Mated To The Twin Alphas

13: The Eclipse Approaches

The days leading up to the eclipse passed in fragments — sleep in slivers, breaths caught between moments of silence too heavy to bear. The pack could feel it even if they didn’t understand it: a strange pull in the air, a restlessness that set tempers and instincts on edge.

For me, it was worse. Every sunrise made the mark on my wrist burn a little brighter, a little harder to ignore. It wasn’t just a symbol anymore. It was alive — pulsing with two heartbeats that weren’t mine.

Damon had thrown himself into duty. From dawn to dusk, he trained the sentries, reinforced borders, spoke to the elders. Anything to keep his hands busy and his mind off me. But even when he wasn’t near, I could feel him — that steady, quiet warmth tugging at the back of my thoughts.

Darius was different. He kept to the shadows now, skipping patrols, vanishing for hours. When I did see him, his eyes carried the storm — wild, haunted, flickering between gold and shadow-black. The curse was growing, and no one knew how to stop it.

Tonight, the air felt sharp enough to cut. I found Damon outside the training field, his shirt damp with sweat, his knuckles bleeding from striking the post.

“You’ll break your hands before the rogues ever get the chance,” I said quietly.

He didn’t look up. “It’s better than thinking.”

I stepped closer. “About what? The prophecy or your brother?”

His fist stilled. He turned slowly, eyes clouded. “Both. Because one of them is going to take you from me.”

The words caught me off guard. “Damon—”

He shook his head, frustration flickering across his face. “I can feel the bond twisting, Selene. The more the eclipse draws near, the harder it gets to tell which part of me wants to protect you… and which part wants to claim you.”

His honesty hit harder than anger ever could. “And Darius?” I asked softly.

“Losing control,” Damon said. “Every hour, the shadow digs deeper into him. He says he can fight it, but I can feel it trying to reach through him — through you.”

My pulse quickened. “Through me?”

“The prophecy said you were the bridge between light and dark. Maybe that bond is what keeps him tethered. Maybe that’s why it’s killing him.”

The thought made my chest tighten. “If I break the bond—”

“You can’t,” he said sharply. “The Goddess bound it herself.” His voice softened. “And if you try, it’ll kill all three of us.”

Before I could respond, a low growl cut through the night. Darius stood at the edge of the field, his posture tense, eyes gleaming with barely contained fury.

“So this is what the prophecy meant by ‘choose wisely’?” he said, his voice rough. “Training under the moonlight while I lose my mind alone?”

Damon tensed. “You shouldn’t be out here.”

“Maybe not,” Darius said, stepping closer. “But then again, maybe I belong out here — with the other monsters.”

His gaze locked on me, and for a moment, I saw the flicker of pain beneath the rage. “Tell me, Selene — when the eclipse comes, will you even be able to tell us apart?”

The bond flared painfully, light and shadow colliding inside me until I could barely breathe. I reached out, instinctively, but both brothers recoiled — as if my touch burned.

Darius’s eyes darkened again, voice breaking. “It’s starting, isn’t it?”

Damon swallowed hard. “The Moon’s already choosing.”

The air shimmered around us, the moon above swelling larger, redder, alive.

And in that moment, I realized the truth I’d been trying not to face.

The eclipse wouldn’t just decide who I loved.

It would decide who survived.