Accepting My Twin Mates by Unwise Owl

Accepting My Twin Mates Chapter 54

Chapter 54 – A Rogue?

Badru

I cut off the call to Catalina without waiting for a reply. My tolerance for polite conversation with that woman had maxed out the moment she opened her mouth. The only person fueling any will to remain courteous towards her was Evie, and I suppose the fact that her pack was an ally played into it.

Just thinking of my mate had my eyes trailing over her figure, wrapped soundly in her blankets on her side… and I missed her warmth already. Finley had cut into my mate time, which only served to piss me off further. Looking at Evie, I was tempted to burrito her up in those blankets and take her with us. She’d be fine laid across our laps.

Astennu’s throat clearing shook my fixated stare.

“Don’t you dare!” He knew where my mind was wandering. “You’re not taking our unconscious mate into a room with a werewolf that may be about to start a brawl.”

“I wasn’t… it was just a thought.”

“As long as it stays there,” his eyes narrowed in mock threat.

When a knock rapped on the door, he strode past me to answer, revealing Lucy. She looked rested, but the doleful and cheerless expression etched onto her face told me she knew what was about to happen.

“Thanks for watching Evie,” my brother smiled down at her. “I doubt anything would’ve happened, but it’ll give us peace of mind.”

She nodded, her eyes cast downward while trying to fake a smile.

“You ok?” He asked.

“…I really wanted to believe in him…” she lifted her shoulder in a half shrug, shaking her head in denial that it had all come to this.

“You want us to tell him to go eat a d**k, or roll in s**t?” I offered a sympathetic glance.

She released a humourless chuckle, “…just make sure he leaves.”

I understood her sadness. I had wanted to see him change too; we had grown up as best friends. I hadn’t known any better growing up and looking back now, I regretted how I behaved, thinking I was above everything else. And I knew Astennu did too. But seeing more of the world, seeing interactions free of the hierarchy and stuffy atmosphere that were present in our pack, it changed us and we grew from it. Finley didn’t and sneered down on it. His cynicism only grew after his brother, Arthur, was killed by the escaping rogue. But how can you help someone that doesn’t want to be helped?

“A she-wolf warrior will be here any minute, so you feel safe,” Astennu reassured, reaching for the door handle.

I raised a brow, clicking the door locked behind me. “How did you arrange all this in one go?”

“It’s amazing how much s**t you can plan when you stay out of a fantasy land,” he flicked my forehead and I swatted his hand away with a glare.

When we arrived at our dad’s office, he still hadn’t returned. He had been speaking with his Beta, Kate, about the proceedings of today. This meant we had a few minutes, and our dad’s file cabinet was standing right there…

‘f**k it, go snoop,’ Baniti nodded his head in wise approval.

That was enough of an argument for me. I opened the drawer marked ‘M-N’, looking for the surname ‘Meadows’.

“What part of ‘wait till she’s awake’, did you not understand?”

where you said all the things and I decided to do it anyway,” I shrugged at my twin with little care. “And I

digitised several years ago for ease of access and amendments. All our documents were stored on-site in our own servers to prevent any hackers from gaining access. I had admittedly read Evie’s files before, wanting

and sighs from my brother, I continued scanning the file, not finding a

head snap up. He gave me a curious look as he entered

through Evie’s files,” I scanned the last few sentences. “Her shift last night…

hairline, his eyes flickering between

were gonna leave

(f**k you!)’ I mind-linked

dad sank deeper into his chair, “…a lycan… how?” His voice was at

He truly didn’t know.

that night, when she was found?”

growing weaker and the patrol were struggling to make out any more of what she was saying. She had a newborn pup, wrapped up in her arms, barely a week old and she sounded as though she mumbled ‘Evie’ for the child’s name. She had died before I arrived at the scene in the lowland meadows of our northern border. All any of

leant forward

second too late to be a definitive answer. I side-eyed Astennu, he saw it

looked as though she hadn’t been eating enough. Coupled with a recent

the mother, was covered in claw marks and had traces of wolfsbane. It was assumed the attack was done by another rogue or rogues. That was before Evie was

mother’s body?” There was

of course, on a pyre,” our father replied with a raised brow, in slight disbelief that he would have done anything

our dead on pyres, built of mountain ash, the goddess’s tree, where it was possible. It was a long-held belief that burning our dead released their spirits to be returned to the moon goddess. To leave a werewolf’s body where it

Lakes, wasn’t it?” I put two

“Yes.”

sense it on some level? Neither I nor Astennu had ever taken much stock in superstitions or the old myths, even though our ancient family history swam in them. Perhaps

My brother chided,

“She never asked.”

if you had been more approachable,” I muttered

body. He made no attempt to hide his shame. All his bluster, pride and smugness were long gone. Only his father, Lance, accompanied him,

hide it, but I caught sight of his right hand, the puckered and uneven

father stood, with Astennu and I

He nodded, remaining quiet.

my brother’s mouth peeled back in a

he hissed,

our language, he’ll always be a chelb! (Dog!)’ Baniti snarled,

shamed this pack with your behaviour,” our dad cut through our pointless stand-off. “You betrayed your mate bond and your mate on numerous occasions. Defied a direct order from your Alphas. Attacked their mate and your own…

words he wanted to bark, fell silent in his throat. Both my twin and I would have preferred a more permanent solution. But with how rogues were viewed in

have told

in a small

our father’s eyes flashed at

hold of Finley’s arms

going!” He shook them off as he passed the threshold of the

Astennu strode away without

about Evie,” my dad stopped me as I was about to follow after. “The injuries on that

after the mother