The Alpha Twins

Iris. (13)

That horrible nervous feeling was back in the pit of my stomach, again.

I just wanted to blink, and it would all be over.

But, I knew I was asking too much. Whatever the Alpha had in store for me, had to be a lot better than what Alpha Felix had in store for me.

Chad and Phoenix looked at me with their reassuring smiles, and even though I was frightened beyond belief, I knew I would get through this if they were by my side.

I have never been good with crowds of people. It's lucky I managed to bring myself to be in a room with Chad and Phoenix.

But, it's them, and they make me feel safe and secure. Like, I've known them my whole life, and then they are new people I want to learn everything about.

It's so strange, I don't know what to do half the time.

But, now that I've accepted the mate-bond, I have feelings and thoughts that I tried so hard to shove away before.

Like how incredibly handsome they are.

How even though they're completely identical, it's so easy to tell who is who, they're so alike and yet, so different.

Chad looks at me with this, complete grace in his eyes, like I'm the most beautiful person he's even seen.

Phoenix looks at me like I'm something he could devour. - And I want him to.

Aurelia gets so worked up in my mind, making me imagine so many dirty things.

She makes my body tense up, and feel completely aroused.

I woke up dreaming about them. I had to take a cold shower.

And then, as we were walking to the pack-house, she was completely useless at helping me get over my panic.

She was so excited and impatient. Even with everything they told me, she still couldn't wait.

I felt like I was going to be sick.

They gave me a minute before we entered the pack-house. It was completely empty.

When we were walking through it, that's when I saw it through the window.

So. Many. People.

The entire pack was there, old and young.

The Alpha- I remembered him, but it wasn't hard to tell who he was, he demanded respect just by being present, dominance just came naturally to him.

As we walked closer, all heads turned to face me.

No one said anything. The Alpha and the men he was with stared at me as we walked closer to them.

Chad and Phoenix walked in front of me and stood on either side of the Alpha. They both smiled at me.

The Alpha walked towards me.

"I'm Alpha Terry, of the 'Crimson-wolf pack'," he told me, more kind than I expected.

"I'm just going to introduce you to the pack. It's not as bad as it sounds. I'll ask you a few questions about why you left your old pack, and you have to answer honestly. They need to know that you're not just some traitor. They might want to ask questions themselves, and it'll be better if you answer," he told me, again, kindly.

He walked over to the front of the platform and faced the many faces staring back at him curiously.

As I looked down, I could see a lot of them were looking curiously at me, some were even looking at me with disgust.

"I'd like to explain why we are here," he began and beckoned me forward.

"This is Iris, she is to be the newest member of our pack," he said, and there were a lot of gasps from the crowd. They looked at me with even more curiosity, but when the Alpha spoke again, all eyes were on him.

"This is a welcoming ceremony. After today, she will officially be a member of the 'Crimson-wolf pack,'" he told them. A lot of chattering came from the crowd. I looked nervously at Chad and Phoenix, who smiled and nodded their heads, and I took this to mean I was doing well. Even though I wasn't doing anything.

"Tell us, Iris, why did you desert your former pack?" The Alpha asked me fairly aggressively. I saw Phoenix step forwards, but Chad held him back. Everything went silent.

"I-I-I" I began to stutter.

A smile appeared on his face, as if this was what he meant to do.

Ignoring Aurelia telling me to calm down, I got a little angry. I looked at Phoenix, gave him a small smile that I'd be okay, and continued.

"I left my old pack, because the Alpha there was abusive," I said, with a hint of anger.

This didn't phase him.

"Can you tell us the name of this Alpha and his pack?" he asked me, and I was confused, but then I remembered what he had just told me. 'They need to know that I am not just some traitor.'

"His name is Alpha Felix of the Crescent Moon Pack," I told him, and audible gasps came from the older pack members, causing the younger ones to look at them confused.

"Some of you don't know who Alpha Felix is, so let us tell you," he began, as if it was the most important thing he could tell them.

"He is not a true Alpha. In fact, even some of you younger ones will remember Alpha Alexander. He was the Alpha of the Crescent Moon pack, just two borders away..." He paused for impact, as the crowd began muttering to each other.

"Felix killed him, stole his pack, and caused an uproar before he was banished. It is said to this day that he is still killing Alpha's for their packs, and their land. Is this true, Iris?" he turned his gaze to me, waiting expectantly. My heart felt like it was going to drop out of me.

"I didn't know that, but I know that he killed the Alpha who owned the land he resides on now," the crowd gasped again at my words.

"What were you in that pack?" he asked, and this took me by surprise. I didn't know why this was relevant, and I felt a little ashamed when asked.

"I was the cook, the cleaner, the one that did everything," I said. I felt my face flush. The older women in the crowd gasped, and there was an outrage in the crowd now.

"You did all this by yourself, or did you have help?" he asked, and I don't know why, but I let out a laugh, I didn't mean to.

"No. I did everything on my own," I told him, embarrassed that I laughed at his question, but he was grinning. I took a quick glance at Chad and Phoenix, whose faces were stern.

"Do you know why?" he asked me, and it took me a little while to answer. This was something I hadn't told Chad or Phoenix. It was something I wanted to keep private, but I told him anyway.

"Because I was the runt of the litter, I was good for nothing, and he wouldn't have his pack be embarrassed by someone like me," I told him, ignoring the crowd. I looked at Phoenix, who was now looking down at the floor, but Chad was looking at me with that sympathetic look he constantly gave me, and now I felt a little resentment towards it.

"Are any of you the runt of the litter?" he asked, and I looked at the pack, seeing how all of them were shaking their heads.

"Do any of you think she's the runt of the litter?" he asked them again, and they continued to shake their heads. I let out a heavy breath full of gratitude.

"Do you accept her as our newest pack member?" he asked them. They cheered a little, and now I couldn't stop my face from smiling.

"Iris, do you accept the crimson-wolf pack as your own pack from here on out?" he asked.

I didn't expect him to jump right on into it, but I agreed nonetheless.

"Yes, Alpha," I said, with as much confidence as I could muster.

"Do you accept me, Alpha Terry of the Crimson-Wolf pack, to be your Alpha, and when I am no longer able, my next of kin?" I looked over at Phoenix and Chad. They both had smiles on their faces too.

"Yes, I do," I replied, a twinge of excitement in my gut.

"Will you obey the pack rules, and follow my word as law?"

"I will," I said, and a little cheer came from the crowd.

"Iris, I now welcome you into the Crimson-Moon pack. From here on out, you will address yourself so, and acknowledge that this is where you belong," he said, and I smiled wider than I ever have in my life.

"Eric," he called to the long-haired man behind him, who scuttled over quickly with paperwork.

He beckoned Phoenix and Chad over.

"Sign this, and then you can go on about your day," he told us all. Chad signed first, then Phoenix, and then me, along with Eric and then the Alpha himself.

"I'll give you until tomorrow to prepare for training," he smiled at me. Chad and Phoenix pulled me away, back to the Alpha-house.

They didn't say anything while we walked back, but I could feel their happiness emanate from them.

It was only when Phoenix closed the door behind him that Chad embraced me with a hug, and when he let go, so did Phoenix.

It was a warm hug, very comforting, but as my body pressed against Phoenix's, I could feel the steal-like abs push against me.

He pulled away, and I don't know why, but it upset me a little. I was safe in his arms.

"You did amazing!" Chad told me, as we rushed into the kitchen.

He sat me on a stool and sat next to me, while Phoenix made a new pot of coffee.

"I feel sick," I laughed.

They looked at me worriedly for a minute.

"From the nerves. I worked myself up, but it went well. It was scary, but a lot nicer than I thought it would be," I told them with a small laugh.

"Tell us about it. We thought for sure he was going to be... harsher," Chad sighed in relief.

"No, he let up because she impressed him," Phoenix called from beside me.

"That's true, if you didn't kick back with that confidence he probably would have given you a hard time," Chad laughed.

"I thought for sure I had stepped over the line when I saw your faces," I replied, trying not to smile so hard.

Chad laughed, but Phoenix was stern.

"Why did he let me off? I was a little disrespectful, wasn't I?" I asked.

"No, you weren't. He was testing you, and you passed," Phoenix said, nonchalantly.

"He was trying to intimidate you, and although he did, you managed to build courage in a respectful way," Chad told me.

"I thought the pack was going to ask me some questions?" I asked, thinking hard, trying to remember what the Alpha had told me.

"They would have, but they didn't have a problem with you joining the pack, so they didn't need to," Phoenix replied.

We sat quietly for a little while, as Phoenix poured the coffee.

"So, is this it now?" I asked them, and the smile that faded from my face was back.

"This is it," Chad replied, with a smirk.

"Why did he give me an extra day to prepare for training?" I asked.

"I think you impressed him so much, he decided to give you a chance," Phoenix smirked at me.

"What will it be like?" I asked them, a twinge of excitement in my voice.

"Hard," Phoenix said casually.

"Actually, we should probably go over the regime with her, Fee," Chad said as he looked at Phoenix.

Phoenix observed me for a minute, and then nodded his head in agreement.

"Fee," I found myself whispering.

They stared at me for a second, expecting me to repeat myself, but I shrugged it off, sipping my coffee, ignoring the redness in my face. While they reviewed some paperwork they had.

"You've never trained before, have you?" Chad asked me. I shook my head, and he looked at me with a cute look in his eyes.

"What?" I asked, as he looked away quickly.

"Who do you want to train with?" Chad asked me.

"Why-" I began to ask, but Phoenix cut me off.

"It'll be easier for one of us to show you, while the other reads aloud what we have to do," Phoenix explained.