Chapter 5: Shadows Between Twins

Kai's POV 

Kian sauntered in looking like the cat that got the canary. I leaned back and watched him sit on a leather chair grinning, I waited for the usual sardonic response and he did not disappoint.

“So, how did it feel to play Knight in shining armour for once?” His tone held mockery and his eyes, amusement.

“It was weird, I'm usually the villain,” I replied after a moment of thought.

“With where you're keeping her, I'd say you fully qualify for the villain role.” His tone was light and mild, hiding the intensity that he was well known for. My brother was the charmer, hiding his darkness from anyone he came across, my darkness was plain to see.

My eyes were unreadable as I gazed at him, “If you want to release her, be my fucking guest but if she runs, that's on you.”

He laughed and annoyance twinged inside me, “Relax, I'm not asking you to release her.” He tilted his head to the side, “We kept our mate in a cage, do you think there's something wrong with us?”

We both looked at each other for a moment, then simultaneously, “Nah.” Sarcasm dripping from our tones.

“After 19 years, we'll finally have the truth on why our mother was killed.” Something akin to relief crossed my twin's face. Everyone had their demons, this one was ours. 19 years ago, when we were six, our mother was killed right in front of us with us hiding in the closet. 

Sometimes I could still hear her screams.

We had gotten a view of one of the men's faces and a crest, a three-headed wolf snarling, on his chest. Then fate had handed us his daughter sitting pretty in our prison and because the goddess had a good sense of humour, she was our mate.

“What if she doesn't have the answer we're looking for?” I played devil's advocate.

“What daughter doesn't know about her father's dealings? And if she truly doesn't, we can send her back to her pack to scout for information, either way she's the key to us getting what we want.”

“And in the meantime…” I grinned darkly, seeing the same darkness reflected in my brother's eyes.

“We get to play with her, revenge is a dish best cold and if she breaks in the process, well….that would be a shame, wouldn't it?” His smile was shark-like, nothing was going to get in our way, not even some pesky airhead that the moon goddess gave to us as a mate.

Selena's POV 

My senses gradually returned to me as I could bring my body into consciousness. I was lying on something hard in somewhere that smelled metallic, like iron. 

No, not iron….blood.

My vision was blurry when I opened my eyes and my body ached but it was the kind of ache that came with sleeping on the floor. My shoulder throbbed as I looked around wondering how I got here.

I was in what looked like a cell, caged in by metallic bars and I could hear the sound of groans coming from the cells around me. The air was damp and humid, and now that I was more conscious, I could smell other things apart from the blood and none of them were pleasant. Guards with stern ugly faces were placed at every corner, each looking even more fearsome than the last. 

I scratched my neck in confusion, how did I get here? Tracing my memories to the moments before I woke up here was harder than it should have been. My body was exhausted and my mind felt fuzzy.

I was running away from something… no, someone. An assassin from my old pack. He had killed Ellen. 

Oh God, Ellen….

A sob ripped out of my throat but I clamped my hand over my mouth to stifle it. Grief slammed into me, overwhelming me until it felt like I couldn't breathe. She died because of me, because she had let me in and protected me.

My fault…My fault…All my fault.

An agonised scream burst out of me, the guilt and the pain crushed me under their weight as I lay on the floor sobbing for the only mother I had ever known. I was alone in the world and rightfully so, I just wondered how much more I could take before I broke beyond repair if I hadn't already.

The back of my neck prickled with awareness even before He spoke, “Well, this is such a pitying sight.” His tone held cruel mockery but it still sounded pleasant in my ears, deep and husky.

Two scents hit me at once, the first one was of lightning, an electric storm destroying everything in its path, while the second one was of the ocean, I could almost hear the tides bashing against rocks as I inhaled the scents greedily. 

Roland has smelt of coffee and peppermint, it was nothing as powerful and oppressive as the two scents in the room. Shame hit me at that realisation that I had been distracted from my thoughts of Ellen by scents and anger washed over me not a minute later at the two people intruding on my grief.

All the heat was swept out of me and replaced with a different kind when I saw them. It was like having double vision, the differences only coming after I had stared at them long enough.

They looked like the gods of old with their thick black hair, aquiline noses, high cheekbones, and jaws sharp enough to cut glass. The heat turned into a burning inferno that started at my core and spread through my body leaving me panting like a dog in heat.

They were all the things I wanted but I knew I shouldn't want. My wolf rose with a low eager whine.

My mouth watered at the sight of their thick bulging biceps and their impressive stature, they could crush me and I'd die happily. The only difference in the two gorgeous men before me was their eyes, the first one, who smelled like lightning had milky eyes.

‘Moon touched’ they called his kind, people were usually afraid of them but they were almost always hidden in the goddess's temple. But this one was out here and clearly an alpha, that had never been heard of. The second had glowing violet eyes.

Violet eyes….he was the one that I saw in the forest!

“Think she is done eye-humping us now?” Milky eyes muttered to his brother, my face flushed and I tore my gaze away with great difficulty. 

The dominance radiating off them was oppressive, leaving my wolf cowering in submission even as she yipped happily. That should have been my first clue. The air was charged with a tension that was so tangible, I could almost see it.

I opened my mouth to ask who they were but what came out instead stunned me, “Mates.” My voice was thin and reedy but the word was clearly heard.

I closed my eyes in agony, goddess, haven't I had enough?