Chapter 5

No matter how many times the alphas cornered me, no matter how many games they tried to play, I wouldn’t break. I’d rather be exiled than bow to them. Let them tire themselves out trying to tame me. They’d see just how stubborn a half-wolf like me could be.

I went to their rooms that night, absolutely determined to make them as miserable with the situation as I was.

Their demands were ridiculous.

“Bring me tea,” Kieran demanded.

When I was halfway back with the tea tray, Lucian sneered. “Didn’t you think to bring me anything?”

“You didn’t ask,” I protested.

“I shouldn’t have to ask,” Lucian declared. “You should have guessed I would be thirsty, too.”

“Sorry, I missed that lesson at maid school,” I snarked. “I’ll get you something.”

I put the tea tray down in front of Kieran and went to get Lucian a plastic cup full of luke warm tap water.

Lucian snarled and threw the water in my face. I smirked. I made him lose that icy control. That was a point to me.

Kieran snorted and put his empty cup of tea back on the tray.

“You’ll learn how to serve us,” Kieran declared. “It’ll be easier on you if you don’t waste our time fighting it.”

I shrugged. I hadn’t figured out how to get under his skin yet, but it was only a matter of time.

“Draw our baths,” Lucian ordered, voice a low, dangerous rumble.

“I’m sure you can manage to fill a couple of tubs, right?” Kieran added.

I rolled my eyes. What were they, babies? They needed someone to fill their bathtubs?

I ran the water as hot as I liked it, and added bubbles because if they were going to be childish, I’d treat them like children.

Lucian didn’t comment on the bubbles, he just dropped his pants and stepped into the water. Kieran hissed at the temperature but smirked at the bubbles and blew a handful of them in my face.

I refused to stare at their naked chests while they bathed. They did have some impressive scars, though.

Kieran stood up when he finished.

“Well? Bring us our robes,” he ordered.

It actually made sense to have me bring those, since otherwise they’d drip water everywhere. So I slung both heavy robes over my arm and carried them into the bathroom.

Lucian stepped out of the bath and spread his arms.

“Well, come on then,” he said, “Help us with our robes.”

Seriously? They couldn’t dress themselves?

I bit back a smirk as I tried to decide just how to manage this task in the most irritating manner possible. Should I tighten a belt too tightly, or slip a robe over their shoulders inside out?

But something wasn’t right. When I stepped closer to Kieran, his nostrils flared and his eyes locked on me. His pupils were pinpricks floating in wolf gold. His lip curled and I saw his teeth had sharpened into gleaming fangs.

I swallowed hard. My instincts screamed at me, Danger. Danger. Danger. I knew better than to ignore that warning.

Without thinking, I spun around and bolted for the door, every step pounding against the cold stone floor.

But Kieran was too fast.

His long strides closed the distance in seconds. One hand shot out, grabbing me with a strength that stole the breath right out of my lungs. I struggled—kicked, twisted, clawed—but it was useless.

I had trained for months to be stronger, to fight. None of it mattered against an Alpha's strength. Fear and frustration rolled through me as I struggled.

He pulled me back into the room and shoved me against the wall, and before I could scream or fight harder, his grip tightened on my waist, pinning me in place.

Lucian stood nearby, tall and still as a statue, his gaze locked on mine. His eyes were wrong, too. Then, with a slow, deliberate motion, he bent down and lifted my chin. I stared into wolf-gold eyes and shivered.

I wanted to resist, to spit out words that would wound, to shove him away, but the weight of Kieran’s hand at my waist kept me rooted.

A shiver ran down my spine—not from fear, but from something darker, something tangled deep inside me. I was trapped by their strength and by the electric tension that crackled between us.

My breath hitched, and every hair on my body stood on end. But what unsettled me most was how eerily silent my wolf stayed inside. She gave no growl, no warning howl, no surge of instinct to fight or flee. It was as if my wolf was confused. She knew there was something wrong with the twin Alphas, but she didn't know how I should respond to it. So she waited, and I shivered frozen in their grip.

Lucian growled as he reached for me, fingers like iron bands locking around my wrist, pulling me close. Kieran was at my other side, breath hot against my ear, his hand sliding possessively down my spine.

I shivered at the tingling sensation of his knuckle scraping the soft skin of my back. His fingers teased at the waistband of my pants. Then his fingers danced back up to play with the little hairs at the nape of my neck.

“Don’t forget,” Kieran murmured, voice thick, dark, and dangerous, “you belong to us now.”

I wanted to deny it, but the words died in my throat. I didn’t want that sensation to stop.

Lucian’s hand cupped my face, thumbs brushing over my cheekbones, his gaze dark and infinite. “We own every inch of you.” The words weren’t a threat. They were a promise.

Lucian’s hand moved lower, fingers trailing down my neck to softly stroke along my collarbone. Kieran’s slid lower along my hip, applying just the right amount of pressure. They were playing me like a musical instrument, and all I could do was whimper in their grip.

And then reality hit me like a fist to the gut. I remembered who I was, and who they were. These were the brutal Alphas who murdered my father and claimed me as their property. This wasn’t seduction, it was ownership, and I wanted no part of it.

I grabbed Lucian’s wrist and twisted until his hand spasmed and he had to let go. I stepped out of Kieran’s hold in one sharp motion.

My voice came out low, rough. “Touch me like that again without permission, and I’ll break more than just your rules.”

Lucian stared at me, and I watched his eyes fade back to their normal blue. Kieran’s eyes flickered from wolf gold to ice blue, and his breath came in short, harsh gasps.

“Next time,” I said, backing away, “I won’t ask nicely.”

Lucian and Kieran watched me retreat. I could feel the heat in their eyes. It was mirrored in my gut. But I turned and walked out anyway.

I kept my head high, my spine straight, and I refused to run. I could feel heat still licking at my skin from their gazes. Let them burn. I’d survive the fire.

I expected they would chase me down, pull me back to finish what they’d started, but the door closed behind me and the hall stayed empty the entire walk back to my room.

My heart hammered so fiercely I thought it might burst free of my chest. Inside, my wolf stirred—usually silent, but now howling wildly, torn between fear and exhilaration.

“They’re ours,” my wolf whispered, urgent and fierce. “Our mates, both of them. We belong to them.”

My second chance was a pair of arrogant, murderous alpha twins? Someone out there really, truly hated me.