CHAPTER 4: THE DISCOVERY
696 Words
Andre's pov
The shame and panic from the dinner table had solidified into a cold, hard determination: I needed to understand what was happening to me. My body was betraying me—flushing, shaking, and reacting with magnetic force to two men I was sworn to avoid. It wasn't just lust; it was a bizarre, overwhelming biological necessity.
I couldn't talk to Sarah. How could I explain that being near her new stepsons felt like standing next to a live electrical wire? And I certainly couldn't talk to Zakk or Zane; they seemed to be deliberately exploiting the connection.
My only option was the silence of my room and the limitless noise of the internet.
I typed vague phrases into the search bar, trying to capture the elusive, terrifying feeling without mentioning my stepbrothers
Uncontrollable attraction to a stranger
Physical magnetic pull to another person
Dizzying recognition of a new person
The results were predictable: articles about limerence, chemical attraction, and primal lust. None of it felt right. My reaction wasn't based on an infatuation with their looks; it was based on an inescapable force.
I tried a more abstract approach, remembering the ancient, fantastical stories my father, James, used to tell me—the ones he always ended with a quiet, knowing look. He'd talked about "spirit animals" and "blood ties" and "destiny written in the stars."
Soulmate bond physical symptoms
Twin flame recognition symptoms
Primal recognition bond
The search results shifted. They veered away from psychology and into folklore, mythology, and obscure forums dedicated to supernatural romance. I skimmed articles about ancient Irish legends and Greek myths about linked souls. Then, one result jumped out at me, tying together all the elements I had suppressed: Mates.
It was a poorly translated passage from a forum discussing various supernatural lore. It detailed a concept of a fated connection so powerful it rendered the individuals helpless.
I read the passage over and over:
"The Mate Bond is an instinctual pairing, typically manifesting during the early twenties, characterized by an instantaneous, overwhelming sense of completion and irresistible physical pull. This bond is often sensed through heightened olfaction—the distinct, primal scent of the other—and is accompanied by physical symptoms: heightened heart rate, flushed skin, and a biological need to be near the mate. In rare instances, an individual may be fated to two mates, usually fraternal twins, in an unbreakable triad."
My hands were shaking again, but this time, it wasn't fear; it was cold certainty.
Overwhelming physical pull. Irresistible. Primal scent. Cedar and rain.
Fated to two mates. Fraternal twins. Zakk and Zane.
It wasn't a crush. It wasn't lust. It was destiny, wrapped up in folklore and now living down the hall.
And then I saw the line that broke through my last defense of humanity:
"The Mate Bond is not a human phenomenon. It is almost exclusively found in shapeshifter species, most commonly the Lycan/Werewolf."
I pulled my hands away from the keyboard as if the laptop had burned me. I wasn't just attracted to my step-brothers; I was caught in an ancient, paranormal destiny.
I was the key. If Zakk and Zane were werewolves, and I was their Mate, then that meant...
I wasn't human.
The sudden, seismic realization didn't make me panic. Instead, it made everything clear. The frantic pulse, the primal scent, the irresistible pull—it wasn't just them, it was me reacting to them. My own latent, non-human nature was asserting itself, desperately trying to connect with my pack.
My mind flew back to James, my father. His gentle smiles, his secret stories, his occasional cryptic warnings. Had he known? Had he and Sarah been keeping this astonishing, dangerous truth from me my whole life?
The wall of denial I had so carefully constructed at dinner was gone, replaced by a terrifying, exhilarating new reality. I didn't need to avoid Zakk and Zane anymore. I needed to understand them, because they were the only key to understanding myself.
- Writer
