Accepting My Twin Mates by Unwise Owl

Accepting My Twin Mates Chapter 41

Chapter 41 – Supreme King?

Evie

‘For f**k’s sake, stop being an overthinking muffin and roll the collar down!’ Evva cried out in exasperation at my debating how to wear the collar of my sports fleece. ‘You know it’ll make the pup happy and I don’t need to clarify which one I’m talking about. Although the goober will probably swoon a little too.’

I had turned the collar up and down, repeatedly, unsure whether to display the hickies I had so generously been bestowed, or hide them. They had been wonderful to receive while I was drunk on an endorphin high, but now the moment had passed, there were tiny beads of regret forming. I most certainly wasn’t ready to receive any proper marks anytime soon. A mark solidified the bond, making it unbreakable. Only death would sever the bond afterwards. I still had no clue how the rest of the pack were going to accept me as their future Luna, and the current Luna was probably plotting ways to bump me off to look like an accident.

‘Goddess, you’re starting to sound like our drama llama of a mate,’ Evva knocked her head up against the mental walls of my mind. ‘She might be a raging b***h to us, but she actually loves her sons. She wouldn’t put them through that. Can you please start having these personal crises at more convenient times?’

‘Fine! I’ll roll down the damn collar!’ I caved to peer pressure from my own wolf. ‘May as well give the rumour mill some validation,’ because there was no way, on this plane of existence, that it hadn’t circulated through the farthest ends of the pack.

I gave one final spin in the mirror, uncharacteristically worrying over how I looked. I had unconsciously picked out a deep blue athletic set; a high-waisted pair of leggings and a long-sleeved cropped top. There had better be no comments made by my mates because I wasn’t about to change what I wore for any man, just as I wouldn’t expect them to change their style for me and neither would I want them to.

I had expected them to be out waiting for me, but they were nowhere to be seen and didn’t feel far away. While I waited, I quickly checked my phone but had no reply yet to the text to Catalina asking about Lucy, which I had sent as soon as my mates had left my room. It was early and both may have still been sleeping.

As I was about to mind-link them, the door to the Alpha wing wrenched open, revealing Astennu first, his face twisted in annoyance and Badru behind him looking equally unamiable. Their bristling mood had thrummed through our bond, so I already knew they must have had a less than favourable exchange with their parents again.

The moment their eyes landed on me, their entire faces transformed, easing in an instant and zoning in on their hickies on my neck. Astennu’s clean-shaven face lifted in a sweet smile, and the stubble teetering on a short beard across Badru’s jaw didn’t hide the boyish grin on his face. Both with their hair tied back, I could see every chiselled feature of theirs to perfection.

The breakfast quesadilla was a welcome surprise. What wasn’t, was hearing they were getting the silent treatment from mother dearest. While I may have joked with my nugget about his shared melodramatic tendencies, I was secretly disappointed in her. I was used to the cold shoulder, from everyone. They weren’t.

“Uh, here,” Badru handed over a hoodie, the silver one I had borrowed and had wanted to keep. “You seemed kinda attached to it.”

I raised it to my nose, inhaling the deep scent of nutmeg and cinnamon that I could lose myself in for days and it would never be enough. I shoved my quesadilla in my mouth and swung the hoodie over my shoulders, admiring the sweet and proud look on Badru’s face. There was just one scent missing to complete the exotic forest aroma that made my insides fuzzy.

‘Don’t you worry. We’ll steal his s**t later,’ Evva eyed Astennu like he was her prey.

My nerves twinged as we approached the training centre. Tamlyn wouldn’t be in there. I had already asked and she would be out in the field, running drills with her trackers and a few warriors, as would her mate, Suzanna. The only people I would know would be my mates and the Beta, Kate, and ‘know’ with her was a loose term.

Entering the indoor sparring room, I felt the weight of everyone’s stares on me. I almost wanted to blanch backwards and hide behind my mates’ huge and broad physiques. There was one stare I noticed towards the back, aimed not at me but at the twins. And it wasn’t so much as a stare but a glare made to melt the skin off of its intended recipients.

Finley Jacobs.

Astennu

I felt a nudge in my side, Evie’s pretty head subtly nodding over in the direction I had clocked instantly. ‘He looks like he’s imagining popping your head off.’

The guy looked like death warmed up, though it didn’t deter the venom in his eyes. He was once mine and Badru’s best friend. Now, my memories of him felt soured. How could I have ever counted someone like him as a friend? Was I truly so blinded before?

‘People change. We outgrew him. Sometimes, you just have to move on…’ Aasim spoke solemnly, almost mournfully.

“You sleep in this morning?” Kate, playfully teased, bumping our shoulders and breaking me out of my staredown.

Despite her outwardly playful demeanour, darker circles lined under her pale blue eyes and her naturally tanned skin appeared more sallow. I was about to ask if she was doing ok, with both dealing with Finley and her pregnancy, but I was beaten to it by my brother.

“Are you sure you should be doing this,” he circled a finger in the air. “When, you know,” he indicated her stomach. Trust Badru to ask with little tact.

“This may come as a shock, but pregnant she-wolves can still work. And I used to change your diapers, pup, don’t you forget. Had to clean your little winkle and everything,” she slapped the back of her hand against his chest, looking oh-so proud of herself.

I snorted in laughter at my twin’s bright red face, but I was silenced quickly by Kate’s smirk. “And yours mister, so don’t you start laughing.”

what I was sure were

you all the embarrassing

as it is,” Badru coughed, moving forward to shout at everyone to pair up for stretches and a few aerobic startups, pulling off his t-shirt to

sight had me wanting to wrap her back up in it. Her outfit wasn’t revealing and neither was it different to what any of the other she-wolves present wore, but it left little to the imagination

off mine and my twin’s protests before they could even be formed. ‘Do you think there aren’t a few people looking at you two and your bare chests? I’m not intimidated or threatened

breath, switching to mind-link both of us. ‘I need

kissed her open palm, the pair of us loving that

and no one wants to be my

to ask,’ I kissed her

better be getting some playtime later,’ my brother gently bit her palm, her breath

of seconds. I could only hope, whatever it was her wolf required to shift, was

least you honoured the mate bond, unlike my pup,” she glared her son’s way. ‘How is Lucy? She’s not

otherwise.’ Evie would have mentioned it straight away and would have

stretch. I felt the held-back growl from my twin, along with his irritation and his aura. I followed his line of sight to our mate who I had only turned my gaze from for a split second. She had partnered up with a man I couldn’t recognise with his back towards us, a sceptical and guarded look in

boomed in my mind, already sensing our shift in mood. ‘I’ll tell you later,

our urges to storm over and snatch her away. I tried to focus elsewhere, my eyes settling

mind-linked his mother.

made him,’ she frowned. ‘He hasn’t left the house since and stayed

apartment in the pack house in the warrior wing. Even though it was on

I elbowed him for his poor tone.

won’t talk about anything,’ she sniffled, composing herself in the same second. ‘How’s your mom taking the

treatment,’ my

like it for long,’ Kate tried to assure. I wished I could share her

that she hates Evie for no other reason than that she was born a rogue,’

gave Badru and me a pointed look. ‘The rogue thing has always been a touchy subject. I’ve tried working your

That gained our attention.

the sparring and training session. ‘There’s a lot I don’t think your mother’s told you. And, you didn’t hear this from me, there’s a reason she won’t shift in front of anyone except your father, even me. She

now, but we thought it was about her pack and seeing others perish around her, not something so dark. I was still pissed about her behaviour. Treating our mate as though she was as bad as the monsters that had

Evie

into the gathering. I heard the odd whisper as I passed by but it looked as though most had paired up already. This was going to

sure as

and he held his hands up in placation. He stood around the same height as me, and I would admit he had grown to be fairly good-looking, not that I was attracted to him

is a decade

eyes narrowed in suspicion, wondering what his angle was. And my mates eye-murdering

He said with some degree of humour and a hint

at my mates

with me, though

sooner,” he looked at me sheepishly, stretching his arm across his chest. “I was always

can’t have been easy to come to me, with

on the west side of the pack. I do a lot of work with adolescents and teaching them about consent. Kinda putting my lessons learnt from mistakes into

in my mind. It wasn’t often she sang anyone’s praises, so I knew Damian must have been telling

have been such a prick and my best friend wouldn’t have been left to pick

insist on that playtime,’ Badru mind-linked

rolled my eyes, internally. They lasted longer than I expected. I hoped they didn’t think I was going to spar

back at my mates to see them willing me to return with their best puppy eyes. Those damned

he offered his hand out to

show I harboured no

you’re doing some really good work. I’ll make sure they,” I inclined my head to my mates, still waiting for me, “know it