CHAPTER NINE
1287 Words
ALICIA
I ran.
I didn't care who saw me. I didn't care if the other servants whispered about me later. I just ran down the hallway, past the kitchen, past the cleaning supplies, until I reached the small room I called home.
My hands shook as I fumbled with the door handle. Finally, I got it open and slammed it shut behind me. I turned the lock and pressed my back against the door.
My heart was beating so fast I thought it might burst.
Two mates.
I had two mates.
That wasn't normal. That wasn't right. That wasn't even possible.
I slid down the door until I was sitting on the floor. My small room felt even smaller now. The single bed, the tiny dresser, the cracked mirror on the wall. Everything looked the same, but nothing felt the same.
His scent was still on me. Pine and something warm from Ivan. But now there was something else. Something sharper and cleaner like rain after a storm.
That was him. The stranger with the golden eyes.
My wolf was going crazy in my head.
Mate, she kept saying. Mate, mate, mate.
"Stop it," I whispered to her. "Just stop."
But she didn’t listen. She was pacing in my mind, whimpering, wanting both of them.
I pulled my knees to my chest and buried my face in my hands. This was a nightmare. It had to be.
One mate was already too much. Ivan with his demands and his possessiveness and his reputation. But two? How was I supposed to handle two?
And who was that man anyway? He knew my name. He called me pretty girl like we'd met before. But I'd never seen him in my life.
Those golden eyes though. They'd looked right through me like they could see all my secrets.
I stayed curled up on the floor for what felt like hours. Maybe it was hours. The light from my small window changed from bright to dim. My legs started to cramp, but I didn't move.
Then someone knocked on my door.
"Alicia!" It was Sarah, one of the other maids. "You need to come with me now."
I didn't answer.
"Alicia, please! The Alpha wants all the servants in his office right now. You have to come."
My stomach dropped immediately.
The Alpha's office. That meant something big was happening. Something bad maybe.
I stood up slowly. My legs were shaky. I looked at myself in the cracked mirror. My hair was a mess. My face was pale, and I looked like I'd just seen a ghost.
Well, maybe I had.
"I'm coming," I called back.
I opened the door. Sarah was standing there, and wringing her hands. She looked nervous.
"What's going on?" I asked.
"I don't know," she said. "But the Alpha King is still here. And there's someone else with him. Another Alpha King."
My blood turned to ice instantly.
Another Alpha King.
It was definitely the man with the golden eyes.
"Come on," Sarah said. "We can't be late."
I followed her down the hallway. Other servants were walking in the same direction. Everyone looked scared. No one was talking.
When we got to the Alpha's office, the door was open, and I could see people crowded inside.
Sarah walked through the crowd, and I stayed behind her, trying to hide.
But then I saw him.
Ivan was standing near the Alpha's desk. His arms were crossed, his face was hard, and next to him was the stranger from the hallway.
He was even taller than I remembered. His dark hair was perfectly styled now. He wore a black suit that fit him perfectly like it was made just for him. He looked powerful and dangerous.
And when his golden eyes found mine in the crowd, he smiled. My knees went weak immediately.
"s**t," I whispered.
Sarah looked back at me. "What's wrong?"
I couldn't answer. I couldn't breathe.
The Alpha of our pack was standing behind his desk. He looked like he was about to throw up.
"Everyone's here, Alpha Kings," he said. His voice was shaking.
Ivan stepped forward. "Good."
His blue eyes scanned the room until they landed on me. For a second, his face softened. Then it went hard again.
"This is Caleb," Ivan said. His voice was loud enough for everyone to hear. "My twin brother."
His twin brother. Both of them were brothers.
"And you already know who she is," Ivan continued.
Every head in the room turned to look at me. I wanted to disappear.
Caleb stepped forward, not taking his eyes off me the whole time. "She's my mate," he said.
The room went dead silent immediately.
I felt like I was going to faint.
Ivan turned to look at me. His blue eyes were cold now. They looked angry.
"I thought she was mine," he said.
The tension in the room was so thick that I could barely breathe. Everyone was staring at me like I was some kind of freak.
I had two mates.
And they were two Alpha Kings who were twin brothers.
This was impossible.
Caleb took another step forward. "What an interesting situation we have here."
His voice was smooth and calm, but there was something dangerous underneath it.
Ivan moved closer to me. "She's mine. I claimed her first."
"Did you?" Caleb asked. "Because she doesn't seem to want you."
"That's not how this works," Ivan snapped.
"Isn't it?" Caleb's golden eyes were still locked on mine. "What do you want, love?"
Everyone was looking at me now. They were all waiting for me to say something, but I couldn't speak. I couldn't even think.
My wolf was going crazy in my mind. She wanted both of them. She was pulling me toward Ivan and Caleb at the same time.
"I..." I started, but before I could finish, Ivan grabbed my arm.
"She's coming with me," he said.
Caleb's eyes flashed with anger. "I don't think so."
He moved so fast that I didn't see it coming. One second Ivan was holding my arm, and the next second, Caleb had Ivan's wrist in his grip.
"Let her go," Caleb said quietly.
Ivan's eyes had started to turn red. "Make me."
The air in the room changed. Now it felt really heavy and dangerous.
These were two Alpha Kings. Two of the most powerful wolves in the world. And now they were about to fight over me.
"Stop," I whispered, but they didn't hear me.
Ivan tried to pull his arm away, but Caleb's grip was too strong.
"I said let her go," Caleb repeated.
"And I said she's mine!" Ivan growled.
That's when I felt it. The air had changed again. I could feel the electricity in the air now. I could also feel the power radiating from both of them.
They were going to shift.
Right here. Right now.
"Stop!" I yelled and both of them turned to look at me immediately.
"Just stop," I said. My voice was shaking now. "Please."
For a moment, nobody moved. Then Caleb let go of Ivan's wrist.
Ivan stepped back. "This isn't over," he said.
"No, it’s not," Caleb agreed.
They both looked at me again.
"Choose," Ivan said.
"Choose what?" I asked.
"Choose who you want," Caleb said. "Him or me."
I looked back and forth between them for a while. Two Alpha Kings. Two brothers. Two mates.
This was crazy. And impossible too.
"I can't," I whispered.
"You have to," Ivan said.
"No," I said. "I don't."
And with that, I turned and ran.
Again.
But this time, I could hear footsteps behind me. Both of them were following me.
I was screwed.
- Writer
