Chapter 2

Aria POV

The car ride to the royal castle took forever. Dad sat in the front with the driver, not saying a word to any of us. Ethan and Cade talked quietly about their competition strategies, but I just stared out the window, watching the trees go by.

My stomach felt sick the whole time. What if Dad was right? What if I really would just embarrass our pack in front of everyone?

"Stop thinking so loud," Luna whispered next to me. "I can practically hear your thoughts spinning."

"I can't help it. What if—"

"No what-ifs. You're going to show everyone what you're made of."

When we finally got to the castle, I forgot how to breathe for a second. It was huge—like something from a fairy tale, with tall towers and stone walls that looked ancient. The whole thing made me feel really small.

A man in fancy clothes was waiting for us at the front steps. He had brown hair and kind eyes, and when he smiled, it felt real.

"Welcome to the Royal Castle," he said, bowing a little. "I'm Royal Gamma Blake Morrison. King Orion and King Darius are excited to meet all the competitors."

Wait. Two kings? I looked at Ethan, but he didn't seem surprised.

Blake showed us through hallways that were so long I got dizzy. The walls had paintings of old kings and queens, and everything smelled like old wood and something else I couldn't name.

"The Blackwood family will be staying in the west wing," Blake said as we walked. "Aria, your room is here."

He opened a door to a room that was bigger than our whole living room at home. There was a huge bed with fancy covers and a window that showed the castle gardens.

"Dinner is at seven," Blake said. "Formal dress is required."

After he left, I sat on the bed and tried not to panic. Formal dress? I brought one nice dress, and it wasn't that fancy.

A few hours later, I put on my dark blue dress. It was the nicest thing I owned, but I still felt underdressed. My hands were shaking as I tried to fix my hair.

Luna knocked on my door. "Ready to meet some royalty?"

The dining room was even bigger than I expected. There was a long table with so many chairs I couldn't count them all. Chandeliers hung from the ceiling, and everything sparkled.

People were already sitting down when we got there. I recognized some of the Alphas from other packs, but there were others I'd never seen before.

"That's Royal Beta Knox," Luna whispered, pointing to a big man with dark hair and cold eyes. "And that must be his daughter Vivian."

Vivian had blonde hair and the kind of pretty face that made other girls feel ugly. When she looked at me, her lip curled up like she smelled something bad.

"And those are the Ravencrest witches," Luna kept whispering. "The famous ones everyone talks about."

Three women sat together at one end of the table. The oldest one had silver hair and eyes that seemed to see everything. That had to be Seraphina, the head witch. Next to her was another woman who looked like Vivian but older, and then a young girl who couldn't be more than sixteen.

I was still looking around when Blake stood up.

"Please welcome Their Majesties, King Orion and King Darius."

Everyone stood up. My heart was beating so fast I thought it might jump out of my chest.

Two men walked into the room, and I forgot how to breathe again.

They were almost identical—tall, probably over six feet, with broad shoulders and the kind of muscular build that came from years of training. Both had thick dark hair that looked like they'd just run their hands through it, and strong jaws that could cut glass. But as they got closer, I could see the differences.

The one who sat at the head of the table had eyes like emeralds—bright green that seemed to glow in the candlelight. The other had eyes so dark blue they were almost black, like the ocean during a storm. Both had the kind of face that made you want to stare and forget your own name.

But then something inside me went crazy. My wolf, who had been quiet my whole life, suddenly woke up and started howling in my head.

*Mates. Both of them. Mates.*

No. That wasn't possible. You couldn't have two mates. The Moon Goddess didn't work that way.

But my wolf kept howling, and I could smell them from across the room—something like pine trees and rain and power that made my knees weak.

King Orion sat at the head of the table—the one with the green eyes. King Darius sat at the other end—dark blue eyes that seemed to see right through me. Now I could tell them apart, but that only made it worse because every time either of them looked my way, I felt like I might pass out.

"Welcome, everyone," King Orion said. His voice was deep and made my stomach do weird things. "We're honored to have you here for this competition."

Dinner was torture. I couldn't eat anything because my hands were shaking too much to hold my fork right. Every time one of the kings looked at me, I felt heat rush through my whole body.

"You look pale," Vivian said from across the table. Her voice was sweet, but her eyes were mean. "Are you feeling okay? Maybe the competition is too much for some people."

"I'm fine," I managed to say.

"Really? Because you look like you might faint. Maybe you should go back to your room and rest. Leave the competition to people who can actually handle it."

Before I could answer, King Darius's voice cut through the room. "Miss Blackwood."

Everyone got quiet. I looked up and met his dark blue eyes—like looking into a storm. They seemed to pull me in and make me forget where I was.

"Yes, Your Majesty?"

"We look forward to seeing what you can do in the competition."

The way he said it made me feel hot and cold at the same time. "Thank you, Your Majesty."

The rest of dinner was a blur. I barely heard anything anyone said because my wolf was still going crazy, and I couldn't stop looking at the two kings.

After dinner, I went straight to my room. I needed to be alone to figure out what was happening to me. Two mates? That wasn't possible. But my wolf was so sure, and the feeling was so strong I couldn't ignore it.

I was getting ready for bed when someone knocked on my door.

"Luna?" I called out.

"Not Luna."

My heart stopped. I knew that voice, but I couldn't tell which king it was.

I opened the door, and both kings were standing there. King Orion and King Darius, looking exactly the same with their dark hair and intense eyes.

"Your Majesty," I said, trying to bow, but King Orion stepped into my room.

"Don't bow," he said quietly. King Darius followed him in and closed the door behind them.

"Not when we're alone," King Darius finished.

They were both so close I could smell that pine and rain scent again, and my wolf started howling even louder than before.

"We shouldn't be here," King Orion said, but neither of them moved away.

"Then why are you?" My voice was barely a whisper.

Instead of answering, King Darius reached out and touched my face. His hand was warm and rough, and when he touched me, it felt like lightning went through my whole body. At the same time, King Orion moved behind me, his hands settling on my waist.

"You feel it too," King Darius said. It wasn't a question.

"The mate bond," King Orion added, his breath warm against my neck. "With both of us."

"I don't understand what's happening." My voice was shaking. "How can I have two mates? The Moon Goddess doesn't usually give one person two mates.”

King Darius leaned closer, and I thought he was going to kiss me. I wanted him to kiss me so bad it hurt. King Orion's hands tightened on my waist, pulling me back against his chest.

The heat between the three of us was so intense I could barely breathe. My wolf was howling with need, and every part of my body felt like it was on fire.

King Darius's lips were almost touching mine when he suddenly stopped. King Orion's hands dropped from my waist like I'd burned him.

They exchanged a look - green eyes meeting dark blue ones - something passing between them that I couldn't understand.

"This can't happen," King Darius said, his voice suddenly cold as he stepped back.

King Orion agreed, moving away from me. 

They were already moving toward the door. "Forget this happened," King Orion said, his green eyes avoiding mine. "Forget everything."

"Focus on the competition, Miss Blackwood," King Darius added, his storm-blue eyes hard. "That's why you're here."

Then they were both gone. The rejection hurt and I was alone in my room, shaking and confused and feeling like someone had ripped my heart out. 

I touched my face where he'd touched me, and I could still feel the heat from his skin.

What just happened? My wolf was telling me both kings were my mates, and now I knew it was true. Both of them. I could feel the mate bond with each of them.

I fell down on my bed and stared at the ceiling. Tomorrow the competition would start, and I was supposed to focus on proving myself to Dad.

But all I could think about was the way it felt when they both touched me. The heat, the need, the way my whole body came alive.

And the way they both looked at me like I was the most important thing in the world right before they told me to forget it all happened.

How was I supposed to forget something like that?

How was I supposed to forget that the Moon Goddess had given me not one but two mates?

And how was I supposed to compete in anything when all I wanted to do was find them again and make them explain what just happened and why they stopped?