Mated to the Alpha Twins

Chapter 108

Dex reacted instantly, slamming on the gas as he swerved into the center lane. We narrowly missed alittle maroon Buick, whose nasal sounding horn blared down the highway. Before the vehicle could fully regain its balance, Carson lifted herself out the minivan and onto theledge of the window. My heart stuttered a few beats as I heard the deafening sound of a gun beingshot. Bullets peppered the dark colored SUV that drove along side of us. They swerved to the right, but itseemed we weren’t the only ones with a bullet proof vehicle. The SUV veered right, trying to run usonto the shoulder.

“F**k.” Carson snarled, tearing the visor off her head and chucking it out the window. “They’re boxingus in. If you don’t act fast, Dex, we’re screwed.” When Dex’s grip on the steering wheel turned white knuckled, I knew I wasn’t going to like whathappened next. Dex lifted his head and eyed the four of us in the rearview mirror, his eyes straying tome last.

“Our orders are to get you to the drop at all costs.”‘ He said firmly, eyes locked on my own. Where I’msure mine were wide with the adrenaline that thundered through my veins, his were strong and bright. Even though I hardly knew this man, there was a sense of honor that was concrete within him. It guidedhis thoughts, his life, the decisions he made and the people he helped. I had no clue what Dex’s stakein all of this was, but I was surprised to find that I truly did trust him with my life. My response was a yelp as Dex turned the wheel all the way to the left; hurling us through the rightlane of traffic and towards the metal guardrail that led into the forest below. Everything seemed to slowas we clipped the front of one car, and tore through the guardrail like cheap ribbon. I could feel theimpact in my teeth, and hear the crunch and scream of metal as it was torn to shreds. My stomachdropped as I saw the magnitude of the hill we were about to roll down, and the thick trees that seemedto sit everywhere. I felt like a ragdoll in the hands of a child as the minivan we were in thundered over branches andnovelbin

stones, the p**s poor suspension groaning from the off-road trip. It was Kade who kept the seatbeltfrom strangling me as I was thrown forwards. Alec helped keep Tori in place, who was pale faced andwide eyed in the back. The tree trunk that we clipped sent us careening forwards, into a roll that made me miss our previousposition. I could feel something splash against my face, and smelled the brief but fresh scent of wateras it mixed with motor oil and blood. It was a tree that stopped our decent, and forced the car to a stop.The horn of the minivan blared throughout the forest, loud and shrill as it told all nearby that we werehere. Blood rushed to my head, and a mix of crimson and onyx danced behind my eyes. Jewels ofshimmering color, covering the world in a filter that seemed to move as I blinked and groaned. I hadnever been in a car accident before–but the feeling of having my bones crushed, it was one I neverwanted to repeat. The seatbelt dug into my shoulder and waist. Glass was inches from my fingertips,which hung above my head and grazed the roof of the van. The van itself was upside down, the roofcrushed from our roll. “I’m going to get you down, doll.”‘ Alec’s voice was a whisper away, smoothing out my panic before itcould take root. “Just hold still, this isn’t going to feel very good.” My entire body quite literally protested as I heard and felt the click of the seatbelt, followed by gravityclaiming me for itself. Alec lessened the impact, but any sensation sent pain skittering along my skinand bones. Glass dug into my skin, but was a mere afterthought with everything else going on. Half-blind with blood staining my eyes, I grabbed onto Alec’s hand and crawled as he helped pull me fromthe minivan. Once I felt the wet dirt beneath my knees, I frantically wiped the blood from my eyes with adry piece of my shirt. The van was a crumpled husk, a tin can that had been kicked too many times. Shimmering pieces ofglass littered the ground, along with various scraps of metal. Alec’s strong hands kept me fromstumbling forwards when Kade and Tori crawled from the vehicle. “S**t, we need to f*****g go.” Dex grunted, spitting out a wad of blood as he hurried to the back of theminivan. The back window was shattered from the roll, making it easy for him to reach in and grab two

backpacks filled to the brim. I went a little wide eyed when he wrenched open a duffel bag full ofvarious fire arms and types of silver ammunition. It was somewhat comforting to know that despite hisusual jolly demeanor, his intimidating looks weren’t just for show. He tossed one of the backpacks atKade, and within seconds, was urging us to leave. “Wait–” I stammered, stumbling to a halt when I saw the unconscious figure of Carson. I hadn’t noticed her before, caught up in the adrenaline and pain. The seatbelt was the only thing thatkept her from falling to the floor, but unlike the rest of us, she was unconscious. Blood fell in a thickstream from a wound in her head. “No, Aurora.” Dex snarled, using a firm but gentle hand to urge me forwards. There it was–the purposefor his intimidating looks. I could see it in the way he towered over me, glowering as he urged me tomove. Any sane person would have been frightened, but it wasn’t anger Dex felt. His grief and painmade my legs weak, but the unbreakable sense of honor within him let me know that Dex wouldcomplete this mission, no matter what he had to leave behind. “Her legs are pinned, one is broken. Sheunderstands the cost.” I had a split second, just one to decide what I was going to do. There was no time for thought, so Iacted. “Don’t make me grab you, kid.” Dex warned, his eyes narrowing. “Don’t f*****g think about it.” Kade snarled, and I took that as my chance to bolt. I dug my feet into the earth, and turned on my heel. Dex hadn’t been expecting me to run back towhere Carson was, but the twins did–they had seen in my eyes the moment I made up my mind. I halfthought they would grab at me, drag me back and fling me over their shoulder as we escaped, leavingCarson to be m******d or worse. Instead of making a grab for me, they ran ahead. Kade to the back of the van, and Alec to thepassenger side. He kicked and tore at the door, finally getting the crumpled thing off after the scream ofmetal filled the air. Dex cursed and ran a hand over his face, smearing the blood on his head andcheek, before running to the twin’s side.

“You two, get over here and grab a gun.” Dex snarled at Tori and I, kicking us into action. He shoutedtowards Alec and Kade, “There should be a crowbar somewhere in there.

Every move of my muscles sent agony through my bones and ribcage. I had definitely broken a rib ortwo, perhaps even my collarbone. I could feel myself slowly knitting back together. Every thread ofbone was like a stinging pain beneath the skin, very carefully making me whole again. Tori and I stumbled over to the back of the overturned minivan. Dex thrusted near identical handgunsinto our arms and quickly pointed at the two most important parts. “Turn the safety off. Aim, shoot. And don’t f*****g hesitate.” He told the two of us, his words fast andcharged with the weight of oncoming violence. “They won’t send all they have yet, takes time to travel.The ones who were following us, they’ll find us before we can get Carson out. Just so you know, kid.Anything happens to you, and it’s my skin on the line.” “They wouldn’t have k****d her, would they?”‘ I asked, rather than give into the guilt that bubbled in mystomach. From the heaviness in Dex’s eyes, he knew what I was implying. No, Marcus’s men would not havek****d Carson, not with how close she had been to me. Would he torture her first? Or would he havethe same wolf who looked into my head, look into hers? He would wring her for all the information shehad, and only when she was no longer of use, would he finally dispose of her. From his emotions alone, I could tell that Dex and Carson weren’t mates. There was a deep bondthere, but it wasn’t one that stemmed from romantic feelings. They were partners, friends in everysense of the word. There was an acceptance between them that was strange, as though they saw eachother in their entirety, and embraced the darkness they saw within. “No.” Dex said after few seconds, “They would not k**l her.” Behind the sound of Alec and Kade working to free Carson, there was something else in thebackground. I strained my ears to listen, but the pain behind my eyes made it hard to focus. I naturallylooked towards Dex, who was fixated on a part of the forest just behind me. “DROP!” The word was thrown from his mouth with deadly accuracy, each letter only a fraction of a

second long. The twins had told me about an Alpha command weeks ago, and though I knew it’s powerwouldn’t work on me, I registered the meaning behind his urgency. A deafening blast rang out, followed by a second, at the same time a snarl ripped past my ear. Two dullthuds sounded, followed by the sound of two wolves slumping to the ground. “You’re an Alpha?” I gaped up at him, trying not to look at the d**d werewolf only a foot from where Isat. “You shouldn’t have gone back for her, Aurora.” Dex shook his head, ignoring my question completely,his bushy eyebrows knitted together. “You are more important than the rest of us.” “No, the change we want to bring is what’s important.” I shook my head, refusing to believe what hewas saying. “That kind of thinking, that one person’s life is more important than someone else’s, that’swhat helps men like Marcus sleep at night.” Dex remained silent for a few seconds, then reached out a hand. “Perhaps you’re right, but your powers in the hands of our enemies would cost us everything.” Hefinally said, once I was on my feet and brushing the dirt from my body. Another shot rang out through the forest, and I turned to stare wide eyed at Tori. “What?” She shrugged, nudging the d**d wolf with her foot. “Dad might be a doctor, but he has hobbiestoo. Plus, I actually have really good aim.” “Good, hold onto that.” Dex grunted, “Something tells me we’re going to need it.” I palmed the gun in my hands, feeling the cool metal that had slowly warmed to my clammy touch. Ihad yet to use the thing, and I desperately hoped I wouldn’t need to. With Carson on Alec’s shoulders,we trekked through the forest. I noticed Dex doing something with his hands as we walked, holdingthem palms up. “What are you doing?” I asked, eyeing his hands as he held them out. He cleared his throat a bit awkwardly and glanced down at me, “I’m covering our scents.” “You’re covering our scents?” I repeated, my light laughter d***g out when I noticed how serious hewas. “How?”

“How do you feel emotions, or s**k the souls out of people?” He asked with a lifted eyebrow, turning hisgaze back to the forest. “Magic, I suppose.” I felt my jaw slip a bit further, “You’re a white wolf?” “One of many in my family.” Dex nodded curtly, telling me I’d get nothing more out of him. An hour slowly turned into three, each one wracked with anxiety as every little sound brought on awave of paranoia. Each snap of a branch was a wolf in waiting, ready to tear me away from my matesat all costs. I watched the decent of the sun as it dipped behind the trees, and felt fatigue settle in mybones. “I found a little cave system over here.” Dex grunted, shoving back the hanging limbs of a plant. Heglanced towards Carson, the concern he felt blank from his face. “Gonna have to set her leg if it’s toheal properly. You four go on in there. I’m going to see if I can scatter our scents a bit further. Buy us afew hours.” “I can set her leg. Like I said, my dad’s a doctor.” Tori shrugged, “You got a first aid kit in one of thosebags.” “Back compartment.” Dex nodded, handing the bag to Tori. “Much appreciated.” While I wasn’t too excited to sleep in a damp cave, it was partially obscured from view thanks to a wallof moss and vine. It covered the rock like a blanket, leaving a small slit to pass through. I kneeled beside Tori and Carson, while Alec wandered through the cave with a flashlight in hand. Hisreasoning was to find another exit, just in case we needed to make a fast escape. While I appreciatedthe forward thinking, I hoped there was enough running for the day. That night, I sat between the twin’s, feeling the chill of night settle into my bones. We weren’t stayinglong, just a few hours until Carson woke up and her leg healed a little more. I traced patterns alongAlec’s arm, which was slung over my midsection as he snored softly. It was Kade who had troublesleeping, just as I did. ‘What are you thinking about?’ I asked, the corners of my lips twitching from the question. Kade let out a near silent chuckle, his eyes flickering towards where I laid beside him. I could choosewhether or not to hear the twin’s thoughts. While sometimes it was instinctual to listen in and

communicate through our thoughts, there were other times I gave them their privacy. ‘Honestly?’ Kade mused, his voice gravely even in his thoughts. ‘I’m thinking about what life will be likeonce Marcus Novak is d**d.’ ‘This sounds callouses, but part of me regrets not just sucking his soul out during the first meeting. Iwould have saved so many wolves so much pain.’ I frowned through the darkness, ‘How horrible isthat?’ ‘It’s not horrible at all. As a Luna it’s in your nature to love your people fiercely, to protect and defend atall costs.’ Kade replied, his voice surprisingly soft. It was a rarity considering how abrasive he could beto everyone else. ‘Normally I’d agree just k*****g someone and being through with it, but I don’t thinkthat would have helped in this case. If you had k****d Marcus during any of the meetings, you’d only beconfirming the negative rumors about you. That you’re some kind of uncontrollable monster.’ ‘I guess you’re right.’ I chuckled softly, turning so that I could place my head on his shoulder. At some point, I must have dozed off because when I opened my eyes, Kade’s heavy breathing filledmy ears. A trickle of emotions played at the edges of my mind, nearly out of range. Slowly, I extractedmyself from the two of them. Their body heat alone was enough to warm me up, even coating me in athin layer of sweat. The emotions I felt were anticipation, excitement and even fear. They grew closer, stronger only to fadeoff into the distance. I knew that venturing off alone was the worst possible thing to do, but there wassomething propelling me forward. Just as I readied myself to step out of the cave, a hand wrapped around my wrist. A scream bubbled onmy lips when I was spun around, into the hard embrace of Alec. A single eyebrow was lifted as helooked down on me, his eyes devoid of humor. ‘I feel emotions, a lot of them.’ I told him through our bond, ‘I want to see who they’re coming from.’ ‘And you planned on going off by yourself?’ He asked, his eyebrow frozen in that upright position. I opened my mouth and glanced towards the mouth of the cave, only to snap it shut. He had a point,and he knew it very clearly from the heat rushing to my face. ‘Well–‘

‘Next time, wake one of us up so we can go with you.’ He warned, the command in his voice madesomething inside of me flutter. ‘We’ll talk about you sneaking off without us later, when Kade is awakeand we are no longer running for our lives.’ It was a good thing I hadn’t snuck out from the cave, because a second later, Dex was already awake.His eyes snapped opened as Tori sniffled in her sleep. Kade followed suit, and before long, we were allawake. The moon still reigned, even though a few hours had passed. Carson was the last to wake up, letting out a soft groan as her fingers found the swelling on her head.The gaping wound was healing nicely, thanks to the butterfly stitches given by Tori. Half of her face wasstill blue and purple from the bruising, but it was a step up from earlier. Even after a few hours, shecouldn’t place her full weight on her leg. Tori all but forbade it until we managed to get her to a packdoctor. “What was that about?” Dex asked, eyeing Alec and I as we stood close to the mouth of the cave. “I feel emotions coming from somewhere.” I explained, leaving out the part where I had planned to gooff on my own. My momentary lapse of common sense did not need to be broadcasted. “There’s atleast four or five, but they keep fading in and out. It’s making it hard to get a read on them.” Even though the emotions had piqued my curiosity, I was forced to let it go when we finally slipped fromthe cave ten minutes later. Now that Carson was awake, and could walk with the help of the twins, weneeded to be back on the move. It was easier, treading through the forest at night. The air was light and cool, chasing away the sweatthat clung to my body and clothes. We walked for at least two hours, and I waited and watched as thedistant emotions grew stronger. Dex somehow managed to catch onto the light scent of Marcus’s men as they set up their camp in theforest. They were also trying their best to cover themselves, but Dex’s abilities seemed to encompassall things smell related. I t was an odd gift, but actually very useful if you needed to sneak aroundwithout getting caught. We planned to veer out of the way, looping as far around them as we could. They couldn’t detect ourscents, not with Dex covering us, but they could hear us if we spoke. Our heartbeats and breath were

d*****d out by the nightlife within the forest, though I could hear the men’s chortles and jokes from amile away. It was a snide comment, something tossed into the conversation that caught my attention and madeboth Tori and I halt in our tracks. “Did you hear, Alpha’s prodigal son has returned home.” One of the men cackled, which led to a fit ofraspy coughing. I cringed as he spat on the forest floor and continued in his grating voice. “Bet you thatboy got the beating of his f*****g lifetime for helping the soul-sucking b***h and her pair of c***s.” The other men laughed in tandem, spewing vile nonsense as they egged each other on. I knew thatboth Dex and Carson wanted to continue forwards, but they were clueless as to the importance of whatthese men were saying. They had no clue Zayne’s roll in all of this, nor the fact that we needed him tohelp tip the scales in this war. “He’s rightfully suspicious of the ingrateful pup.” Another cackled, followed by mumbles of agreement.“Don’t matter he’s just a figure head. Once the kid is old enough to take over, Alpha will never let go ofcontrol.” The conversation strayed, and just as we were about to continue forwards, one of the men saidsomething that made the others halt in their tracks. “Did you hear ’bout the rumor swirling around?” He said to his group, his voice ending in a gruff laugh.“The one ’bout the breeding?” Gone was the jovial mood, the boasting and jokes that came with a bunch of smelly, drunk men. “Careful where you spew that s**t, Damarcus. D**n idiot.” One spat, snarling at the man who hadspoken. “If his inner circle hears you even mentioned it, we’re all f*****g d**d. Each and every one ofus.” “It’s not going to get back to him, the whole pack’s talking ’bout it.’ He rasped, his voice deepening ashe became defensive. “He’s too busy looking for the leak to bother with us grunts. Don’t want thepeople finding out what he’s been doing with his little white wolf project.” “Seth, what horse s**t are you talking now?” One of the men tried to lighten the mood, but thatopportunity had long passed.

“To h**l with you, it’s not s**t!” He snapped, whole heartedly believing every word he spoke. “Alpha’sbeen experimenting on the white wolves he keeps, the ones he says works for the pack. He’s beenmaking them have kids, mixing their powers until he comes up with something–new. Word has it, anursemaid spilled the truth last month. Said there were rooms full of screaming babies, and that some—some didn’t even look human anymore.” I could feel my blood and sweat run cold at his words, followed by rage so strong–so consuming, Ipromptly blacked out.