11 Amateurs

~Noah~

There is a time in your life when you feel left behind. Especially when everyone around you has moved on and you are stuck in one spot. That is precisely how Sebastien and I feel.

My twin and I did everything right.

Top of our class, we graduated before our peers and even helped solve a world-saving case.

You would think we would be awarded something great, like, let's say, our birthright, but no. Our father decided we lacked emotional maturity and still had much to learn. It wasn’t our intelligence or strength that was the issue. It was our ability to feel and empathise.

Honestly, we feel and try to empathise sometimes, but not as much as our father would want. We are also very selective in that regard. Nonetheless, it wasn’t reason enough for him to deny us our birthright.

It has been five fucking years, and his opinion remained the same.

At first, we did everything we could to prove ourselves, but he always had something to say. Most of his peers, especially his cousins, had entrusted their children with great responsibilities, but not our father.

Lord Leonardo Albert didn’t only deny us our right, he decided to make us Alphas of Mountain and leave us to rot in the position for three years.

Our cousins and friends would take up the lordship positions, alpha positions and council seats soon, while Sebastien and I would be stuck in Mountain as the alphas. A shared position we did not want.

Our father has three positions, enough for me, my twin and our little brother, who wasn't little anymore, to fill in, respectfully. Our younger brother, Ethan, was currently eighteen and just as troublesome as they claim we are.

Our father is the head alpha of the eastern region, head of the Royal Council and Lord of the east. Three fucking titles he could share among us, and my brothers and I had sort of figured out who was getting what pretty early.

I would be Lord of the East, Sebastien head of the council, and Ethan, head Alpha of the East. The three of us will have the Lord title, but I will be the one with the active office.

It was an easy distribution of power based on our strenghts, but our father did not deem us fit for it. Instead, he installed Sebastien and me as Alphas of Mountain. It really sucked.

Three years into the shitty appointment, Sebastien and I decided to throw it all to hell while Ethan went to further his education in combat and strategy. At least he gets to do something fun.

There isn't much to do in Mountain. We spend all day attending to stupid, trivial stuff and signing documents.

I don't want to get started on the stupid regional alpha meeting where we have to sit and discuss shit we have no business with.

Our life is like a fucking routine, and we hate it.

The only great part is the parties and clubs we attend in the evening, especially on Fridays. They are to die for. We get to hang out with our fake social climbing friends and pretend that we don't see their shit. It's fun, really. Watching them try to get in our good books and making them think they are.

Unlike other people that planned to wait for their fated mates, Sebastien and I don't give two fucks about stuff like that. I hate the idea of scent and an unexplainable pull attracting me to someone.

It should be on our own terms if we ever find our significant others.

We should meet them, get to know them, and decide to fall in love.

No way am I letting the scent deceive me.

Besides, Sebastien and I love challenges and knowing how they say the bond drives people, I would like to experience fighting it. To see if we can keep our heads despite the pull and make rational decisions. I am sure our unfeeling hearts will succeed, but we will never know if it doesn’t happen to us.

It is Friday again, and Sebastien and I are at Denis's party. Denis is one of our fake friends. He throws great parties, so we keep him around.

Our close friends, Roger and Saul, were also there. We always try to catch up with them at parties. They have been part of our circle for quite some time, and despite the opinions of our cousins branding them as social climbers, we genuinely consider them great people.

Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for Roger's other siblings—Kelcy, Josh, and Rob—who embody the very definition of social climbers. Their attempts to align themselves with my cousins in the past were solely fueled by their royal status.

Even though Sebastien and I spent two years away on assignment in Grizlo, we stayed in touch, and we have remained friends.

I'm not particularly thrilled about this party. Denis and his sister Kerry have roped my brother into playing a drinking game, Never-Have-I-Ever, and Sebastien is not one to shy away from a challenge. As he continues to consume copious amounts of alcohol, it becomes evident that he won't be fit to be the designated driver for the night.

It's already one in the early morning hours, and I decide it's time to call it a night. I approach Sebastien, who is being enthusiastically cheered on while sipping beer from a drum.

"Dude, it's time to go," I inform my brother. His gaze meets mine, dilated and unfocused—I can tell he's reached his limit. Understanding the situation, Sebastien removes his straw, indicating his readiness to leave. A murmur of discontent ripples through the crowd, especially from the party's hopeful ladies. Their anticipation for slip-ups is a regular occurrence, but Sebastien and I never disappoint.

A brunette walked up to me, all flirty and shit, and touched my arm. The look I gave her was enough to let her remove her hand and respect my personal space. Sebastien and I don't fuck around, and we sure don't get with random cheeks. Not like we are virgins, but we are very picky, and we know the clingy ones once we see them, most especially the social climbers or the baby mama wannabes. They are just too obvious, and risking their shit would be stupid since our father already finds us disappointing.

"Don’t be a killjoy, Noah. Sit a bit longer," I hear Denis's drunk voice behind us as Sebastien and I head towards the exit.

We both ignore him, and I do not know what happened, but I know that Sebastien turned around and punched someone in the face. I turned to see who it was, and it was Denis, our host.

"What the fuck?” I asked my brother, almost laughing.

"He touched my arm, and I don't like that shit,” Sebastien said, and I laughed.

I will warn first before reacting; Sebastien, on the other hand, will react and then warn later.

"Besides, I think the tool spiked my drink," he said when we stepped out, which explained Sebsatien's over-drunk exterior.

"Come on, I'll drive. I guess you'll be sleeping in," I tell my twin, and he nods.

We get into the Jeep, and I start the engine and pull away.

I can't speed much because Sebastien claims to be nauseous. So I drive slowly, soon when we get to a spot. I am forced to park on the side of the road and turn off our lights while Sebastien descends the jeep to do his business.

I hear him wrenching, throwing up his guts, but I don't move. Soon, he joins me back in the Jeep.

"I think I will need lots of food after this," he says, looking much better. I guess he is getting himself now.

"Please do me a favour and let us rest a bit before we continue the drive," Sebastien pleads, and I oblige; we aren’t in a hurry. It isn't like there is an emergency or I have somewhere important to be.

The street is eerily quiet, devoid of any signs of life other than the faint glow of streetlights. As we patiently await Sebastien's recovery, a stillness blankets the road.

Minutes pass, and my attention is drawn to two blonde women approaching a jewellery store. Duffle bags in tow, they appear out of place, glancing around nervously. Despite the oddity, I watch their movements closely.

Suddenly, they start leaping and waving, attempting to catch our attention. The dim lighting and our switched-off engine should have concealed us in the jeep, but their persistence intrigues me. As if on cue, Sebastien and I recline our seats discreetly, keeping ourselves hidden. There's a hunch that these two might be up to something, and tonight could offer some unexpected entertainment.

One of the girls crouches by the door, appearing to fiddle with the lock. I entertain the thought that they might have a legitimate reason to be there, perhaps possessing a key. However, my suspicions grow as they resort to knocking on the door. It becomes clear—they are picking the lock, indicating this is no ordinary visit. A surge of excitement courses through me, realising I might witness a robbery unfold tonight.

"Finally, something fun to watch," Enzo, my wolf says in my head, excited by the scene unfolding before us. The action is a considerable distance from the Jeep; my vision is damn good so is Sebastien’s, but I doubt he is okay enough to see what I am seeing.

"Are you seeing what I am seeing right now, Seb?" I ask.

"Yep, as bright as fucking day," Sebastien responds, looking at the two young women that are about to get into one of the jewellery stores on the street.

"Maybe their boss sent them to get something," Sebastien said, still out of it.

We had parked for forty minutes, and my brother seemed to still be under the influence of alcohol. I plan to beat the shit out of Denis when I see the prick. He preyed on Sebastien's unwillingness to back down from a challenge and must have slipped him something, as suspected.

"If I am seeing clearly, I think they are jimmying the locks," I said, and we focused our attention on them.

True to my words, they succeed, and I watch them jubilate before they carefully creep into the store.

They do not waste time in there either; they are out in no time. I watch the blondes pause to figure out their next target.

Then, I watched them to go to the next store and work on the locks. I wanted to laugh.

"Are you fucking seeing this, Noah?" Sebastien finally asked, noticing what was happening.

“Bright as the fucking day," I said, observing what was happening.

"We are witnessing a crime here," I said, studying them.

“Jeans, t-shirt, sneakers. No mask. fucking amateurs. I think they just picked up this profession seeing how they suck at it. Couldn't even hide their identities, fucking dummies," I said and wanted to laugh but held it. We didn't need to startle them.

"Should we watch them or just go home? I mean, they will bolt once we start the Jeep," Sebastien said, and I shook my head.

"Nah, I think I want to stick around for this," I said, an idea coming to mind.

"Father did say we weren't doing our jobs. How can we be trusted with Lordship and a seat on the Royal Council if we cannot protect and lead our people?" I said, and Sebsatien's eyes lit up with the same glint I suspected was in mine.

"You can't underestimate the power of a security and vigilante move right now. We can assert that we care deeply, so we decided to take the initiative to patrol the street early. They'll be pleased, and all that talk about us not taking our duties seriously will be dismissed. When has anyone heard of Father going out of his way to patrol the streets at night? We'll be going the extra mile," I explained, and Sebastien nodded in agreement, understanding my perspective.

The bright idea suddenly made the unfolding event worth our wait.

We remained silent and watched the two blond amateurs, jimmy locks and rob the jewellery stores. By the time they entered the fifth one, we agreed it was time to stop their operation. Sebastien had sobered up by then.

He, too, planned to get Denis the next day, believing they added something extra to his drink. I wouldn't put it past that prick or his sister, but look at the bright side: we got to park on the street and witness a crime. What a lucky morning.

We carefully got out of our Jeep and headed toward the store the blondes had entered. They were either from the Southwest or the South. The blond hair, if natural, is a dead giveaway. I believe they were too far from home to commit a crime here. I hoped Alpha Anthony Corrigan was ready to defend his people.

We sauntered to the door but did not enter. We remained at the door. While I stood there, I caught a scent. Something sweet and beautiful. It was like mint or peppermint. My stomach churned, knowing what it might be, but I am not one to be driven by scents. I had seen the mate bond fuck a lot of people up and drive them nuts. Not me. I will fall in love on my own terms and definitely not with a blonde idiot who can't commit a crime properly.