#Chapter 5: The Worst Mate

Third Person POV

“I wish…”

Olive shut her eyes, drew in a deep breath, and blew out the candles on her massive multi-tiered birthday cake.

The crowd cheered, raising glasses of champagne in celebration. Olive opened her eyes to see the sea of shimmering guests around her, all here to congratulate her on her eighteenth birthday.

“Someone should cut the cake,” Caspar said, stepping forward and clapping his hands together. “Rita!”

There was no response. Olive bit back a sigh; of course the lazy little wretch would slink off right before the most important part of the night. She was probably still licking her wounds over her humiliation during the speech earlier.

“Rita?” Cedric called out through the mindlink. “Where did you go?”

Still no answer.

Suddenly, someone near the exit gasped. “Oh my Goddess! Someone is drowning in the pool!”

Cedric and Caspar didn’t hesitate. They both rushed out into the courtyard and cursed when they saw a figure in a dark dress floating facedown in the pool.

The twins’ stomachs dropped. They surged forward, dropping to their knees on the edge, and hauled Rita out of the water. She was unconscious, and didn’t stir when they jostled her.

“Step out of the way!” a male voice called out. “I’ll give her mouth to mouth!”

The twins looked up to see an acquaintance approaching whose name they couldn’t quite recall. He was male, tall and handsome, with hungry dark eyes and a square jaw that screamed trouble. He pushed his sleeves up and grinned, licking his lips, as he knelt beside Rita.

The moment his hand laid on her chest, Caspar snapped.

“I won’t let him touch her,” he snarled to his brother through the twin bond.

Cedric’s jaw ticked. He, too, felt that sudden surge of rage at the thought of another man touching Rita, and without thinking, the twins shoved the man out of the way.

“You press on her chest first,” Cedric said, shrugging off his jacket and rolling up his sleeves. “I’ll give her mouth to mouth.”

Caspar nodded and began to pump Rita’s chest. Cedric pinched her nose and opened her mouth, tipping her head back. He gently pressed his lips to hers and blew. They took turns, each carefully slanting his mouth over hers and blowing until her chest moved on its own.

The relief that the twins felt was palpable when Rita suddenly sputtered and coughed up a mouthful of water. She clutched both twins as she trembled.

Cedric and Caspar’s eyes met over Rita’s shoulder. They both recalled that night all those years ago, when Rita was twelve—they had taken her outside to play, and she had accidentally fallen into the water. She didn’t know how to swim, and her dress quickly became waterlogged and heavy.

Back then, the twins had been frantic and completely consumed by guilt for failing to protect her.

And now, for the first time in years, that same feeling came rushing back.

The twins knew they had to remember that this was still the same Rita who had poisoned Olive and schemed against her out of pure jealousy for three years. The girl who they had once cherished, who only turned around and backstabbed them all because of envy over their real sister.

They shouldn’t have been so concerned now. Rita was malicious, and they hadn’t viewed her as a sister, or even a friend, for a long time.

“Echoes of the past,” Caspar murmured through their bond.

“A trick of our memories. Nothing more,” Cedric agreed.

Finally, Rita stopped gasping. Cedric abruptly shoved her away and stood—and yet, neither twin could suppress the accelerated pulse sparked by that brief contact of their bodies and lips.

An irresistible pull seemed to be radiating from Rita tonight, and it unsettled them deeply.

…

Rita’s POV

I came to, coughing up water, only to find myself cradled in the arms of the twins. For the first time in years, their embrace was warm, and those blue eyes held a trace of the same concern that they had once shown for me.

But it was gone just as quickly as it came. As if repulsed by me, Cedric pushed me away, standing.

“Thanks for ruining Olive’s party,” Caspar muttered. His eyes darkened and he looked away. “Joy-killing nuisance.”

“Go to your room.” Cedric’s voice brooked no argument. “We don’t want to see your face for the rest of the night.”

I stood slowly, my knees trembling beneath me. The crowd parted as I limped past, still wheezing from the water in my lungs. I passed by Olive at the door, who had her hands clenched into fists in the folds of her dress. She looked jealous of me, as if I had stolen her spotlight by nearly dying tonight.

“Glad to see you’re alright,” she grumbled under her breath.

I ignored her. I knew her concern was feigned, and I didn’t have the strength to play into it.

Unfortunately, when I reached the small servant’s bathroom and tried the knob, I found it locked. I could hear the sounds of moaning and bumping within, and I sighed, turning the other way. I needed a shower—so I decided to use the master bathroom in the twins’ room. If I was quick enough, they would never notice.

The twins’ room was exactly the same as it always was. Perfectly organized, not a hair out of place, the air smelling of cologne and old books. They’d always shared a room, a bed, even their women, and one day, a mate—everything.

I quickly stepped into their shower, gasping softly at the sensation of the hot spray against my wounded back. It was a lot nicer than the bathroom I was used to using, which was why I lingered for a moment longer than I should have. Quickly, I shut the water off and wrapped myself in my towel.

The moment I stepped out of the bathroom, I regretted it.

“I can’t believe he threw up on me,” Cedric was complaining as he unbuttoned his shirt.

Caspar was frantically ripping his own off, too. “I swear some of the droplets got on me—”

Both twins turned around when they realized I was there.

For a moment, no one moved. The twins just stared at me. I could see their eyes trailing over me, following the path of water dripping down my hair and into my cleavage. Their chests heaved, and their eyes darkened with desire.

I didn’t know what to say. The way they were looking at me wasn’t with their usual anger, but something else entirely. Lust.

I’d seen them look at plenty of other women that way, but me? The adoptive sister they now hated? I couldn’t fathom it.

“How dare you use our bathroom?” Caspar finally managed, lifting his chin. “Clean our shirts as punishment.”

“N-No!” I blurted out. “That’s disgusting! Use the washing machi—”

Before I could finish, both twins snarled and rushed forward. Caspar pinned my left wrist to the wall while Cedric pinned my right.

I should have been terrified.

But all I felt was an intense heat in my belly and a desire greater than anything I’d ever felt.

“Take them off,” Cedric growled, voice low and dangerous. The top few buttons of his shirt were already undone, revealing tightly coiled golden hairs across his sternum. “Unless you’d rather be punished another way?”

My throat bobbed, and I nodded slowly, acquiescing. The twins released my hands but continued to crowd me against the wall, giving me no choice. Their eyes bored into me as I carefully unbuttoned Cedric’s shirt first, cheeks reddening further each time my fingers brushed smooth skin. Then, I worked at Caspar’s, who growled low in his throat when I hesitated.

Finally, both twins were bare before me. I saw their tanned muscles, gleaming perfectly in the firelight. Their chests heaved with each breath, and once again, none of us moved.

At that moment, I felt my wolf, Lilith, surge within my consciousness with a ferocity that I’d never experienced before.

And in the next breath, I knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, one thing…

Caspar and Cedric were my mates.