Mating with the Lincoln Twins

7

Selene’s POV

I didn’t want any more problems.

I had enough already.

The mysterious death of my parents, whose investigation was tangled in endless bureaucracy.

The house taken from me over a supposed tax debt.

And now, two jealous, toxic girlfriends who had sworn to disfigure me after wrecking the apartment I desperately needed to rent out to survive.

Should I accept the Lincoln twins’ offer and go out with them tonight?

I glanced around. I saw the destruction. They had offered to replace everything. But what if, by refusing their invitation, they suddenly changed their minds? What if I never saw a single thing replaced?

I had to take the risk. But after tonight—once I saw that they had actually bought everything back—I would push them out of my life.

I couldn’t afford another problem. Not after all this.

"That sounds good. Yes, I like the idea," I said.

I swore to myself that the next day, I would find somewhere else to stay. Even if it meant relying on charity and spending the next fifteen nights in a shelter. But I wouldn’t expose myself to those crazy girlfriends again. I wouldn’t give them the chance to ruin my face because they thought I was sleeping with their boyfriends.

"We brought you something," Lean said after Kael helped me to my feet.

I stepped over the shattered remains of the TV and followed the twins to what was left of the living room. Lean had a travel bag, and from it, he started pulling out clothes I recognized immediately.

My clothes.

But… how?

"What’s the meaning of this? How did you get these?" I asked, grabbing the garments in my hands.

"We told you, Selene," Kael said with a wink. "We have contacts at the tax office. We went there, and they let us in to retrieve what you needed."

"Are you serious?" I asked, skeptical.

Something about his answer felt off. Too rehearsed. Too confident. My instincts screamed that they were lying. That they had broken into the house—probably through one of the back windows.

I knew for a fact that one of the latches could be easily removed. I had used it myself to sneak back in after late-night parties, back when my parents were still alive.

"Will this be enough, Selene? Or do you think you’ll need more?" Lean asked, quickly changing the subject.

I sighed. Whatever method they had used, what mattered was that I had my clothes back.

"It’s fine. Thank you. You’ve done a lot for me."

I caught them glancing around the apartment.

"But we also caused this," Kael said, running a hand over his neck, uncomfortable. It didn’t fit his usual tough demeanor, which only made the gesture more endearing. "It’s the least we can do for you, Selene."

I thanked them with a small smile and went to change in Kael’s room—or what remained of it.

As I changed, I could hear them tidying up the mess.

I still couldn’t believe what had happened. The crazed faces of those two girls, tearing everything apart, flashed through my mind like ghosts that refused to leave. A shiver ran down my spine at the thought of ever seeing them again.

I wouldn’t.

After tonight, I wouldn’t see the twins again.

I stepped out of the room in a simple dress, nothing revealing, just casual enough for a night out. But the moment their eyes landed on me, I realized they didn’t think the same.

They froze.

Their stares were intense, charged with something that made me hold my breath.

For a fleeting second, it was as if I were the only thing in the world that mattered.

Could they be attracted to me?

They weren’t indifferent to me, that was for sure.

They were undeniably handsome. Beneath their shirts, I could see how toned they were, and both had that rebellious, dominant air that could make any girl’s knees weak.

But I couldn’t cross that line. That would only bring me trouble.

Besides, they were brothers.

And of course, I couldn’t be involved with both.

That would be… weird.

"You look beautiful, Selene," Lean said.

"Stunning. You look amazing," Kael added.

I felt my cheeks heat up.

"You don’t have to be so nice," I murmured, lowering my gaze. "Shall we go?"

We didn’t take long to head downstairs.

As we stepped out of the building, I noticed the twins’ SUV parked outside—as if they had arrived in a hurry.

Wait…

Could they have known what was happening upstairs?

"Guys…" I hesitated, glancing at the car. "Did you…?"

I didn’t even know how to phrase the question, but when I looked at them, their jaws tensed in unison.

Kael looked away.

Lean cleared his throat before speaking.

"I made a reservation," he said, dodging the topic entirely. "Hop in, Selene, please."

He opened the front passenger door, and I climbed in.

Once inside, I watched as Kael and Lean argued over who would drive.

It was amusing. And, I won’t lie, a little flattering.

Kael won, and when he got in, his smile melted me.

"Did I already mention how gorgeous you look in that dress?"

"It’s not a big deal," I said, thoroughly flattered but trying to play it down.

"Can we leave now?" Lean grumbled from the backseat, clearly annoyed that he hadn’t been the one sitting next to me.

"Relax, brother. The restaurant isn’t going anywhere," Kael said, amused.

"I know that. But we might lose the reservation."

"Did you really make one?" I asked, catching onto Lean’s lie.

"I thought we were just grabbing something quick nearby."

"Is that what you want, Selene?" they both asked in unison.

That was weird.

"Uh… no, the reservation is fine," I said.

"We just want to make you happy," Lean said. "To make up for what our girlfriends did to you. But if you want something else, that’s fine too."

It was obvious they were attracted to me.

They even seemed to be competing for my attention.

Which only made this more dangerous.

Because the feeling was mutual.

And now I wasn’t sure if I had the willpower to stay away from them.

"Guys, let’s just go somewhere, okay?"

Kael started the car and pulled out onto the road.

"We’ll go somewhere not too far… but not too close either. A middle ground."

Lean didn’t argue.

Strange.

Wasn’t he the one worried about the reservation?

Something didn’t add up…

But I let it go.

Still, why had their car been parked so strangely? And why had Lean been so eager to change the subject?

It was strange.

But I didn’t press the matter.

I just wanted to put the whole jealous girlfriend incident behind me.

And whatever the twins weren’t telling me, they had their reasons.

We arrived at the restaurant Kael had chosen. It wasn’t fancy, but it wasn’t too casual either. A perfect middle ground, just like he had suggested.

The moment I smelled the delicious aroma from the kitchen, my stomach growled.

I hadn’t realized how hungry I was.

Or how much my perception of the twins had started to change.

Before, I had thought they were attractive.

Now, there was something else.

Something about them called to me.

Like an echo only I could hear.

It was as if something inside me was waking up.

A strange sensation, like a beast stretching after a long slumber.

I couldn’t quite put it into words, but if I had to…

I’d say it felt like a she-wolf, purring deep inside me.

What a strange feeling, right?