Rejected By My Mate, Claimed By His Twin

Lyrel’s P.O.V Eighteen is a lucky number. You get your bones broken, get stuck with a he-wolf for the rest of your life or in my case… You win five hundred dollars. Luna Sarah, Mrs. Right all the time, will tell me that I am only addicted to betting because I am too ‘cowardly’ to face my feelings. It is too hard to take her seriously when the money does the talking. “Good thing you bet on number eighteen, huh?” the cashier mutters, winking at me. A warm feeling spreads inside my chest. I collect the money quickly from his hands, afraid someone will snatch it away. “Well, happy birthday to me!” I scream at the top of my lungs. “Hey,” Darien, snubby and cold but a good betting partner, catches up with me. “Wanna go another round?” I do. “Nah.” I wave him off. “Have fun.” I will take him on his deal but I have twelve minutes to make it to the pack house before Luna Sarah gets all cranky when she doesn’t see me at the table for breakfast. I can almost hear her scolding me in my head. When I reach the pack house, it’s bustling with activity. Two girls are dragging a table down to the shifting site and another, Evelyn, sweat dragging down her forehead as she painfully dragged a large banner bearing the pack’s emblem. Evelyn was supposed to get her wolf last year, but she was pronounced wolfless when she couldn’t call upon her wolf. I wave at her, and she gives me a forced smile. I know because the smile doesn’t reach her ears. My heart tugs painfully. This is a reminder of what will happen if I don’t get my wolf today. Oh goddess, please bless me with a wolf. I don’t believe in Maeve, the Moon Goddess, by the way. But if she has done it for others, this is the time for her to prove that she really exists. “Lyrel!” a voice shrieks at me, as I push open the door. Luna Sarah. She is a soft, round woman in her late forties. Her hair is fading chestnut brown and is pulled in a loose bun with a few strands escaping her temples. She wears a simple blue gown under her apron, looking young as ever. She’s carrying two plates of food down to the table and I guess I am not that late after all. “Where have you been?” she asks, and then she adds. “Don’t tell me you went to watch that stupid horse racing game!” The smell of crispy bacon and buttery fried potatoes fill the air, making my stomach growl. I smile, feeling the weight of the five hundred dollars in my pocket. “No. I wasn’t.” She shakes her head, recognizing the lie spewing from my mouth. “Come and eat before the food gets cold. You’ll need your strength today.” I clutch my trembling fists inside my pocket and make my way to the table. The chair groans as I push it back and sit. “Where’s Kaiser and Briar?” At the mention of their names, Briar runs into the room, screaming as Kaiser pursues her. I laugh at their playful banter. They are usually like this. Briar skids to the left, making Kaiser lose his step and hit his mother, Luna Sarah, on her shoulder. “Sorry, Mom,” Kaiser says, tapping her shoulder lightly, like that will take the pain away. “What’s going on with you two now?” “Briar stole the necklace I was going to give Lyrel today,” Kaiser mutters, stomping his foot like a twelve years old kid who had his favourite toy stolen. And then it hits me and my eyes widen. My necklace. A smile pulls at the corner of my lips, and I stand from the table, walking toward him. I grab his two hands in mine. “You had a gift prepared for me?” “Yeah…I…” Kaiser stammers, it is cute when he’s like this. “It was supposed to be a surprise but.. Briar..” “Maybe if you didn’t want me to see it….” Briar counters, giggling, holding the silver necklace around her neck. “You wouldn’t have kept it on your nightstand.” Kaiser’s ears go red and he moves to pursue her again, but I hold him back. Then I kiss him. His lips brush mine, soft and tentative at first. A shiver runs through me. Then I push my tongue deeper. My fingers curl into the fabric of his shirt, holding on before I even realize I’m doing it. His hand settles against my waist, drawing me closer until there’s barely any space between us. Everything around us seems to disappear… Briar’s voice, the sound of my heart beating, Luna Sarah’s footsteps as she arranges the food on the table. “Eew, that’s cringe!” Briar mutters behind me, with a hint of something else. Something I can't name right now. Kaiser tilts my head toward him, pushing a strand of hair behind my ear. “I love you.” “By the time the two of you are done loving each other…” Luna Sarah’s voice pulls my attention away from Kaiser. “This food will be cold.” Kaiser guides me to the table. He pushes my chair back for me to sit. What a gentleman. He’s been like this since I was twelve. He takes a seat beside me, turning his head to Briar. “Give me the necklace.” “Why do you only get nice stuff for Lyrel and nothing for me?” Briar pouts. “Because he’s my mate?” My eyebrows raise at her stupid question. Briar rolls her eyes at me. “You don’t even know that yet.” Her fingers curl around the pendant, possessive and for a seconds, she doesn’t move to take it off. Kaiser snorts. “It doesn’t matter if she’s my mate or not.” He looks deeply into my eyes and my heart races. “I will always choose you.” My heart squeezes at his loving words. He has been choosing me for six years. Ever since I was twelve and lost my father, Kaiser has been the one thing that made this pack feel like home. I believe Kaiser and I will be mates. There is a special connection I feel with him, and I just wish things can continue like this. But people say the feeling gets so intense and magical when you are mates. I hope it does. I can't imagine my life without him. “Just leave it for her,” I finally say, waving Briar off. She’s not going to give up the necklace anyway, and Kaiser looks ready to fight her for it. His love for me is a gift enough, and well, I hadn’t prepared any gift for him either, so we are even. “She’d get hurt.” Kaiser wants to argue, but he finally lets go and continues eating. Briar and I do the same. “I would so much miss the three of you when you leave,” Luna Sarah breaks the silence in the room. “The fights… the bickering… Oh, it would be so silent.” Everyone who gets a wolf will receive an invitation to attend LunarCrest. LunarCrest is a big deal, the academy that every werewolf dreams of attending. The rule is simple: a wolf earns a place. A wolfless has none… unless a ranked wolf claims them. If a future Alpha claims you, the academy has no choice but to accept you. I know I’ve been dreaming of it. That’s why today is so tense for me. “Oh, Mother, don’t worry,” Briar says in her sweet voice. “We’ll make sure to call you everyday.” Breakfast ends with the three of us hugging Luna Sarah. She has been like our mother, for what, six years now? To be honest, I will also miss her when I leave. If I ever get to leave. The shifting will happen at midnight when the moon comes up, which means I have a lot of hours to myself. I hate being alone with my thoughts. I might die from my overwhelming thoughts if I don’t do something. Lucky for me, when I go outside to look for Darien, I meet Evelyn instead and when I ask if she needs my help, she just shrugs and I take that as a yes. I join her at the shifting site and start helping the other omegas decorate. “Sister Lyrel!” Dax calls, running toward me, out of breath. He pulls me into a hug when he gets closer. I haven’t seen Dax in a while and I smile. “How’s mother?” I ask. “Um… Yeah… Her drugs have finished, and I need to get her new one.” “Oh.” My father was the Alpha’s beta and he had died when I was twelve, sacrificing his life for the Alpha. Mother never recovered from losing him and since then, taking care of her and Dax have been my responsibility. I quickly go through my pocket and bring out three hundred dollars. I tuck it into his hands, away from people’s evil eyes. His eyes widen at the amount. “Lyrel, where did you get this? How…” “It doesn’t matter.” I cut him off. Well, to say, Dax isn’t known to be able to keep secrets and mother mustn’t know that I’m still betting. “Mom has been asking about you,” Dax's voice turns grip. “It’s been a year now since you’ve come to check on her.” I tilt my head. “What? Are you keeping track of the time now? Go. I will come later.” With a heavy heart, I go back to join Evelyn. Then I hear the clicking of heels behind me. I already know who it is. It can only be one person. Aurora, a.k.a the pack bully. I suck in a breath and straighten my shoulders. I don’t turn back. “Pathetic,” Aurora stops behind me, leaning closer to my ear. “Already helping the slaves decorate?” I imagine her lips curling. “I suppose you should get used to it, Lira. Tonight might be the closest you ever get to having a wolf.” My hands shake as I tie the ribbon into a bow. She purposely said my name wrong so as to get a rise out of me. Tonight. I have to get my wolf. I have to leave this pack.