The Twin Alpha's Quiet Luna.

Esme The front bell at the confession house that I secretly hosted, Dark Hearts, chimed softly, signalling the arrival of a visitor, and I nervously adjusted my disguise. The signature long and wide black robe was on, perfectly disguising my figure. Then there was the full coverage face mask, perfectly hiding my facial features, followed by a pair of gloves, just in case someone recognised my fingers. It was highly unlikely, but still, I followed through with it. I couldn't afford a slip-up. Finally, came another round of spraying my wood-scented perfume, perfectly masking the scent of my wolf, and I was good to go. For some unknown reason though, I was a ball of nervousness, which could be explained by a number of reasons. There was a mating ceremony which was happening later in the day, under the full moon, and my fiancée, Cooper and I were among the mating candidates. Yes! And I couldn't wait to finally bear his mark. But again, being the mysterious host at a confession house was a nerve-wracking task, the dark, twisted, and super unsettling confessions from strangers, and equally, from people whose voices you could recognise? They were always too much. But hey, in Dark Hearts, there were no questions, no judgements, and certainly, no comments. ' Pull yourself together, someone is approaching. ' I was pulled from my thoughts by Ari, my wolf's steady voice, and before I could respond, she retreated to the back of my head. I squared my shoulders, sat on my stool, facing the wall, as I waited for the visitor. Then came the footsteps, at first, they sounded familiar, faintly familiar, actually, and the closer the visitor got, the more familiar the footsteps became. There was no way I could mistake them. I had listened to those very footsteps for over twenty years, after all. The visitor was my Fiancée, and future mate, Cooper. And as he sat on the plain bench, right behind me, but from a safer distance, his scent seeped through my senses, filling me with familiar tickles all through my body. He was not my fated mate, but his scent had such an effect on me. It was love, I guess. " I heard that this is a safe space." If I had specks of doubts before, they were sieved into unsettling realisation as his familiar voice reverberated through the hall. " I am not here because I feel guilty, " He paused, as if searching for the right words, and behind my mask, I could already picture a warm smile playing on his lips. " I know that you are used to listening to some sorry and guilt-bitten losers who are on the verge of taking their pathetic lives." He went on, a dark chuckle escaping from his lips. It was dark, sick, and foreign to my ears. I had known him for twenty years and yet, it was the first time that I heard such a twisted sound coming from him. Well, something about his tone felt wrong. He sounded less than the Cooper I knew. The vulgarity of his words? that was so unlike my Cooper. He was always kind, controlled, name the like. " Well, I am about to disappoint you. Today is a happy day," He paused, his voice soft, and warm, relaxing to the very core. The earlier doubts that I had vanished as his words sank in. Now that was my Cooper, the Cooper that I was about to marry. " And, I have a feeling that, from now on, my life is going to be better. " As his next words filtered through the air, a sweet smile found its way to my lips. Unprofessional, right? I know. But can I get a pass? I was listening to my future mate's confession, after all. And the things that he said? They erased all the doubts that I had. He was happy because he was about to mark and mate me. He foresaw a happy future with me. Who wouldn't ve touched? For a moment, I felt guilty for hiding my identity as the host from him. And for a hot second, I had a pressing urge to remove my disguise and turn his visit into a surprise, but... " I mean, why wouldn't I be happy? " Before I could do anything, he spoke, again, but this time, that chilling aura, the one that had the air at my back standing erect, edged his voice. " I am about to achieve my lifelong dream." He added, with the same tone, and I almost nodded. His lifelong goal was to marry me, right? He had pursued me relentlessly for six years, after all. " After tonight, I can finally become the beta to the Sharp Ridge pack, one of the biggest packs in the werewolf kingdom. " He added, a foreign smugness edging his tone. For a second, I froze, my posture stiffening, and my breath hitching. Luckily, I was in the ridiculously wide gown, otherwise, with his keen eyes, he would have noticed my movements. His goal was the beta position, and not me, like I had assumed? No. I was clearly misreading his words, I swear. "Honestly, words can't express how happy I feel. This has been long coming. There was a time when I felt like I was losing it. " " Other times, I felt like my dream would only remain to be that... a dream. But I was stubborn. I persisted, desperate to ascend the rank stairs, to become something, a respected beta." "Luckily, I withstood. And Esme? She was stubborn, rigid, hardly caving in even when I did so much to prove myself. " " It took her four years to say yes. Four f*cking years!" He snapped, violently kicking the bench next to him, and the loud noises successfully pulled me out of the haze his confession had yanked me into. For a moment, I wanted to ask for a retake. I felt like everything was progressing so fast, so quickly that I was missing bits. " She took her time, treating me like I was beneath her, like I was a lesser being," "But guess what?" " The tables will be turning tonight..." " After I take the beta title from her, I can't wait to see her lose everything, " Malice and victory danced with his tongue as he revealed... " Her beta heir status, her home, her freedom, and" He paused, a dark chuckle escaping from his lips, deep and heartfelt. " And her sanity."