ALPHA'S BROKEN VOW - COMPLETE

CHAPTER 2 - THROUGH THE YEARS - SIRI'S POV

The scent of oak wood smoke in the fires, and candles burning in the halls, were a constant undercurrent to the richness of the royal life I unexpectedly found myself thrust into after my rescue.

The King and Queen took me in, a poor orphan, and I became their ward. Their sons, Princes Kai and Zain, were my age, only a few months older, and we'd grown close over the years.

They never left me alone. At first, I thought it was because they were protective because of what we'd all been through during the abduction that caused my parents deaths. An event we didn't like to relive, and refused to talk about, but as the years rolled on, I realized that they had more than protection on their minds. We'd all fallen for each other, and I found myself praying they'd be my mates one day.

As children, we used to play hide-and-seek for hours. The castle, with its endless corridors and hidden chambers, was perfect for our game, and I often had one of the twins sacrificing themselves, so the seeker wouldn't find my hiding spot, but when I did the same for them, they'd get cross at me and would say that Alpha's didn't need anyone's protection and that it was their job to protect me.

The twins would often fight over who sat next to me at dinner, and the Queen, who'd become like a mother to me, would remind them I had two sides, and they could each sit next to me, and would always demand I eat more as they placed food on my plate.

''You're to thin,'' Zain would declare, ''You need to eat more rice.''

''You're a Beta,'' Kai would remind me, ''You should eat more and grow stronger.''

The only thorn to our friendship was Colette. She was in love with the twins, and she would openly boast about being their mates, but the twins would always shut her down, until finally, she started pretending like she no longer loved them, but I knew the truth. She wanted them and wouldn't give up.

Her attitude to me remained the same however, she would often call me an orphan, or a rogue with no pack. She even picked on me in our early teens when we discovered I was allergic to grapes. A simple fruit, yet it changed everything. Not long after moving in with the royal family. I was eating some when I went into anaphylactic shock.

''Only dogs are allergic to grapes,'' Colette had smeared at school the next day, ''She isn't a Lycan, she's some b***h pup.''

I ignored her, and eventually she stopped her little taunts too, but I still never liked her.

As the years passed, the princes and I grew up, their childish games replaced by the weight of their royal duties, and I was trained to become a Luna. Though I was only a Beta, the Queen was convinced, as I hoped, that I would become the twins mates, and she wanted me to be prepared.

When we began fight training, they took it upon themselves to help me become one of the best fighters despite my strength and rank. They didn't shield me. They knew the world wasn't kind and as a Beta, they wanted to prepared me for what laid ahead.

Kai taught me speed and ferocity, and he'd laugh as I would stumble or make a misstep, then he'd help me up, show me how to correct my stance, and we'd begin again. His lessons were brutal, but effective. He taught me to never back down.

Zain on the other hand, was the more calculated of the twins and would teach me how to read an opponent, how to use their weaknesses against them to take advantage.

I didn't enjoy their training. However, when I won the fights, during our yearly ranking trials, I found myself appreciating their guidance and advice, especially when I wiped the floor with Colette, who actually thought she could win during our fight.

The twins threw me a massive party for winning, and we danced and laughed the entire night away. We even shared our first kiss together. They wanted more, but I said I wouldn't sleep with anyone but my mates.

I knew, of course, that they slept with other girls, but I didn't mind, they were just one-night stands, and they never gave anyone but me any attention, and would even tell their conquests that this was just a one-night thing because it was me they loved, and I hated to admit that it gave me a big head.

It was a strange, complicated love, fierce and possessive. They fought for me, defended me. I belonged to them, and they to me, and we rarely spent time with anyone else.

The only other person I shared my life with was Brayton. I cared about him as equally as I cared for the twins. He was sweet and kind, and strong, and I loved exchanging letters with him over the years. Receiving his letter every two weeks became something I always looked forward to.

The twins however, would roll their eyes and complain that I gave Brayton attention.

''He clearly has a crush on you.'' Zain would complain, ''Why else would he keep writing.''

''You don't need him,'' Kai would say, ''You have us, why do you need to write letters to him? He's Kingdom isn't one of our allies, you should end this friendship.''

I wouldn't, of course, I would miss Brayton to much, and I loved hearing how well he was doing despite how awful his father was.

I couldn't wait for my 18th birthday tomorrow. Times truly did fly. I was nervous about seeing the twins at nine pm. It was at this time, the exact time of my birth, that I could find my mates, and I was scared the twins wouldn't be. What would I do? Would I have to leave? I hated the thought of them with someone else. I hated the idea of everyone looking me with pity after years of the twins declaring we'd be mates no matter what.

I went to bed early the evening before, but I couldn't sleep. I just kept tossing and turning, until I finally passed out from exhaustion. Tomorrow would come whether I was asleep or not, and one way or the other, I'd find out who my mates were.