Both Twin Wolves Wanted My Sister—So I Stopped Wanting My Alpha

Chapter 2

I stayed in the townhouse living room until 2 a.m. A small round mirror sat on the coffee table. The woman staring back had rounded cheeks, pale skin, and swollen eyes.

I looked at it once, turned it face down, then flipped it over again. Chloe's radiant smile and my dull expression started back. I lowered my head.

The moment I heard the lock click, I shot to my feet.

Rowan stepped inside, reeking of alcohol, his black coat still damp with night mist. When his eyes landed on me, he frowned slightly and walked straight upstairs.

"Rowan."

He didn't even slow down.

I rushed after him and grabbed his sleeve. "Can we talk for a minute?"

The moment my fingertips brushed against him, the dormant heat of our bond flared to life. It felt like my wolf had sensed her mate and was reaching out.

But the response never came.

A wall of rejection crashed down between us. Rowan tore his hand away, severing our link and locking me out.

"Back off."

I froze. When he was little, the first time I reached for his wolf ears, he had said the exact same thing.

Later, during pack gatherings, whenever I tried to hold onto his arm, he would always pull away without a word.

I had spent years convincing myself that his rejection was simply part of his nature.

But now I finally understood. It wasn't that he couldn't sense me. He had willingly spent years suppressing our bond, shutting me out, refusing to let my emotions reach him.

Worse, he couldn't stand the thought of anyone believing I'd become his Luna.

"Alright." I slowly released his sleeve. "It won't happen again."

He seemed to look up for a second but said nothing more.

His footsteps disappeared up the stairs. I stared at my empty hand and thought back to the Homecoming carnival in high school.

That year, everyone was allowed to bring their family or beast partner to the celebration.

I had spent two whole weeks making Rowan's favorite smoked beef. Then I waited by the garage, crouching down, and asked, "Can you come with me this time?"

He was busy working on his motorcycle and didn't even look up.

"No."

"Everyone is bringing someone."

"Then bring someone else."

In the end, I went alone.

The gym was covered in orange and red ribbons. Chloe wore a silver dress, laughing as Nolan placed a flower crown on her head.

In front of the entire pack, Nolan lowered his head and opened his mind link, letting her hand rest over his heart.

The crowd erupted.

"Our Luna!"

I sat hidden beneath the bleachers and realized something for the first time. Werewolves weren't incapable of showing warmth.

They simply reserved it for the people they truly chose.

That was the night Derek Collins stopped me.

"Where's your wolf?" He glanced around with fake surprise. "Don't tell me he's too ashamed to be seen with you because you're not as pretty as your sister?"

His friends burst out laughing.

I threw my drink into his face. He shoved me, and I tackled him. The two of us ended up on the floor, fighting like we had completely lost our minds. Eventually, we were both dragged into the counselor's office.

I thought my mother would at least ask who started it.

But after hearing everything, she only looked at me with tired disappointment.

"What they said was mean, but it wasn't entirely wrong. Why can't you be more like Chloe? A little prettier, a little more lovable?"

"Mom..."

"What does being smart even matter if your attitude is so harsh that even the wolf you brought home doesn't want to be around you?" She said right in front of my teacher and Derek, "Sometimes I wish I had two Chloes."

I didn't even remember how I ran out of the school.

I only remembered that when my father found me hiding in the park, he slapped me.

"You made the whole family search for you all night over this mess. How did I end up raising such a headache?"

After that day, Derek stopped caring whether teachers heard him. He would call me Miller's Mistake in the hallway and say that someone even her own mother couldn't love would never be loved by anyone else.

I had no way to fight back.

Because every time I came home, Rowan never asked why I was crying either.

Now I sat in the same living room and finally understood. The flickers of emotion I had sensed from him over the years weren't imaginary. Our bond existed. It was real.

Rowan had known it all along. He had felt the pull and still chose to silence it, locking me out.

Before sunrise, I placed the mirror back into the drawer. For the first time, I didn't reach for it again.