Chapter 6:

Alpha Selene.

A few minutes later in the meeting chamber… an hour after midnight.

I straightened my back as I settled onto my throne, tapping my fingers lightly on the armrest, the weight of my position pressing down on me heavily as I sometimes hated being Alpha because I dreaded such awful spotlight moments on me.

The room was frigid even though it warmed by a pit fire that was in the center of the chamber. My elder's chairs were placed in a curve position to face the fire on my left side.

I glanced at my three elders, namely, Leon (the old ever so grumpy hag who interrupted my session with the hunks), Lucius( the understanding one amongst all my elders), and Evander( a blind follower to Leon), their wise and expectant gazes fixed on Alpha Sebastian and Alpha Damon, who stood on my right, inbound silver chains without shirts covering their delicious toned chest which were covered in distinct tribal tattoos I had never seen before. I frowned slightly for a brief moment.

Maybe they were tattoo enthusiasts, I inhaled deeply, taking in their amazing addictive musky wolfie scent before I exhaled sharply.

Their aura was strong but I still could not put a finger on why I felt the need to heed their every command like they had me dazed in a love spell… perhaps I was overthinking it and it was just a mate bond calling to my soul.

"These are the intruders who dared defy our utmost law with our Alpha Selene, and Lucius has the audacity to call me a liar. This will be the last time I bring such news to the table," Leon declared while pointing at the brothers with his wooden cane.

Fuck, I closed my eyes briefly because I did not want to face the elder's prying judging eyes piercing my soul.

"Are you sure about the accusation?" Elder Lucius murmured calmly as he took his seat.

"I wouldn't be standing here at this hour to entertain you, Lucius." Elder Leon snapped angrily with a scowl.

"Well, this would not be the first time you made absurd false accusations towards Alpha '' Elder Lucius defended me with a sneer and he was right.

This was not the first time Leon accused me of heinous crimes for reasons best known to himself… but today, his accusation was based on facts as he caught me red-handed.

"Are you calling me a liar?" Elder Leon snapped angrily.

"I didn't," Elder Lucius answered back in a more serious tone, the tension in the room was palpable between elders as they went back and forth.

Shit, this is definitely getting out of control, maybe I should tell them the truth about the twins being my fated mates and all these accusations would not sound so awful? I mulled deeply as I stole secret glances at Sebastian and Damon, yearning to be tamed and marked by them.

"Okay, calm yourself, Leon, you don't have to get worked up for no reason…" Elder Lucius said to Elder Leon.

"I'm not worked up, I just want Alpha to own up to her offense." Elder Leon murmured with a stern emotionless pose on his face as he hesitantly took his seat.

"Enough, please," I interjected to the slight argument... The elders had a ridiculous tendency to bicker like kids if I did not put a stop to it.

The room fell silent for a while before Elder Evander broke the silence.

"You, who are you, and why have you trespassed into our territory?" Elder Evander's voice echoed through the chamber, carrying a note of authority that sent an involuntary shiver down my spine as he pointed to the brothers.

The elders of the Yellowstone pack were too authoritative, one would think they ruled the pack instead of an Alpha (me)… Don't blame me, but blame my spineless forefathers who granted the first elders wings to sow higher than they were supposed to in the pack when it came to making decisions.

I heaved a sigh as I composed myself, mirroring the ruthless Alpha my father was for the short period of time he ruled.

"We did not intentionally trespass in anyone's territory but we were simply brought to this place," Damon answered, his voice laced with sarcasm and a slight involuntary smile crept in the corner of my lips.

His mouth will get him killed faster than I found him. I smirked.

"Hey, boy, mind your mouth or else we will throw you into our dungeons and let our pets feast on your tongue." Elder Leon declared with a scowl and my smile faded away immediately.

The pets he meant were called Lingua Mortis. This terrifying ancient little beast, was no bigger than a human hand, which possessed an insatiable appetite for all kinds of animal tongues including that of wolves.

With its leathery, bat-like wings and sharp, needle-like teeth, the lingua mortis was a master of stealth and cunning when set free but ours were caged in special holding cells as we used them as torturing devices. It was said that they were the most feared little critters in Serbia and I did not want them near my hunks even though I had never witnessed them at work.

I swallowed nervously as I immediately shook off the horrible vision in my mind.

The brothers exchanged a puzzled glance before Alpha Sebastian took a step forward. "We come in peace, elders. My name is Alpha Sebastian Shepherd and this is my twin brother, Damon. Our intentions are pure as we only seek refuge." He said calmly and his brother scoffed loudly, all the elders frowned.

"Hey, little pup don't ever do that in our presence or else …" Elder Leon threatened again and Sebastian nudged his brother by the shoulder as though he was telling him to keep his mouth shut.

I quietly scoffed at Damon's playful antics without saying a word.

My simple plan was to remain quiet and maybe Elder Leon would not describe in detail whatever he saw witnessed earlier.

"My apologies, elders, don't mind my brother's childish manners," Sebastian said with a straight face and Damon rolled his eyes.

"Apology accepted, but in this room, speak only when you are spoken to, do you understand?." Elder Lucius said in a deep voice and Sebastian nodded once with a stern emotionless face. His eyes fixed on me, I felt my cheeks flush.

Why was he looking at me like food? I evaded his gaze and looked at the elders.

Elder Leon and Evander had their eyes narrowed at the brothers with scowls while Elder Lucius, inclined his head to the back of his seat, his eyes fixed on the boys... "And your origins, how do you come by them?" He asked.

"We are from Romania in Bucharest," Damon replied, his voice strong and commanding it sent a delicious shiver down my spine.

Umh, Maybe he wasn't all jokes and mischief, I thought as my core clamped because our mate bond still lay unclaimed by either of us. I nervously swallowed.

And the elders shared a wary glance, their age-old wisdom weighing heavy in their eyes with Damon's response. They knew there was more to these brothers than met the eye. But their attention shifted to me, their gaze piercing, demanding an answer.

"Alpha Selene, is it true of what Elder Leon accuses you of, and if yes, why bring these pack-less dogs into our territory without our consent?" Elder Evander asked, his voice cold and detached.

Caught off guard by their question, I swallowed hard, my heart pounding within my chest. "I…" I struggled to find the words to justify my unconscious actions. "I didn't plan for this… it just happened that we stumbled upon their destroyed village on our way back home as everyone else was slaughtered and left for dead... The brothers were the only survivors hence I took it upon myself to bring them back and offer medical care to them after seeing that they were not healing themselves." I explained and I immediately noticed the brothers clenched their jaws with dark squinted eyes.

I frowned slightly... Could it mean they did not know about the state of their ravaged village?

Elder Lucius sighed, his voice tinged with disappointment. "Surely you understand the consequences of your reckless act. It disrupts the balance, and brings chaos upon our pack."

" I understand but I also brought them back because the moon goddess herself willed them both to me as my fated mates," I declared openly, my voice laced with more confidence.

The elders exchanged a solemn yet understanding glance, a shared understanding passing between them. "Very well, that's great news if the goddess granted you your fated mates," Elder Evander said with a measured tone. "But you of all people know our law should you choose to accept the mate bond. Choose one of these brothers as your mate, and seek the path of stability." He summed up and my heart sank.

How could I choose when my heart felt pulled toward both?

I looked at the brothers standing before me, their dark eyes filled with fire, longing, and affection. My heart ached knowing I couldn't give them a clear answer.

"I…" My voice faltered, and a silent tear slipped down my cheek. "I can't..."

The elders shared a knowing glance, their expressions softening ever so slightly. Elder Lucius cleared his throat, his voice gentle yet resolute. "If you cannot choose, Alpha Selene, then we shall choose for you."

"How?" I frowned slightly. Confusion washed over me as I had never heard of such kind of decree.

"It's very simple, since you are Alpha, the brothers are going to be subjected to the three deadly challenges should they both accept to be your mate. The victor of these challenges will automatically rule by your side as your mate so long as both of you live." The elders explained their decision and I gasped in shock.

When did they come up with such a law???

As the elders outlined their plans, my heart sank. I couldn't bear the thought of my mates' live's hanging in the balance, fighting for my love.

"Alpha Sebastian, Alpha Damon, do you accept the challenges that lay before you to gain the Alphaship title of Yellowstone?" Elder Leon asked and the room fell silent as Alpha Sebastian and Alpha Damon stood side by side, their determination practically radiating off them.

"Yes, we accept." They both answered coldly at the same time. And my heart skipped a beat knowing they were willing to risk everything for me. And I was about to witness it all unfold, uncertain of the outcome.

"It is settled, the first challenge will commence in 24 hours. Warriors, uncuff them and show them to their separate quarters, away from the Alpha because we don't want them committing the forbidden act before the blood bond initiation ceremony." Elder Leon snickered and I couldn't help but secretly vow to myself that I would find a way to make them both win. No matter the perils that lay ahead, I would fight for a love that defied traditions. My heart belonged to both brothers, and I couldn't bear losing either of them.

As the doors to the chambers closed behind them, sealing our fates, I held my breath, clinging to the hope that love would prevail over rules set in stone…

Now to find out why that Gamma wished for me to find these two as his last dying wish. I began formulating a good plan to meet with either brother as I pursued slowly marking sure I was undetected by any pack members.

A few minutes later, I followed the brothers a few hundred meters from the castle and saw that the brothers were placed in different holding cells.

Waiting for the warriors to leave, I hid in a dark corner until they left then I swiftly tiptoed into one of the cells... Not knowing who I was going to speak to.

"Hey, green eyes, miss me already?" Damon said with a mischievous twinkle in his eye, my breath hitched.