Mated to the Alpha Twins

“You can’t, not yet.” Kade hissed, wrapping his arm around my waist to fasten me against his torso.
This was the first I had felt from him since he was taken, and now the bond between us was pulling me forward.
I only stopped squirming when I noticed Tori’s red face, and how she was currently backed up against Zayne Novak. The two of
them were flattened against the house. I didn’t miss how his arm was wrapped around his waist, his fingers just an inch above
her shirt line. His other hand still rested over her mouth, an attempt to silence her when the guard had come out to investigate.
Her heart sounded like a distant helicopter, mirroring the sound of Zayne’s.
“Are you alright?” I asked her, when both Kade and Zayne finally let us go.
“I’m fine.” She huffed under her breath, which was a good enough answer for me at the moment.
“Guys, I got the window open.” Ava’s sudden outburst made me jump, and instinctively place a hand against my chest. Ava
sauntered up to the four of us, seemingly clueless to what had just happened. “I got it open while you guys were–busy.”
Zayne went through the window first, before helping Tori and I through. Ava was next, and then Kade.
I was surprised that Zayne could actually get his hands d***y, but that in no way changed my opinion about the man. His styled
hair and tailored suits made him seem neat and untouchable. This was the side of Zayne that little got to see, I suspected. The
side that got his hands d***y–the side that had helped to free countless white wolves. Zayne Novak wasn’t black or white, but
various shades of grey.
He helped the white wolves in his father’s clutches, the ones that would go unnoticed. He even helped Naveah and Isaac escape
with their child, something Marcus was bound to notice. Yet, even with those good deeds, he remains at his father’s side. I’ll
always be a bit biased though, considering he rejected my best-friend.
The bathroom we currently stood in was small. It fit the five of us, but just barely. The tile on the floor was cracked, and the toilet
stained from years of dust and grime.
“There’s three in the living room.” Zayne murmured to us, wedging the door open just a millimeter. “You’ll have one chance
before they rush you, Ava.”
“I got this.” Ava nodded confidently, plucking the headphone from her ear to wrap the chord around her neck.
Just as Ava maneuvered through the small bathroom to the door, Zayne leaned in close. It was impossible not to hear what he
was telling her, though I knew the words weren’t meant for our ears.
“Do not s***w up and leave me to tell your parents they lost another kid.” He said, his voice hard but not cruel.
Ava gave him a long look before nodding. She then gripped the doorknob in her hand, her knuckles white around the tarnished
metal. She inched the bathroom door open and slid outside. Melted into the hard planes of Kade’s torso, I peered through the
slim crack in the door.
The three men in the living room were sitting at a cheap foldout table. A deck of cards was scattered amongst numerous bottles
of beer. There were a few plastic plates with half-eaten pizza on them, all of which looked at least a day old. A small television in

the corner of the room played an old football rerun. All three of the men had that large build of most werewolves, even if they
weren’t overtly muscular.
Ava stood just at the beginning of the hall, only feet away from where the men sat. The speaker chatting away on the tv was the
only thing covering the sound of her beating heart.
I could tell the moment the men registered her scent, and knew that someone had broken into the house. One by one, they all
stiffened. They were trying to feign nonchalance, so Ava could continue believing she hadn’t yet been caught.
Ava anticipated that, and flung her arms out at her sides.
One of the men was just about to stand from his chair, but froze mid-way. Three thuds sounded as the two slumped from their
chairs, and the third tumbled to the floor.
“Did she k**l them?” I asked, wide-eyed.
Even this far in the world of werewolves, violence still surprised me. I tried not to think of what I had done to Desmond, and
instead forced myself to think about Alec.
“No, she didn’t k**l them.” Zayne said flatly, opening the door even though he hadn’t seen Ava complete the job. Clearly, he had
some faith in her. “Ava’s young, so her abilities are still growing. All we know is they have something to do with the mind. She’s
able to knock just about anyone out for at least half an hour. Resisting her abilities isn’t about being physically strong, but
mentally.”
Sure enough, all three men were face first into the half-finished carpet of the living room.
“Easy.” Ava shrugged, nudging one of the unconscious men with the tip of her boot. “Big muscles, small brains.”
“There’s going to be more in here.” Zayne warned her, scowling at the man on the floor. “Let’s hope they thought nothing of the
noise.”
“I can’t prevent everything.” Ava rolled her eyes, gesturing dramatically for the four of us to step out of the cramped bathroom.
“Besides, I like the way it sounds when they fall.”
We searched the floor of the house, through the moldy kitchen with its leaking roof, and the dining room the guards used as a
sleeping area. Once we were positive there were no more guards on the lower half of the house, we each crept upstairs.
Zayne remained close to Ava. I wasn’t sure if it were some strange protective side of him, or if he truly didn’t feel like telling her
parents she had been k****d.
I could smell the men before I saw them. One of the upstairs showers was running, crackling and spewing out water that smelled
just a bit strange. I figured that shower was a blessing. Nothing like being stuck in a rundown house with ten men and a broken
shower. With the stench of mold alone, it was a wonder they smelled anything in here.
“I’ll stay posted at the bathroom while you guys keep going. Make sure there’s no more guards then come back for this one.” Tori
suggested with a shrug, “I’ll let you guys know if he gets out, but with the rate that water’s coming out, I’d be surprised if he
finished within the next ten minutes.”

Kade paused before turning his eyes on Zayne. Deep within the depths of Kade’s eyes, there was a certain disappointment
there. Even with Kade’s abrasive personality, he likes Tori. She was practically impossible not to get along with. To see his
mate’s best-friend suffering from such a shithead, it didn’t settle well with any of us.
“Stay with her.” Kade told Zayne, his gravelly voice even harsher than usual.
I could see the challenge in Kade’s eyes, and knew that soon Kade wouldn’t hold back from getting his hands on Zayne. Zayne
seemed to sense the same thing, but refused to back down. I’ve been beginning to call it an Alpha’s arrogance, but it seemed to
be the one universal trait they all had in common.
Zayne’s seafoam eyes darkened to that of stormy skies, where Kade’s hardened to onyx. Tori seemed to sense the same thing
as I, even without the ability to feel emotions.
“You two can finish this later, because right now is probably the worst moment for this conversation.” I snapped at the two of
them, not bothering to tell either one to let it go. They were both too stubborn to drop their absolute hatred of one another. I
turned and locked eyes with a seething Kade, which would have been terrifying if I knew he wouldn’t ever harm me. “We need to
find your brother, and no matter how satisfying this fight would be, it’s not going to help us get Alec back.”
Kade’s anger wasn’t easily extinguished. That fire simply retreated, still burning within the depths of him. For now, though, his
focus was redirected.
“Let’s go.” Kade grunted, placing a gentle hand at my back as we left Tori and Zayne, continuing down the hall.
Kade shadowed Ava and I as we continued onward, still protecting her as Zayne would. We could hear the dull murmur of voices
further down the hall and in one of the rooms. At one point, we had crouch low to avoid a gaping hole in the wall. Through there,
I could make out at least four more men.
We stopped just as the hallway ended in a right turn. At the end of that hallway was a door, with four men sitting around it.
Another fold out plastic table had been set up, with beer cans and fast-food wrappers scattered on top. These men were like the
others, their guard completely down.
I could understand why they would believe we’d never find this place. It technically existed under the name of Desmond Deville,
who was rotting wherever Jaspar Fox had put him. The thought still churned my stomach, a side effect I wasn’t sure would ever
fade. If it weren’t for Zayne’s information, would we ever have found this place? Could Garrett, Julian, or the twin’s resources
have discovered this?
“Four?” Ava muttered under her breath, “Man, he needs to take me out for practice more. I’m never going to get stronger if I can’t
flex my abilities a little.”
She stepped out from behind the corner at the very last moment, her arms stretched out at her sides. The men never even had
time to glance her way before their eyes rolled and their bodies slumped to the floor.
Ava swayed for a moment, but caught herself against the wall. She frowned and waved Kade away as he came over to help.
“I’ll be fine. Just haven’t used my abilities on that many people before.” She huffed, straightening herself and smoothing out her

skirt. “I’m going to knock that last guy out, then fetch Zayne and Tori.”
Ava stalked off down the hall, and I turned my attention on the door that sat ahead.
My heart was thundering now, not from the adrenaline, but from the dull scent that still lingered in the hallway. I took deep
breaths of it, my chest aching as I remembered the night he had been taken. I could feel the tether connecting the three of us,
and right now it was guiding me forward. To the door at the end of the hall, where Alec’s scent was strongest.
I would have stumbled forward if it weren’t for Kade’s reassuring arm around my waist, guiding me forward and over the
unconscious guards.
‘Can you feel him?’ Kade asked, his voice unusually low.
‘I can.’ I nodded, without a single trace of doubt in my voice. ‘He might be unconscious, but he’s alive.’
‘I can feel him too.’ Kade admitted, just a glimmer of hope in his eyes.
As Kade gripped the doorknob with steady fingers, I sucked in a harsh breath. The hinges creaked and groaned, rusted from
being unused. The bedroom was clearly meant to be the master, and was free of all furniture apart from a bed.
On that bed, with an IV in his arm, was Alec.
Rage burned within me at the sight of him. He had clearly lost weight, and was being fed through some kind of tube. There were
dark circles under his eyes, his hair messy and greasy, but he was alive. I could hear the strong thud of his heart, and knew it
would play in my ears for a long time to come.
I stood there for a few seconds, tracing my eyes over every inch of him. My finger’s twitched when I found the spot where his
dimple was, a few inches from the corner of his lips. For once, I couldn’t focus on the emotions of the people around me. All I
could feel was my endless guilt, smothering me like a thick quilt.
We would get him out of here, and he would never look like this again. I reminded myself of this over and over again, until the
pain lessened enough for me to breathe.
“I can get these tubes out of him.” I could hear Tori’s voice from far away, drifting closer with each beat of Alec’s heart. Her
nervous chuckle was close by, “Dad taught me something useful after all.”
‘Breathe, sweetheart.’ Kade’s thoughts trickled in with my own, pulling me from the abyss I had nearly fallen into. ‘I know what
you’re thinking, and none of this is your fault. You couldn’t hide yourself from the world–it wouldn’t have lasted, and it wasn’t what
was best for you. Eventually, Marcus would have found out about you. We were created for each other, because one mate isn’t
enough to protect you. What Alec just went through–we would both endure it if it kept you safe.’