My Twin Mates

Return and Report

As soon as the bell for lunch break rang in the school, the twins spared no extra time being seated in their class. They both shot up to their feet simultaneously, stole glances at one other before hurrying out of the class. They made their way hastily toward the class down the hall where students were already trooping out from. They both got there just in time to see Raven making her way out as well.

She stopped on her track for a second, gave them both a puzzled and questioning look before walking right past them. "What?" She asked with her back to them as she kept on walking down the hall.

"What do you mean 'what?'" Kreed asked with furrowed brows. "We are supposed to protect you, especially since we don't know what Rayne is after yet"

"So what? Now you guys are my babysitters?" She stopped and turned to face them. "I can take care of myself. I'm not some helpless shewolf and I can fight my battles myself. So stop following me around like security escorts. Nothing is gonna happen to me....and even if something does happen, I will take care of it myself...."

"Look Raven, we're just trying to keep you safe. I know it must be hard for you but just please let us" Kreed explained calmly with worried eyes.

"Hell it is?!" Kieran blurted out. "Do you know what's harder? Seeing your head ripped off by some crazed wolf. So zip it and let's go" He added and grabbed Raven's wrist, dragging her along as they continued on her destination.

Raven glanced back and saw Kreed following closely behind them. She was trying to wriggle her hand free from Kieran's grip but after a while of no success, she gave in, letting him hold her. She glanced at his face and saw a small smile escape his lips, that told her he knew what he was doing.

***

The six of them sat in the cafeteria, the twins seated on the right and left side of a seat, putting Raven at the middle. On the opposite side Ace and Killian sat with Diamond at their center too. The three pairs sat across from each other, eating their lunch in silence. Killian who had been observing the whole mood and expressions of his friends since they got to the cafeteria, realized they each had troubling thoughts weighing on them. "What is going on with y'all?" He broke the silence, shifting glances between them.

"What?" Kreed asked

"I mean everyone looks troubled... Is something wrong?"

"What isn't wrong? Is it the elder being murdered? Or Raven being in constant danger from her brother who's now lurking about in town and breaking into her house? Or is it the mysterious Red Lotus or the mysterious Kemuri or the war hanging over heads, or the....."

"Yeah yeah, I get it!" Killian quickly cut Kieran off.

"Didn't you know all of these is happening?" Kreed asked him with a sincere look.

"Not all of that. It's hard to know everything going on when you're staying alone you know. At least you guys can find out those kinds of stuff from your parents" He explained

"Parent" Kieran corrected him. "We don't have a father, just a mom"

"Guardian..." Raven chipped in "I don't have parents, just a guardian, thanks to my half brother" She rolled her eyes with anger.

"Well I guess I'm in that category too...though Killian and I are more alike. I live alone too. Still haven't seen nor heard from my father for years now. No mom and I'm staying alone" Ace sighed

After Ace was done saying his piece, all eyes turned to Diamond who hadn't said anything and had just been focused on her snack. Her brows furrowed when she saw everyone's eyes on her. "What? I still have both my parents" She shrugged

"Yeah. Alpha's daughter" Ace commented with a bit of pain in his voice.

"Well at least one of us has a complete and stable home" Kieran flashed Diamond a smile. She swiftly looked away before her blush would be made evident.

"Hello there!" An unfamiliar voice called from beside them.

They all turned simultaneously to see an unfamiliar face. A friendly looking face of a young man who looks no older than twenty five. He had a medium, spiky, blonde hair. He was thin fit and cut, putting on a black skinny jeans, a grey shirt that hugged his body and made his perfectly cut body pronounced and a black jacket with zippers on the sleeves on top, with the collar of the jacket standing.

They glanced at one another confusedly and then shifted their attention to the stranger standing beside their table and still smiling at them, showing his perfect set of white teeth. "Who the hell are you?" Kieran was the first to speak up.

"Language. You shouldn't talk to your new teacher that way. But I'll let that slide since this is our first time" He replied, all the while maintaining his smile. "And for who I am? I am your new physical art teacher. The name is Niklaus"

"A teacher huh?" Ace kept staring at him suspiciously.

"Aren't you too young to be a teacher?" Diamond asked the question that was in all of their minds.

"Don't be fooled by this pretty young face, I am older than I look" Niklaus replied. "Well I'll leave you guys to it. We'll meet in our first class tomorrow. Come prepared" He added and then shifted his gaze to Kreed and Kieran. His smile faded for a quick second before it came back just before he walked away.

"Now that's one weird but cool looking teacher" Kieran pointed out with a smile.

"Of course you like him. It seems as though you're looking in a mirror" Kreed teased.

"Yeah yeah you're just jealous. First step is to not be brooding. Try it and thank me later" Kieran clapped back.

"Oh not again. Stop it you two" Raven rolled her eyes.

"So Kieran, will you be coming over after school? You know...maybe sparring session....with my dad" Diamond asked, trying to act it off like it's nothing but failing at it badly.

"Oh, I can't. Kreed and I are staying with the baby wolf after school" He replied, roughing up Raven's hair.

"Hey!" Raven protested. "And I'm not a baby wolf"

"Oh I see. Okay. Sure" She tilted her head downward, feeling a bit of jealousy in her heart. Killian noticed this and then shifted his attention back to his snack.

***

Alpha Damien sat down with his interlocked fingers under his chin, listening to the news he was being told. It was all becoming overwhelming for him as the Alpha. A lot of things were going on all day, at the same time and it was starting to look like another war might begin soon. He glanced from his right hand to the late elder's apprentice. "Are you sure that was what she said?" He asked again, trying to clarify.

"That was the last thing she told me" Maryanne replied, standing by the desk in front of the Alpha.

"So she said love will push one of her sons to the darkness and death will come back to haunt?"

"Yes Alpha" Maryanne nodded.

"What do we do?" Tessa asked with concern and fear in her eyes.

"What do you think.....Niklaus?" The Alpha asked, his eyes fixed on the dark side of the office.

Niklaus who had been standing there listening to it all, came out of the shadows. "Well....I think if we have any chance of preventing this, then we have to find out which love is the premonition referring to. Is it love of parent(s), romantic love or love of friendship?" He stated with a small smile, staring at the right hand. "It is romantic love, isn't it?" He asked Tessa directly.

Tessa glanced at the Alpha and then back at Niklaus before nodding. "I think it is"

"Starting from the twin mates thing....if we are right and that is it, then which of them is going to be forced into the darkness by it?" Said, the Alpha

"I....don't know" Tessa muttered, staring down at the floor.

"Whatever we do from here on, we have to find a way to stop that premonition from coming true. If one should go into the darkness, that will be the spark that starts a war" Maryanne added

"Hmm....what about your mission Niklaus? Welcome back, it's been ten years since you were gone and now you're back. So what did you find out? Good or bad news?"

"I'm afraid I don't have any goodnews"

"Lay it on us"

"The Red Lotus, Kemuri, Derek Maynard, and the Dread doctor" Niklaus listed and saw the confusion on their faces. His smile faded, "What is coming isn't just war Alpha....it's DOOMSDAY"