BROTHERS OF NIGHT AND DAY

Osric’s POV

“Another round, guys!” I yelled, lifting my glass high and grinning as cheers erupted around the full VIP floor.  

The nightclub pulsed with music and flashing lights, and I was in my element. Loud, adored, and surrounded by people who wanted to be near the golden heir of the Forrest name. The owner was a shifter who knew how to brew something that actually hit, which was the only reason we kept coming back. 

Friends slapped my back, women leaned close, and I laughed like I didn’t have a care in the world.  

My phone buzzed. I glanced down, expecting a text from a girl or a reminder from my father, but instead, it was a notification from a business blog I turned on notifications for on purpose that lit up my screen: Dr. Tyra Valerius wins national award.  

I tapped the article open. There she was, standing tall on stage, that ice queen smile on her lips. 

My chest swelled with pride that I had no business feeling.  

“That’s my step-sis,” I boasted, flashing the screen to the guys so they could see the headline. “Smartest woman ever!”  

One of the guys that had been invited by a friend of a friend whistled, leaning in to get a better look. “Hot nerd, huh? Those glasses, that aloof face,” he leered. “Fuck, Ossy. I wouldn't mind showing her a different kind of research.”  

Something hot flared in my chest, a primal snap that bypassed my usual easygoing charm. 

I slammed my glass down hard on the table, and before I could control myself, I grabbed the guy's neck, pinning him to the bannister.  

“Watch your fucking mouth,” I growled, my eyes flashing. 

The group fell silent, everyone looking at me, not knowing how to react. 

The guy raised his hands in surrender, eyes wide with fear. “Relax, man,” he said softly. “I didn’t know you were so sensitive about her. I was just joking.”  

My closest friend grabbed my hand, trying to pull it away from the guy's neck. “Relax, Osric. You don't even know her like that. Why are you so worked up?”  

I released him, forcing a laugh to smooth over the awkwardness. “Yeah, yeah. Sorry bro. Must be the special alcohol getting to me,” I said, patting the guy playfully. “Watch the way you talk about a Forrest, though.”

“But she didn’t take y’all’s name.” I heard someone mutter.

“Shut the fuck up,” someone else shushed them under their breath. 

 I pushed the anger down. I’ve always hated it when someone points that out.

I forced a smile, winking at the guy I had pinned. “Not like you have a chance anyway,” I said, picking up my bottle and taking a gulp. “She’d rather dissect you than date you.”  

I downed another shot, but the sour taste of irritation remained.  

The tension eased, but the hollow feeling in my chest only grew. Why did it bother me? Why did the thought of other men seeing her, wanting her, twist something deep in my gut? 

She was my stepsister, someone who had left our world a decade ago.  

I threw back another shot, my gaze drifting across the club below. 

My eyes landed on a couple tangled in each other’s arms near the bar. They were glowing with the unmistakable, radiant glow of love.  

“Newly mated,” my best friend murmured, catching me staring. “Lucky bastards.”  

I exhaled sharply, looking away. I wanted that. The bond, the certainty, the belonging. 

At twenty-seven, the threads of fate still hadn’t led me or Alaric to our mate.  

“When will it be my turn, huh?” I muttered under my breath, taking another gulp of my drink.  

“You’ll find her soon, Alpha,” another friend chuckled, misunderstanding my envy.  

But would I? I was gradually getting past the usual age of meeting a mate as an Alpha. 

My chest ached with an emptiness I could never quite fill. And Alaric never seemed worried. 

My twin didn’t even speak about mates when I spoke about the fact that we hadn’t found ours. It was as if he had locked that part of himself away in a vault.  

What worried me most was the fact that most of the time, twins shared a mate. What if we actually found her and she didn’t want both of them? What if she couldn’t accept what it meant to be tied to twins?  

I shoved the thought away, plastering a grin on my face as my friends called me to the dance floor. 

The Moon Goddess wouldn’t give us a mate we couldn’t keep. Right?

  

Alaric’s POV

“Sir, you’ve been at this since dawn. You should take a break,”  my assistant muttered as she placed a document on my desk. “I think you should rest for today.”

I didn’t look up from the stack of documents on my desk. My assistant’s voice was steady, but I could hear the nervous edge beneath it. 

Very few people dared interrupt me when I was in this state.  

“The pack’s expansion proposals won’t sign themselves,” I replied coldly, the scratch of my pen the only other sound in the room.  “I need to make sure everything is in order before I have to go on break for the inauguration ceremony.”

The young lady lingered, shifting awkwardly. “But it’s nearly 2 am. Even an Alpha needs rest.”  

I think it was time for me to get a new assistant. This was beginning to act too familiar. 

“I heard you the first time,” I said curtly, my gaze sliding to the television mounted on the wall.  “I told you that you could clock out by 5pm. I am not keeping you here.”

“I know, sir,” she stammered. “I… just wanted to stay and help you.”

Irritation rose in me as I noticed her blush. Yeah, I definitely needed a new assistant. 

I ignored her, my attention on the business news channel scrolling headlines across the bottom. 

I hadn't been paying much attention until her name appeared, flashing like a beacon in the dark.  

“Dr. Tyra Valerius wins national research award for breakthrough in medical technology.”

I listened as the reporter praised her achievement, showing a photograph of her accepting the award. 

She had that usual quiet, aloof smile on her face, but her eyes glowed with that fierce intelligence I remembered all too well, her hair pinned neatly, her posture confident yet distant as the camera lights flashed at her.  

I muted the television, but my wolf rumbled low in my chest, a strange twist of unease and pride curling together.  

“She got another award?” my assistant muttered, watching the TV. “Your stepsister’s a genius. Which is surprising, considering she’s a defec—”  

“Get out,” I said flatly, a muscle in my jaw twitching. “Leave the remaining documents by the door. I will handle the rest.”  

She muttered a shaky “Yes, Alpha” and retreated quickly. 

“And,” I called out once she was about to shut the door behind her. “Drop your ID at the front desk. You are fired.”

She let out a strangled sob, her eyes wide with shock as she stared at me. Ignored her until she left a few minutes later. 

Once alone, I reached for my laptop. My fingers hesitated above the keyboard before I typed in the article title and watched as dozens of search results appeared. 

I screenshotted the new one and saved it in a hidden folder already filled with images of her achievements and her life lived far away from us.  

I knew it was pathetic. Yet I couldn’t stop.  

My wolf stirred restlessly, a growl brushing the back of my mind.  

I snapped the lid of my laptop shut. 

“I did it for her own good,” I muttered to the empty room. “For her protection.”  

But the words rang hollow because no matter how far she ran, no matter how much I tried to get her off my mind… she was still inside my thoughts.

After another hour of work, I packed up and headed to the city apartment I shared with my brother. 

My phone buzzed just as I stepped inside. 

"Hello, father," I said as I accepted it.

But I was met with silence. 

I was about to call out again when my stepmom’s voice sounded in the background.   

“Lu, are you certain? Bringing her back now…” 

“Dad,” I called out, barely keeping myself from rolling my eyes. What is it with parents and calling, then having a whole different conversation while their kids wait? 

"The pack must see her at our side,” Lucius replied firmly. “She belongs here, whether they accept it or not.”

A cold sweat broke out on my neck. They were talking about her. I just knew in my marrow that they were talking about her. 

"Let me call the boys," Lucius said, then I heard him give her a peck.

“I’m already here dad,” I said flatly, rolling my eyes. “I have been on the call since.”

"Oh shoot,” he said, chuckling. “I didn’t know you had picked up. Is Ossy with you?" 

I looked over at the sofa, where Osric was currently passed out. "Yes, but he is... indisposed."

"Another party, I assume?" Lucius said knowingly. "For twins, you guys truly are opposites. Thank the goddess I have you."  

I shrugged. “He has his strengths.”

“Yeah, that’s true.” He agreed. 

“So what’s up?”

"Your ceremony starts in a few weeks," Lucius reminded me. "The pack is expecting strength and unity. No mistakes, Alaric".  

"Yes, Father," I answered immediately.  

"Relax, old man," Osric suddenly mumbled, his superior hearing catching the conversation even through his haze. "Stop worrying. We have got this".  

My father chuckled. "Worrying is my duty as a father. And stay off those new brews, Osric."

“Hell nah,” he mumbled, burrowing deeper into the couch. “And dad, see if you can get Ty to come.”

“Sure thing,” Lucius replied. “I and Anya are working on that.”

My stomach sank. “When will she be coming?”

“That, we don’t know,” he replied, signing. “We are hoping she shows.”

The call ended, but the unease prickled down my spine like ice. 

My wolf was pacing behind my ribs, a low growl vibrating in my chest as I thought of the woman I had spent the past ten years running from. 

I needed to know when she was coming. So I could make sure Osric and I were nowhere near the pack house when she arrived.