Mated To The Twin Alphas

3: The Rival Bond

The pack grounds were quiet after the ceremony, but the silence was heavy, not peaceful. The bonfire had burned down to glowing embers, and the scent of smoke lingered in the cool night air.

I stood at the edge of the clearing, every nerve awake. The Moon’s mark still shimmered faintly on my wrist—soft silver light that pulsed with my heartbeat.

Behind me, I felt them before I heard them.

Two presences, opposite yet equal, brushing against my senses like fire and shadow.

“Selene.” Damon’s voice was low, steady. He stopped beside me, his warmth brushing my arm. “You should rest. You’ve been through enough tonight.”

Before I could answer, Darius stepped from the trees. His tone was cool, sharp, but underneath it was something raw. “She doesn’t need you deciding that for her.”

I turned to face them both, my pulse quickening. The moonlight painted their faces in silver and gold—two halves of the same storm. Damon’s expression was controlled, every muscle tight with restraint. Darius’s jaw was set, his gray eyes flickering with barely contained frustration.

“I don’t need either of you deciding anything,” I said quietly. “I just need to breathe.”

Neither moved. The tension between them was like a living thing.

Damon finally exhaled, his gaze softening. “You’re frightened. I can feel it.”

“I’m confused,” I corrected. “You both said the same word… mate. How is that even possible?”

Neither had an answer. Darius shifted his weight, glancing toward the forest as if the trees themselves might speak for him.

“The Seer was right,” he muttered. “The Moon chose her to balance us. Light and shadow. One soul tied to two.”

“That’s a legend,” Damon said sharply. “It’s not destiny.”

“Then explain this,” Darius snapped, reaching for my hand. The moment his fingers brushed mine, heat surged through my body—a rush of wild energy that made the mark on my wrist flare bright. My breath caught.

Damon’s power responded instantly, his own aura pushing forward, golden and fierce. The air between them crackled, vibrating with unseen force.

“Stop!” I gasped, pulling free. The light faded, but the echo of it lingered, a pulse deep in my chest that matched theirs. “Whatever this bond is, it’s real. And if you keep fighting, you’ll tear it apart before we understand it.”

The twins stood motionless, their eyes still glowing faintly with wolf light. Then, slowly, Damon lowered his head. “You’re right.”

He turned to Darius. “We protect her together. Until we know why this happened.”

Darius gave a short, bitter laugh. “Together? You think that’ll work?”

“It has to,” Damon said. “For her sake. For the pack’s.”

His words hung in the air, and for a moment, even Darius didn’t argue.

When they left me at the healer’s cabin later, I stood at the doorway, watching their figures fade into the forest—two shadows moving in opposite directions. My heart ached with a strange, impossible pull, drawn to both at once.

The Seer’s words echoed in my mind:

Unite them, or watch both worlds burn.

I looked down at the mark glowing softly against my skin.

Maybe the Moon hadn’t cursed me after all.

Maybe she had given me the power to decide which future survived.