Mated to the Alpha Twins

Chapter 106

The twin’s parents contacted us nearly an entire day later. While they had the address for thesafehouse, there was no way for us to contact anyone in the outside world. There were no telephonesin the entire house, and our own cellphones were lost or broken during the chaos. “They won’t come here.” Kade reassured me, ” Marcus’s men could be anywhere. Coming here wouldonly bring trouble.” Even though I cherished these hours with the twin’s, they were wrought with anxiety. I couldn’t help butfeel like the world was holding its breath, waiting for the next move to be made. Marcus had clearlymade the first move, ordering my capture along with Tori and the twins. It was our turn, but we were inno position to do anything.

Both Tori and Zayne stayed in their rooms for most of the day, managing to come downstairs atdifferent intervals. While it might’ve been chance, I had the distinct feeling they were completelyavoiding each other. I thought back to last night and the interaction between the two of them,wondering if something more might’ve happened once, she shut the door behind them. Ava had actually stayed in the living room all night. The twin’s and I had come downstairs to herwrapped in a cocoon of blankets, with various snacks littered around her body. While she didn’t go anyfurther into detail, Ava mentioned her large family and the closeness between them all.

The day passed slowly, but the twins had their ways of distracting me. In truth, I think they needed thedistraction as well. I knew that not only were they worried about the countless white wolves withinMarcus’s walls, but they were worrying about their own pack. Actual war, it’s not something aneighteen-year-old ever thinks they might experience. Where the concept was once concrete in mymind, I now couldn’t wrap my head around it. Even with the confusion and guilt, I knew I’d remainstrong. It wasn’t just about me and my freedom anymore, it was about the freedom of thousands. I was finding it hard to sleep that night, even after hours spent in their embrace. I listened to the ringingin my ears when the silence became to deafening, staring up into the darkness that cloaked the ceiling.The twins had both fallen asleep already, even though I knew both would wake from little more than a

whisper. I was the first to hear the feather-light knock on the door. Both Alec and Kade woke up, awarenessalready forming in their eyes. You could have easily convinced me I was dreaming when Kade opened the door to reveal a palelooking Zayne leaning against the frame. The three of us were silent long enough for Zayne to roll hiseyes and come walking in. I could feel how he forced himself to stand upright, to shove and bottle hispain until his entire body throbbed. “Look, Tori’s the one who knows all of the medical stuff.” I told him, crossing my arms over my chest.“You’re going to have to get over being around her so she can fix your wounds. I’ll only end up doingmore damage, the twin’s even worse.” “I am not here for medical attention.” He said through clenched teeth, his eyes hardened into sheets ofice. “I am here because this is the only way to speak with you without her overhearing. As you’re wellaware, she’s–difficult to get along with. I don’t need her interfering in these plans, not when they can tipthe scales in this war.” “We’ll go back to the part where Tori is the difficult one later, but explain this plan.” I toned my snarldown into a venomous whisper. “Staying in the shadows only works for so long Zayne, especially withsomething this big. This isn’t just about rescuing a few white wolves; it doesn’t just end with that. Notanymore.” “I understand clearly what’s going on, more than you know. I’m all but signing my f*****g d***h warrant.”He grunted, walking slow and stiff to the couch across the room. There was pain in his stiff movements,even if they looked formal and polite. Shadows hung in the depths of his eyes, and his emotions werejust as blocked as they had been when he was sober. “I fully intend on coming out of the shadows, atthe right moment. When you take my father’s head, I will be the one to bring him to his knees.” As much as I despised Zayne, and only tolerated him for the sake of this war and Tori, this was whatwe needed. We needed the upper hand, an advantage against the most powerful person in our world. “What’s your plan?” Alec was the first to ask, his once carefree face now hardened from equal partsloathing and determination.

“First, I need you to tell me something.” Zayne said, his eyes directly on me. “How is it that my fatherfound out about our involvement with rescuing your mate here?” I figured Jaspar hadn’t the time to tell Zayne with him getting dragged off and tortured, but the twoactively worked together, which meant I trusted him with the truth. “A white wolf that Marcus brought, she saw the memory in my mind when she touched me. ” Iexplained as best I could, recounting the woman that had bumped into me. “Cleo. She works for my father willingly. You’ll find that not all white wolves are unhappy with theirpositions. They thrive just as much on cruelty as my father.” Zayne said darkly, “The only good thing outof this, Cleo can only see a single memory at a time, and she has to know what to look for. My fathermust have fed her the information about your missing mate, and she followed the path in your head.” “This is a good thing, how?” Kade asked, sitting beside me on the couch. I sat between my twin’s,thankful that I wasn’t still tossing and turning in bed. Hopefully discussing war plans would help calmmy mind. “Marcus has no reason to trust you knowing that you helped us.” “Cleo’s abilities are like watching a recap of a television show. She can’t hear your thoughts or most ofthe conversation. The longer she keeps contact with you, the more details she can get. She must’veseen just enough for my father to assume guilt.” He explained, his eyes peering out the window, to thedarkness that peeked between the c******s. “Which means he’s still clueless about my involvement withthe white wolves. He also has no knowledge of our agreement or the reasons behind my helping you.”

“You’re going to feed him a story, something that would put you in the clear.” I pieced it together, feelingmy stomach sink for both Tori and Zayne. “You’re going to go back.” “Yes, I am going to go back. I plan on leaving tomorrow night.”‘ He answered smoothly, his eyesbetraying nothing. “I will tear his pack down from the inside, while you gather your armies.” That small shred within me that still housed the fearful human girl–she wanted to run for the hills. It wasbecoming all too real for her, some magical fantasy turned dark and b****y. She had signed up for theendless, eternal love–not the magical enslavement, m****r, and lies. “How–how does war work?” I asked plainly, even though the question itself wasn’t stupid in the

slightest. “Packs always formally announce acts of war against one another. They’re recorded so we can alwaysremember our history.” Surprisingly, it was Zayne who explained. I liked to think that he wanted tospeak, to distract himself from whatever mess was going on inside of his head. “At times, an Alpha willchallenge another to single combat, to save their packs the pain and loss of war.” “I don’t suppose Marcus would be interested in single combat?”‘ I suggested with a brittle laugh thatquickly sputtered out. “My father will not show such courtesy. He will use every ounce of power at his disposal, even if itmeans sending his warriors to their deaths.” Zayne said in a gravelly voice. “Most of the warriors arejust a formality, bodies to protect the white wolves that are his most powerful.” “What’s this story you plan on giving to Marcus?” Kade asked, his dark eyes like bright orbs in thepoorly lit room. “I assume it’ll paint Aurora and I as the enemies.” “As bad as it sounds, I think that’s the smartest thing to do.” I frowned, “That’s what Marcus is trying todo, show the world that were the bad guys. If his own son shows up telling a story about how we heldhim against his will, it’ll give Marcus even more reason to believe it.” “Then what’s the story?” Kade grunted, some of the hardness in his eyes eroded as he looked down atme. “Well–we caught Zayne off guard and attacked him. We forced him to help us get Alec back and lefthim in one of the hotel rooms when we were finished.” I suggested, knowing that the story had holes. Itwas the best I could come up with at three in the morning. “He’s going to torture me regardless, so I better get my stories straight.” Zayne said evenly, without atrace of emotion. What hurt me the most was how nonchalant he sounded, as though that kind ofpunishment was normal growing up. “Won’t he just use Cleo on you once you get back home?” I pointed out, knowing that could ruin hisplans before they even begun. “Once I’m in my father’s pack, I have allies of my own. There are a lot of protective abilities among thewhite wolves, and more than enough owe me a favor or two.” He replied without looking away from thenovelbin

window, “We’re going to need more details. If you and Kade subdued me, why did I not simply mind-link my father or his men?” I paused for a moment, working through the steps. “We used silver on you, enough to knock you out and cut your connection to your pack.” I said a bitslowly, feeling the pieces click together in my mind. “Up until we went there, you had no clue the house existed. Won’t Marcus know that?” Kade asked,which turned out to be a very good point. “I’ll tell him I’ve known about it the entire time.” Zayne shrugged, meeting Kade’s eyes. “I know hepurchased it nearly a year and a half ago, and who the buyer was, which will be proof enough for him.” “Once we had Alec back, we left you in one of the hotel suites. We knew you couldn’t miss this meetingor it would draw attention, so we injected you with just enough to knock you out for an hour. It wore offin time for the meeting, which you then showed up for. You didn’t have the time to tell Marcus whathappened, because the meeting had already begun.” I concluded, feeling somewhat proud with myself. “What about Ava? Won’t he know from Aurora’s memory that she was there as well?” Kade pointedout. “Your cynical nature is really proving handy on this one, brother.” Alec smirked from beside me. “How long did Cleo touch you for?” Zayne asked, his voice sharp. “I need you to be as accurate aspossible.” “It couldn’t have been for more than a few seconds, but there’s no way for me to know for sure.” Ireplied, refusing to balk under his gaze. “It’s a risk we’ll have to take.” He said with finality, “She was with Kade for the first half. Let’s hope that’sthe part that Cleo viewed.” While I wasn’t exactly happy with sending Zayne back to his father, it wasn’t a horrible plan. If itworked, it would give us that upper hand we desperately needed. In the end, it was Zayne’s choice tomake, but there was still something bothering me. I could feel it in my chest, picking and scratching asit made itself known. “Why can’t we tell her, Zayne?” I asked seemingly out of the blue. “She understands just as well as

anyone that you make your own choices. If this works, it could change things, but it’s your risk to take.” “She will know nothing about it, Aurora.” He said harshly, his cool demeanor turning bitter. I could feelnext to nothing from his emotions, and the wall he had erected around them. Brick by brick, Zayne andhis father built that wall. “I don’t want her mixed in with what I am doing, and not for the sentimentalreasons I’m sure are going through your head right now. She has no place in any of this. I might bestuck working with you three, but she is a distraction I never asked for.” I wasn’t sure if he noticed that last part had slipped out, but his anger was palpable. The twin’s stiffenedon either side of me, but I quickly told them both to cool it. When Zayne had first showed up at the door of the twin’s cabin, I felt absolutely nothing from him. Thewall around him was of thick granite, impenetrable and solid. After meeting Tori, the rock began to chipand erode; seared by her intensity and passion. That wall around him was going to shatter, and I onlyhoped Tori was free from the explosion when it did. Against my better judgement, I pushed again. He was finally doing the right thing, standing up toMarcus in the one way that mattered. He was stepping into the light and accepting his role in creatingthis new future, but I still couldn’t fathom why Tori couldn’t be a part of this new future with him. Onewhere Marcus wasn’t there to exact control over him, one where he was free to choose Tori. “What you’re doing doesn’t make any sense, Zayne. Did Marcus mess you up that badly that you can’tsee what you’re giving up? She’s literally meant for you, in all of your ignorant, stubborn, a*****e ways.”I scoffed, hardening my face as anger flashed in his eyes. “We’re trying to change things for everyone,to create something new and better. There is no reason for you to be doing this to her. She deservesbetter, and yet she’s saddled with you.” Anger sizzled and burned through the cracks in his wall, though the emotion wasn’t scalding like Tori’swas. Zayne’s anger was through lashes of ice and spiderwebs of bitter frost. “I don’t have to explain anything to you, not a single f*****g thing.” He snapped, his voice dripping withrage. He stood from the couch, his hands trembling as he clenched them at his sides. He never evenbothered looking at the twin’s as he turned and walked stiffly from the room.

Just as he opened the door, I spoke loud enough for him to hear. “Your emotions come out when your drunk, Zayne. You can’t hide that.” The door clicked shut, sending the room spiraling into silence for the second time. Zayne’s plan was a good one, but it was one full of danger. In my mind, Tori had a right to know. Shewas a part of this mess, hunted by Marcus for simply being important to me. While I supported Zayne’schoice–I knew I couldn’t lie to her. My hope about war meetings and sleep had come true. Wedged between Alec and Kade, with nothingmore than their body heat and a thin sheet to keep me warm, I floated in that blissful space betweensleep and awareness. My eyes were torn open by sunlight covered daggers that clashed in my brain as they collided. Awareof nothing more than the pain and the sheet tangled around my legs, I groaned and heaved myself intoa sitting position. “Get dressed, sweetheart.” Kade grunted, walking past me with a lot more speed than usual. A shirt and a pair of jeans was tossed on the bed in front of me, but I was still having troubleprocessing. Instead of asking questions, I stood and took a few minutes to get dressed. I must’ve beenmoving too slowly because Alec strolled over to help me. “You’re a very heavy sleeper.” He smirked, slipping my arms through the shirt holes. “Did something happen?” I asked, fighting to keep the grogginess from my voice. “Yeah, something happened.” Alec grunted; his relaxed demeanor replaced with one of frustration.“Zayne left last night.” Like a bucket of water splashed against the side of my head, I was fully awake from that point onward.Alec and I came downstairs to a furious Tori, and Kade who took the brunt of it. “Were you going to tell me that he planned on leaving?” Tori snapped, her narrowed eyes on Kade.When she noticed Alec and I standing in the doorway, her emerald eyes fall on us.” Were any of yougoing to tell me?” “I was going to tell you, I swear.” I promised her, leaving Alec’s side to step forward. I could feel theanger and betrayal radiating from her, sinking into my skin like razor sharp daggers. “He said he wasn’t

leaving until tomorrow night. I figured it could’ve waited until the morning. I had no clue he was going toleave a few hours later.” She looked skeptical, and the thought of her doubting me made my chest throb and ache. I masked thepain and hoped she could see the truth, that I wouldn’t keep something like this from her, not about herown mate. “The moment Zayne told us what he planned; Aurora made the decision in her mind to tell you.” Kadespoke up for me, meeting Tori’s gaze head on. His voice was strong and sure when he spoke, “Onmine and my brother’s honor as Alpha’s, Aurora had every intention on telling you before Zayne left.” Little by little, the suspicion in her eyes dissolved, taking the pain in my chest along with it. The rest of the day was wrought with tension, as that looming sensation of the world holding its breathgrew stronger. After a few hours of mindlessly watching television or exploring the house, I was readyto break free from this place. What I hated worse than the violence and betrayal was the waiting,waiting for something to happen. As the clock on the far wall hit ten o’clock, the tablet on the table erupted in a shrill blaring around.Where it was first annoying in volume, it ratcheted up when the sound connected to the speakers onthe television. Alec came running into the room, a plate of forgotten food in his hand. There was nothing on thescreen, nothing but darkness. The shrill sound continued for a few more seconds, when a clicksounded from the television mounted on the wall. The television blinked on, bringing bright light and the enlarged image of Jaspar Fox’s face. He wasstanding a few feet away from the camera, his onyx hair an untidy mess on his head. The leather jackethe wore was ripped in a few places, and the patches were peeling off. He looked at the camera, andbegan speaking. “Hello, Aurora. If you’re getting this message, it means I am d**d.”