeling, ruthless male remained.

When he's not turning up the charm, everyone in his world fears him.

He has a way of effortlessly inspiring fear in people. "

Sandra shivered just thinking about the image Josiah presented in her mind. If the male has the physiques Alphose possesses, she can understand the fear thing. Alphose is kind and calm, but his huge, muscled body and the frowning face of his bad mood are enough to scare people away.

If Alphose is that way, what will cold, ruthless, unfeeling Josiah be like? Sandra shuddered.

She truly hopes that she is not his mate, even though she feels sad about his story. No one deserves to grow up like that, but he is not the male she loves.

The male she is hopelessly in love with is the twin standing right beside her, staring into space with eyes that have recalled painful memories that were better left buried .

Although she was happy to know, she wished she never asked.

"Maybe we should allow him to rest, Alpha King," Degar suggested, quietly.

Wolfaraine stood at the foot of the bed with his arms crossed over his chest and his eyes watching their patient. "No. His body is finally responding to treatment."

"But he has been like this for months now.

I don't think he can ever fully regain consciousness again.

Hell, the man died in every way a person both human and changeling does.

If he was going to wake, he would have already done it by now.

I think we are wasting our time...your blood on him.

It's not looking like he will ever open his eyes again. "

Wolfaraine said nothing. Everything the leopard Alpha said was true, so he did not bother to counter it.

"You are right, Degar. But I can't just give up on him."

"Is it because of your mate?"

"She misses him so much." He turned away, facing the door, "I have to get back. Let's give him two weeks more, if he does not wake after that, we can stop."

Degar nodded, turning to join him. Together they began walking out of the room.

They were almost at the door when they heard a sound, like the ruffling of the bedsheet. A groan came from behind them.

They froze.

Then they turned.

Alfred moved his body again, letting out another low groan.

Then slowly, his eyes opened.