Mated to the Alpha Twins

“Tell me, what did you pick up from Athena?” Mera asked, breaking the silence that I knew wouldn’t last long. There were too
many questions on our end, and both Isaiah and Mera could feel our rising curiosity.
We were in the dark colored SUV now, humming down the road we had once stood on as we neared Isaiah and Mera’s pack.
The faint scent of cherries and tobacco wafted from the front of the vehicle, where two dark clothed guards sat.
It was a bit of an awkward fit, with Tori sitting next to Mera and Isaiah, but I refused to let her take another vehicle. I was no
stranger to how it feels when you lose both a mate and a best friend. It was something I wasn’t willing to risk again, even if we
were headed to safety. Tori didn’t seem to mind, and actually liked Mera as much as I.
My mind strayed to what Mera had asked of me. It was difficult, giving a loose interpretation of a person based on just a few
seconds of information. At times, someone’s emotions were a direct reflection of who they were as a person. Other times, it
wasn’t so simple.
What no one seemed to realize is that emotions aren’t just one-dimensional things. They’re multi-faceted, and mix with one
another to form something new. Anger and hatred turn into this festering mix, a noxious gas that poisons the soul over time. Joy
and fondness, no matter if it’s platonic or romantic, form long lasting connections that allows love to bloom in its wake.
It was this joy and fondness that I felt coming from Mera as she asked about Athena, though it was platonic in this case.
“She’s very confident, but not in a headstrong kind of way. It’s more like she’s seen the worst of this world, but she refuses to let
it harden her.” I answered truthfully. I had picked nothing else up, and didn’t want to give her false information, so I quickly
changed topics. “You care about her a lot; I can feel it. She’s family in your heart.”
“Yes, she is.” Mera smiled fondly, the sight lighting up Isaiah’s eyes. “She became part of my family when she agreed to be my
Beta.”
“Your Beta?” I asked, unable to contain my surprise. My eyes flickered to Alec and Kade, who sat on either side of me. I was
squished between them, their hulking forms taking up nearly ninety percent of the space in the back. I narrowed my eyes and
frowned, “You two never told me I could have a Beta.”
“Truthfully, I never even thought of it.” Alec admitted, giving Mera a polite smile.
“It’s not something traditional pack’s do.” Kade nodded, and I watched the obsidian in his eyes soften as he looked at me. His
voice was gruff but there was no mistaking the kindness that hid within them. “If you want a Beta, you can have a Beta.”
“No, it isn’t something traditional pack’s do.” Mera scowled, but I could feel the pride behind her words. I could feel Isaiah’s
amusement towards his mate’s anger, and wondered if she had ranted about this topic to him more than once. “Traditions keep
us whole as a people, but the ones that inhibit the she-wolves of this world from moving forward, they ought to be abolished.
Starting with keeping us from positions of power.”
We had been driving for nearly an hour, passing caps of pine and cedar trees. The thick scent of sap mixed with crisp mountain
air. Even with the two guards up front, I tried to pretend that we weren’t fugitives seeking shelter as we found our way back

home.
“So, you both know Jaspar as well, then?” I broke the silence, unable to stop the questions I had from bubbling on my lips.
“Everyone knows Jaspar, he was a large part of the High Table. Even if he feigned uselessness with his inactivity. That was
perhaps the only thing that kept Marcus from truly suspecting him.” Mera laughed, and while the sound was beautiful, it was both
bitter and joyous. “‘Yes, Aurora. Jaspar has helped us a time or two, and we have returned the favor.”
An odd thought came to mind and I found myself speaking freely, “Did those favors include helping some white wolves find
refuge?”
I had my answer when surprise washed through both her and Isaiah, though their faces were schooled into identical masks of
indifference. I understood the perfected looks of cluelessness, especially when Marcus held most of the power in this world. One
visit from him, and you’d want to fortify your walls, protect your people.
“We all have our secrets, especially those of us against Marcus and the remaining table members.” Isaiah said, sounding wise
despite how young he looked. He locked eyes with Mera, and the two of them seemed to fade into their own world. I knew the
look, the glassiness in their eyes. They were speaking through thoughts, having a conversation disconnected from the rest of us.
The vehicle was cloaked in silence for the next two minutes, until they finished their conversation. Isaiah looked back towards
me, worry creeping at the corners of his emotions. “You must forgive us, but we hold high stakes in all of this. Especially now that
a war is brewing.”
“She will understand, Isaiah.” Mera said softly, her eyes never leaving my own. Isaiah was the caution to Mera’s fearlessness. He
was the voice of reason that held her back. I could only imagine how he handled both Mera and Athena. The thought only made
me like the two of them more. “I’m positive her abilities make her a good judge of character.”
“You’d be correct. I can tell that you’re both being honest, and that you’re very protective of whatever it is you’re hiding.” I
nodded, glancing between the two of them. It was an invasion of privacy, but one I couldn’t turn off. I could try to ignore the
emotions I felt around me, but they washed down my shoulders regardless. A smirk formed on Mera’s face as I continued,
matched by my widening smile. “Actually, it was your general hatred for Marcus that piqued my interest in you both. I might have
never noticed you if I couldn’t feel what you were feeling. It gave me hope that there were at least another pack who saw him for
what he was.”
“I told you this girl will change things.” Mera grinned wildly at Isaiah, who gave me an apologetic smile.
“I am not an optimist.” He admitted reluctantly, sighing when Mera began to laugh. “Not like Mera is.”
“I’m not an optimist either. I’m a realist, darling.” Mera chided her mate with an intimate smile. She looked towards me, and kept
her gaze locked on my own. “Sooner or later, Marcus was going to c***h and b**n. After everything he has done, that much
negative energy won’t just knock him down a peg. It’ll obliterate the ladder entirely.”
This was the first time I had been up in the mountains. Each steep incline and decline had my blood pumping, but it was the
rocky slope of the cliff a few feet away that had me breaking out in a cold sweat.

Over the course of an hour, every single car on the highway had exited. Just as I thought the forest and highway would never
end, we took an exit towards Vail.
The exit led onto a small two-laned road, which lead through the forest and deeper within.
Both Tori and I audibly gasped when we finally made it into town. Mera and Isaiah radiated pride and I could clearly see why.
The streets were cobblestone, rounded and smoothed without any wear or tear. Robust streetlights dotted the strip of road we
were driving on. The speed limit slowed drastically, giving me plenty of time to absorb everything. A few men and women walked
down the wide sidewalks, towards the smaller shops that sat along the road. Behind those shops I could see mountainous walls
climbing upwards, capped with snow.
They towered over us, caging us in. Oddly enough, instead of feeling trapped, I felt protected.
The only grocery store in town was a relatively small building, but its huge windows let in copious amounts of warm sunlight, and
the clerk had been one of the nicest women I had yet to meet. There were two gas stations, a quaint coffee shop with a large
chalkboard sign, and even a small hair salon.
We continued through town where the shops and street lamps thinned out. Forest once again surrounded us, but I could now
make out the houses within each cluster of trees. Some of the houses were larger than others, and sat towards the forests edge.
Others were smaller, but had winding driveways that led deeper into the forest.
Finally, it was our turn to venture down one of these driveways. The guard driving maneuvered the SUV over the rocky path,
towards a little two-story house just a hundred feet into the forest.
The outside of the house had initially been a light shade of baby blue, but whoever lived here clearly had a fondness for painting.
Slashes and platters were painted across the house, porch, and even some of the windows.
There were vines of twisting flowers, curls of starving flame, and waves of cobalt and sea green. Most of the slashes and paint
marks made no sense, but somehow seemed to cohesively go with the house. The front door, which had once been white, was
now various shades of red and gold.
Off to the side of the house was a huge garden, the star of the show being at least a dozen fully ripened tomato plants.
We exited the vehicle as it rolled to a stop just in front of the wrap around porch. Mera led us up the stairs, but stopped at the
front door.
“This place is incredible.” I told her, glancing around at the thick trees that shot far into the sky.
“We have been working on this for the last ten years.” Mera smiled proudly.
“You’ve been working on the house for ten years?” I questioned, trying and failing not to give her a strange look.
“No, the town.” She chuckled, shaking her head.
“I thought the town was the capital of your pack?” I replied, looking between both Mera and Isaiah.
“No. For all intents and purposes, this place does not exist. While you four are here, you do not exist either.” Mera said with a
proud smile, and though the way she said it was a bit ominous, it was exactly what we needed.

“I am trusting you with this, not only because I hope it can win us this war, but because I would very much like to be friends in the
future, Aurora. And the same goes for you, Tori.” Mera smiled softly, though I detected just a shred of nerves. Whatever she was
protecting, it was very important. “I did not tell you the entire truth when we first met. Marcus did take my sister when she was
thirteen, but it was Jaspar Fox who helped get her back, ten years later. It was a favor he owed me, one of my choosing.
Rescuing Sabine—it nearly had him caught.”
“He rescued your sister from Marcus, ten years later?” I couldn’t keep the h****r from my words, not with the way Mera’s heart
ached and her throat burned from guilt and shame.
“She is not the same as she once was.” Mera said softly, clutching the doorknob in her hand, pushing it open. “Apart of her has
never come back from that place.”
The soft sound of singing trickled through the house, sounding towards the back. We found the source as we ventured into the
living room, and stepped on the thick plastic sheets that lined the floors.
Standing across the room, with her golden hair pulled up in a bun, was Sabine. Much thinner than Mera, Sabine had a wispier
form. She was singing to herself, her eyes closed as she slashed and swiped with the paint brush. She made broad strokes
down the wall of the living room, mixing pinks with blues and greens with yellows, as she painted in a language only, she
understood.
“Sabine, I told you I was bringing guests.” Mera said softly, though Sabine still jumped at the sound. Pain passed through Mera
as she recognized her sister’s reaction. “I absolutely love what you’ve done with the walls. The blues and pinks are just stunning,
like a sunset.”
She hid the emotion well, but I could feel the stab of sheer terror that wrapped itself around Sabine’s neck the moment she had
been startled. For that split second, she hadn’t been rescued. She was still right where Marcus wanted her.
Sabine turned to the four of us, her face slim and cerulean eyes unnaturally bright. They weren’t quite looking at any of us–more
like, past us.
“One Luna has twins, and the other Luna has the cursed son.” She said in a dreamy voice, her pale lips opening and closing. I
could feel Tori tense, and just when I thought Sabine might continue, she blinked with surprise. “Oh, would anyone care for some
tea? It has butterfly pea flowers. They turn purple when you add lemon juice. How wonderful.”