GRANT
‘Did you pick up on anything unusual at lunch?’ I asked my brother as we were running laps around the territory.
‘You mean the fact that Angel wouldn’t look at either of us while also remaining mute the entire time?’
I just grunted in response because I had no idea what the fuck had happened. She was all excited about lunch when I left her this morning. Then she was off the rest of the day.
Angel was never closed-off, not from us at least. Something had to have happened. I just wished that I knew what it was.
“Alphas,” someone called out to us.
We paused and turned around to see Maxine, one of Angel’s friends. She was newer to the pack and had hit it off with Angel right away. Angel was a social butterfly but had a harder time letting people in.
“Hello,” I said as we threw our shirts back on after noticing her roaming eyes.
“I was just wondering if you two were going to be at the party tonight.”
Not a chance in hell would we be going without Angel, and she was on sitting duty tonight for Denny and Andrea. Why was she even asking us?
“Nope. We’re on pack lands tonight. Plenty of stuff to do here,” Gabriel said, to which I nodded.
“Ah, that’s too bad. I figured you’d go if Angel was.” She shrugged nonchalantly and waved the idea off.
I could clearly smell Angel’s scent on her current dress, so I knew for a fact that she had seen her recently and therefore knew that Angel was not going. What the fuck was she playing at?
Ghost’s hackles were raised right now because he did not know what the fuck was going on either. I could guarantee that Knight was acting the same way right now.
While I wanted to call her out on her bullshit, something was telling me not to. I had been taught to always trust my instincts.
We just let her leave when she announced her departure, not sticking around any longer.
‘Maxine was there when I asked Angel if I would see her at lunch. How much do you want to bet that she said something to set her off? Especially with that bullshit right there,’ I hissed.
Instead of running around, we just popped back to the suite so that we could talk in private before showering. Then we would go over to see Angel.
This suite had originally been our parents’ suite but was completely renovated before it was closed up after they moved all of us into the house that Dad built for Mom. It was common for Alpha suites to be inhabited by the next Alpha family. We just took it over early.
“How should we play this?” he asked me after a minute.
That was a great question indeed. Without knowing anything concrete, we could not really mention anything. Plus, we did not want to create friction between two friends.
“How about take her some coffee and something sweet as a peace offering?” I suggested.
He thumped me on the back and told me that I was brilliant. When it came to our girl, she was a lover of caffeine and anything sweet.
“I know,” I said smugly.
Then I went to grab a quick shower. We had been running for a couple of hours, so we had built up quite the sweat.
When I came back out to see what sweets we had to choose from, there was a basket on the counter that had not been there before.
‘Don’t you dare claim to love any Aunty more than me. She’ll need you boys tonight. Give her this bracelet as well. It’ll help stabilize whatever is going on inside of her mind. Feel free to take all the credit. Trust me. XOXO – YOUR FAVORITE AUNTY.’
Of course, she was our favorite even if we would never voice that to anyone else.
“What’s this?” he asked, so I just handed him the note from Aunt Ziyah.
Inside of the basket was a container of blondies, which was Angel’s favorite type of brownie, a thermos of white chocolate cocoa because that was her favorite hot chocolate, and a couple of other snacks.
I was almost afraid to contemplate what the needing us tonight might entail. The glare that my brother was aiming at the note said that he felt the same fucking way.
We wasted no time in popping over to her house and knocking lightly on the door. Remo’s red eyes peered out from the screen door and immediately got excited when he saw that it was us.
It did not take long for Angel to check who was here. Her puffy eyes looked like she had been crying. She turned her back towards us for a minute to wipe them.
“Hey, guys. I wasn’t expecting you. C’mon in,” she said with a small smile and blush crawling up her neck.
“We knew that you were on sitting duty, so we thought we’d bring over some treats. But if you don’t want any...” I trailed off, putting the basket behind me.
That immediately piqued her attention as she tried to peek around me to see what we brought.
“It’s not like that!” She crossed her heart with the most adorable expression on her face.
“Hmmm. I’m not sure if I buy that, halo,” my brother said as he crossed his arms over his chest.
She gasped as if she could not believe his words, but she fooled nobody.
I cursed when I felt a singe of pain, making me drop the basket. Only for it to end up with the handle in Remo’s mouth as he stood proudly beside Angel. A purr rumbled in his chest when she scratched his scruff.
“That’s foul, Remo. I thought we were buddies.” I pouted.
He gave a chuff, which was universal for Angel being cooler than us. We could not argue that logic because it was accurate.
“Let me go grab the monitor. Want to head to the roof?” she asked.
We nodded and watched her walk away. Then we turned our attention to Remo, and I held out my hand.
‘Thank you for always protecting her, Remo. She’s lucky to have you,’ I told him.
His chest puffed out with pride because he appreciated being able to protect her. That was his duty after all. Then he disappeared.
We went to the back porch and jogged up the stairs to get everything set up.
Angel had a thing for heights, which was why we could usually always find her deep in thought on high structures. She swore up and down that the view often times provided clarity because she could see the world in a way that being on the ground did not provide.
All of the fun shit got pulled out of the basket as we got our cushions set up. It was really fucking comfortable up here. Denny spared no expense for his baby sister. The fairy lights created just enough ambience without it being overpowering.
Angel bounded over and plopped down on her cushion, eyeing all of the goodies.
There was lingering sadness in her emotions, but she was trying to push beyond that. I swear to fuck if Maxine was the cause of this…
“You guys went all out.” Her eyes lit up when I handed her some cocoa and a plate of blondies. “Thanks!”
Gabriel tipped his cup to her and sighed when the taste hit him.
While we ate, she filled us in on her Group Prosperity track and how much she already loved it. Her eyes lit up with excitement as she told us about her first assignment and how important it was to her. Since she was a pup, Angel has always cared about this pack and wanted it to succeed in all ways.
Her lips curled into a smile when I refilled her cocoa. Fuck. This girl had the most expressive smile I have ever seen before. Was it cliché to say that it lit up the dark? Probably, but it really did.
“Do you have any ideas of the groups you might consider?” I asked her.
Her thumb rubbed over her bottom lip while she thought. If I did not know any better, I would say that she was doing that on purpose, but she was not.
“I was considering combining species and religious affiliation. Our world is very integrated compared to what it was when we were pups. With that, it can be difficult to have a true sense of community if some worship the Goddess Bastet, the Goddess Selene, the Goddess Hecate, or even the Fae Gods. We live in a time where the Gods have been making big moves that have approved of our integrations. It’s exciting to see sphinxes, Fae, vampires, shifters, humans, witches, demons, and everything in between coming together! The question then becomes whether or not our packs, covens, clans, etc. are providing enough resources to truly make us a family because that’s what we’re meant to be!”
Her face was a little flushed by the time she finished her impassioned explanation. She literally got this on day one and had already put together the perfect project that could truly help everyone, not just our pack.
My fingers went into my mouth, and I let out a proud whistle. She blushed, but there was pride in her eyes too.
“Damn fucking straight, halo,” my brother said, tossing her another blondie.
Aunty Ziyah to the rescue!
GABRIEL She was going to ace that track, there was no fucking doubt about that. This right here was the precise reason why we knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that Angel would help this pack to bring in a new era if she chose to be by our sides. We were holding out on hope that she would agree when the time came. Honestly, it was nerve-wracking all the same because we would respect her choice even if it meant that we could never claim her. Two more weeks. Time moved really fucking slowly. Internally, I shook my head to banish those thoughts because now was not the time for it. I could already see the far-reaching implications of her project. She hit the nail on the fucking head when she said that our groups were meant to be a family. “So how has your niece been tonight?” I asked her as I leaned back on my hands. “Like the sweetheart that she is. I don’t know why Denny says she’s a little demon. Perhaps she just loves me more.” That had us both chuckling because that girl really
GABRIEL “We never go to those parties unless you’re going. You know that we find them lame without you to entertain us with your epic pranks on the unsuspecting partygoers,” I said with a mischievous grin. That seemed to relieve her some, and she matched my grin with one of her own. “I know. Maxine had just overheard that you guys had been invited by a couple of the senior girls. Doesn’t matter. I’ll see you guys later. Thanks again.” She gave us both a hug before taking off down the stairs. I crouched down and started picking everything up. I was fucking furious, and I was trying hard to keep myself under control unless I wanted to just pop on over to the party and then pop her to somewhere in the fucking Arctic. Maxine had indeed had something to do with Angel’s tears. It was no wonder that she had tried to get us to the party, because it would have sold her lie. Neither of us had been invited to the party because everyone knew that we always turned them down and made it known
ANGELI supposed that I had just been overwhelmed yesterday. That had to have been it because when she offhandedly mentioned overhearing senior girls having invited them to the party, I felt like there was a tiny crack in my heart that kept spreading outwards.The thought of any other female getting their attention made me nauseous even though it should not. Part of me was terrified that our closeness would end up changing once they found their mate because nobody in their right mind would be okay with their mates being so close to another female.There were many people who believed that the twins would turn out to be my mates. Many people assumed that the Luna title would be mine because of our connection to each other. Did I want that? More than anything. Not the title but the mate situation.Grant and Gabriel were amazing people beyond the Alpha part of who they were. They loved their people – family, friends, and pack – deeply. As such, they would do anything that they could to pr
GRANT ‘Can I talk to you for a minute?’ My head snapped up to see Zion walking towards me. He was one of our best friends, and it just helped to solidify our bond that our parents were so close. ‘What’s up?’ I asked him. His eyes surveyed the halls before he leaned against the locker next to me. There was anger hiding just beneath his skin. Shit. He took after is father in this regard. You did not want to cross that guy. Only idiots would think that they could stack up against him. ‘Can you and Gabriel keep an eye out for Kalen? I’m not certain what all happened, but one of the new guys talked to her during the party. She was fuming when was walking away from him. I’m not sure what happened, but he had caught up to her and kissed her. It was the wrong move apparently because she kneed him hard in the fucking balls. Then I took her home after that. There’s something different about him, but I have no fucking idea what it is or what it entails.’ My eyes instantly darkened with the
GABRIEL “Are you even listening?” Mom asked me. I took a drink of water and looked at her. It was not like I was intentionally blanking on the conversation. My mind was just filled with plenty of fucking thoughts that were demanding my attention. “I am, but I don’t know what to add. I know that this birthday is important for the pack. The big 1-8 for their future Alphas. I’m more worried about how it’s going to make Angel feel. Can’t we just do something small?” She sighed and folded her hands on the table. Her eyes looked between my brother and I for a minute before she spoke. “Talk to me. I can’t help you if I don’t know anything. Remember that it’ll be kept in the best confidence.” My brother and I exchanged a look, trying to determine what to say. We did not want to ruin any of the confidence that Angel had given to us even if it was unintentional at times. “She’s a mess the closer it gets. She doesn’t realize that we know, but she’s terrified of what it could possibly bring
ANGEL I remembered the day that I realized that I cared about the twins as more than just my best friends. It was the summer before my freshman year at the academy. Athena was new to me, so we went on a run in the woods. The exhilaration never got old no matter how many times she took her paws out for a spin. We had been so caught up in it that we ended up getting lost. Athena’s leg got hurt when it got stuck in a hole. Unfortunately, there was a snake in the hole who ended up biting her. The pain was excruciating and made it too hard for either of us to focus enough so that we could mindlink for help. Two white wolves with black markings found us not much later. They were mirrored images except for the fact that Ghost had a black crescent moon on his chest while Knight had a black full moon with white markings on the inside of it on his chest. The twin wolves went behind a couple of trees that had clothes in them and the twins came back out wearing shorts. Grant held a shirt for
GABRIEL We followed the scent up to the roof. It hit us like a ton of bricks when we got to the top. Goddess, I would happily bathe in it every fucking day, and I prayed that she would let me. Deep down, we both knew that it would end up like this. All of the signs throughout our lives together pointed to this exact course of action. Her golden hair hung down her back, nearly touching her waist. I watched as her body stiffened when our scents registered. Her heart was pounding away just like our were. Slowly, she turned around. The bond snapped into place, and I felt like I had found something that I had not even known was missing. Our souls were connected in the most beautiful way. “You weren’t at the party,” Grant mentioned as we slowly walked towards her. “Why are you avoiding us today of all days, doll?” She was quiet as she took this amazing new development in and tried to keep herself from letting her gaze wander over us. We were hers to look at whenever she wanted to. Her
ANGEL I no longer had to worry about what would happen when the twins turned eighteen. All of the tears and anxiety were washed away the moment that I had caught their scents on the wind. My heart felt like it was going to burst from my chest when they walked towards me in nothing more than shorts. It was torture to keep my eyes from feasting on the glorious bodies that they had. The necklace, the tattoos, the promises… They had gone above and beyond to show me that I was the one that they wanted, bond or not. It was me that they wanted to stand beside them and the one they wished to tie themselves to. I sent my thanks to the Goddess for granting me the wish and prayer that I had repeated many times. They were amazing kissers. They were my first kisses and were absolutely perfect. I would get to kiss them and hold onto them whenever I wanted to now. It felt like my entire life changed the moment that they stepped onto the roof. My mind had jumped off of a cliff and into the gutte