The Alpha Twins; My Mates

Bond

Hayes' POV

The first time I felt the mate pull towards Ruby was when I turned sixteen, but she was too young, thirteen, so I tried to ignore it. I felt it whenever she was close to me, which was often. She was my best friend's little sister, and we attended the same events. I started teasing her about her appearance—her braces, her glasses, her hair, her acne—whatever I could think of, so that she would dislike me or run away from me. I repeatedly told myself she couldn’t be my mate whenever I saw her.

She was weak and unable to defend herself. I needed a strong Luna by my side, especially since I knew how dangerous it could be to be the Luna of the pack. Enemies often targeted the Luna to weaken the alpha. However, my wolf, Ace, would purr whenever he saw her and curse at me whenever I was mean to her. On her sixteenth birthday, I confirmed my suspicions: Ruby was our mate.

Sharing a woman with my brother wasn’t something we liked. Despite being twins, Zylon and I didn’t share anything, especially when it came to women. So, we resolved to let her go. It would keep her out of danger, and we could find our chosen mates. Ignoring our mates and sleeping with other women was the worst thing we did, and it made Ruby run away from the pack. For five years, I lived with regret and pain. It hurt so much not being able to see her.

I had asked Tate, her father, and her friends to tell me where she was, but they wouldn’t share, and I couldn’t tell them she was my mate since I had denied the bond. I was elated when she finally returned, but she was different. She didn’t blush as she did before when our eyes met. She was fierce. She always had spirit, but now she possessed a confidence that emanated from within her—it wasn’t just a glow-up.

She had grown stronger, bolder, and was now a chosen warrior wolf, just like her father, the great Archie Rothwell. While I admired all of that, it came with a line of men ready at her beck and call. I wanted to kill anyone who looked at her like she was the last piece of meat.

As I walked her home, I glanced at her—gods, she was perfect! And she was all mine. I wanted to hold her, mark her, and f**k her.

“Miss Ruby Rue!” someone called out. We turned to see Damson f*****g Jackson. The i***t had a grin plastered on his face. It was no secret that he wanted my mate, despite my making it clear to everyone that she was mine and the future Luna. It seemed they didn’t take me seriously, as she wasn’t marked yet. If this continued, I was afraid I might not be able to stop Ace from forcefully marking her.

To my surprise, Ruby smiled at Damson, the fucker. He bowed his head to me but quickly turned his attention back to her.

“Ruby, did you like the flowers I sent you yesterday?” he asked. My mate nodded sheepishly.

“You shouldn’t have,” she said.

“I totally should have—beautiful flowers for a lovely lady!” Totally? Who says that? What an i***t.

'Beautiful flowers for a lovely lady,' Ace mimicked sarcastically.

“I hope you’ll accept my invitation to visit my ranch. It’s one of the largest in the pack, and we’re hosting a Debby tournament in a month…”

I groaned, tired of him already. He looked like a lovesick puppy. They both turned to me.

“Damson, can’t you see I’m here?”

“I see you, Alpha, but I couldn’t resist talking to Miss Ruby Rue,” he said, still wearing that stupid smile. I growled loudly at him, startling both of them.

“Get out,” I said in my alpha tone, glaring daggers at him.

“I’ll call you,” he said to my mate, and I almost lunged at him, but Ruby stepped slightly in front of me, her eyes warning me.

“Why is everything so intense with you?” she shook her head as she started to walk away.

“Me, rude? He was the one asking my mate out in front of me! He’s lucky I didn’t rip out his tongue!” I said defensively. Why was she angry at me when Damson was in the wrong?

“We are not mates. You didn’t want me, and I accepted that,” she reminded me bitterly. Her words felt like daggers piercing my heart. I grabbed her elbow, turning her to face me abruptly. I felt the tingling and sparks, driving me and my wolf wild.

“Ruby, I’m sorry for hurting you. Please give me—us—another chance.”

She looked at me as though she were reading my soul and exhaled deeply. I held my breath, but the words that came out of her pretty little mouth cut deep: “No.”

“Why?” I asked, desperation clawing at me.

“I’m not discussing this with you.”

“You are, Ruby. I need to understand why you’re resisting our bond, given that your heart races whenever you see us, despite your best efforts to suppress it. You have feelings for us.” I sensed the bond between us strengthening with each passing day, even though she tried to mask her emotions.

“Because you hurt me, Hayes. My own mates hurt me and slept with other girls, knowing it would cause me immense pain.” She quickened her pace, but I caught up with her in two strides.

“I’m sorry, love. Please forgive us. We were idiots, but we’ve changed, I swear.”

"I don't trust you. Especially you, Hayes. Now leave me the f**k alone!" she yelled, and I instinctively retreated. It felt as though something were pushing me away from her. She didn’t notice, though, and started to run. Another talent?

"You deserve that," a laugh echoed behind me. I turned towards the voice and frowned. "Bean?"

"Don't call me that!" my little sister hissed, glancing around. She was tiny, so we called her Bean, and she hated it.

"Did you come from a run?" I asked.

"Yes, I couldn't sleep," she replied.

"Why?"

As we started walking back home, she said, "On my way home yesterday, I thought I sensed my mate. He was close, Isla told me, and I think… he felt me, or maybe even saw me, but didn’t approach." She shrugged, and I thought I saw tears glaze her eyes, but she quickly looked away from me.

I stopped dead in my tracks. "I'm sure he didn’t see you," I tried to assure her, but I felt a dread settle in the pit of my stomach. Was her mate trying to deny the bond, just like I did with mine? No.