TWO MATES?

ZEVIAN POV

I stared at the paper, looking at the picture that was staring back at me. The face of a girl with flushed cheeks and black hair scattered over her face like she had run her hand through it an alarming number of times. Her luscious pink lips were narrowed into a pout.

But that wasn’t what had caught my attention, leaving me stunned for hours.

The eyes…

Her eyes were the shade of a moss hidden in shadow. The green jewel coneflower. A color that only one twin had—Amaris.

I stared at the file again, the one I had ordered Lucas to bring for me. When I felt something wasn’t adding up.

And slowly, the realization that Amaris was the one who I had met at the club that night sank in.

I stood up from the chair, unable to control the range of emotions flowing through me. Something was wrong.

I definitely felt the mate bond that night. That was why I did everything I could to track down the woman I had shared the best night of my life with.

And I finally found her… or so I thought.

My memories ran through the events of the night I met Amoria. I had noticed a slight difference, but I had always assumed it was as a result of her being intoxicated that night.

Amoria never mentioned having a twin until the night before our wedding.

And when I saw Amaris for the first time, she had downright felt familiar, but she never talked or approached me. Neither did she have the fire I saw that night, so I assumed that I was mistaken.

I mean… Amoria now carries my mate’s scent … but Amaris…that night.

It’s either I was going insane or my wolf had gone crazy. I muttered to myself, but my wolf just stared inside of me, annoyed but not saying a word.

There’s no such thing as two mates, right?

Right?

Something isn’t right. I could feel it in my bones.

After going through all the files, I placed them in my wardrobe, changed into some casual wear, and made my way outside the room.

After tracking Amaris down, I found her outside in the garden. She had changed into one of the flowery gowns I had ordered my maid to get her.

Because I had never seen her in such bright colors, it was either black dresses that were so loosely fitted or brown clothes. It had always seemed like she wanted to deliberately disappear, or not be remembered.

“Hey,” I said after clearing my throat, which had suddenly become dry.

She turned back, startled to find me behind her. Then squinted her eyes to get a clear look at me as I stood behind the bright sun.

“I’m sorry for coming into your garden. I just wanted to be somewhere else,” she apologized, standing to her feet.

“I wanted to be somewhere else too,” I said, taking my seat on the pathway between the flowers. “Sit.”

Amaris looked skeptical but settled on the ground beside me.

We sat there in silence for minutes, with Amaris trying as much as she could to shift her body away from me, to the extent she wound up sitting on my flowers instead of the pathway.

“Those are poisonous flowers,” I mumbled, while she jerked away from them, her body coming closer to mine as she stared at them with widened eyes.

“Why are you just telling me?” She questioned, scanning her body to check if the flower had made any contact with her skin.

“Because you weren’t supposed to be sitting on them in the first place,” I muttered, still carrying on with my lie, but the look on her face almost made me break the seriousness in mine.

And when the smile crept out, she slapped my hand in frustration.

“Liar,” she pouted, one similar to the one I had seen in the picture.

A cough escaped my lips as I tried to clear my throat… and my thoughts.

“Amaris.”

“Yes?” She said, waiting for what I had to say.

“Did we ever meet before the wedding?” I asked, my eyes scanning her face for any sort of emotion, even if it was just a flicker, to let me know that I had done something completely wrong… that I had married the wrong woman.

But there was nothing. Not even a flash… nothing.

“What do you mean? “ she asked, her eyebrow raised questionably.

“Did we?”

“No.” She paused. “We didn’t. The first time I saw you was at your wedding when you had that pink tie on to match Amoria’s gown… one could tell that wasn’t your color.” She chuckled.

Why did I feel this way?

Was she lying? And if she wasn't, why did it seem like I was far more hurt by the truth than the fact that I could have been with the wrong woman?

Amaris then looked at me. “Why are you asking? Do you remember me from somewhere?”

“Yes,” I said, determined to get the truth.

“We met at Deluxe club. The woman I made love to,” I muttered.

Then I saw it—the shock in her eyes, followed by something resembling shame as she tried to look away from me.

“Amaris,” I whispered, her name coming out more fragile than I expected. “Swear on anything you hold dear that you weren’t the one that night—“

But before I could complete my sentence, or before Amaris could provide an answer, a loud honk came from behind us, followed by footsteps.

When we turned, Lucas had jumped out of the car, along with Sonia. They went back to the car behind them—Lucas clinic bus.

Amaris and I stood up, wondering what was happening when we saw it.

Amoria, lying limply on the bed as she was being wheeled in by two women wearing nurse uniforms.