Chapter 47
My heart sputtered in my chest as I realized Sage had meant for the three of us to share a room. Even
after epting Alec and Kade as my mates, the thought of sharing a bed with them made me horribly
nervous. It took a couple deep breaths for me to realize, I wasn’t sure I wanted to sleep alone. I could
feel the twin’s relief as they came to the same realization as I had, and knew they felt the same. My
week away from the twins had felt like years for all three of us, though they seemed to have suffered
worse than I. I wondered if I’d ever forgive myself for leaving them, even if they managed to forgive me
first.
The room was filled with an ufortable silence as Alec and Kade’s dark eyes settled on my face.
The air was full of tension as they looked at me, thick with longing and jagged with pain. I opened my
mouth and then closed it, realizing nothing I said would excuse my actions.
Arge bed sat against the wall; a maroon quilt draped over the top. I was thankful for the size of the
bed, as sleeping with tworge males would have proved difficult for anyone. A firece was built into
the wall, though it looked unused. The room itself wasrge, but had little furniture. The walls matched
the shade of the quilt, and the carpet felt soft beneath my feet. Two armchairs and a coffee table sat at
the other end of the room, followed by a bookshelf.
I had forced Alec and Kade from my mind, as if was the only way I could bring myself to leave. I had
spent my life not trusting a soul, only to be given two soulmates. It took the wise words of Sage to
finally realize that I could trust Alec and Kade above anyone else.
‘Besides me.’ Thalia chimed in, ‘You can always trust me. Even if you were mean in the beginning.’
Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.
‘Can you me me?’ I chuckled dryly, “I spent my life thinking I was a human, only to find out the voice
in my head is a wolf.′
‘I don’t me you.’ Thalia shrugged, ‘Though, you could have made it easier on all of us.’
Sensing the panic rising in my gut, Thalia sent a wave offort and courage through me. She helped
soothe the turmoil in my stomach, helped me find the words to say to Alec and Kade. When I was
finally able to form my thoughts into words, I opened my mouth to speak.
“I don’t know if you two can ever forgive me, but I had my reasons for leaving.” I grimaced, hating the
sound of my fragile voice.
Alec nced at his brother, and I could feel the tension within them. The two of them were riding on my
words more than I knew. It seemed they both worried I would change my mind, demand that they return
me to my life without them.
“We know, doll.” Alec spoke softly, despite the roughness of his voice. Both sets of dark eyes were soft
as they looked down at me, filled to the brim with understanding and pain. “We know why you left, we
just–we just wish you would have trusted us.”
“I didn’t want to trust anyone.” I confessed, feeling the knot within my stomach slowly unravel at the
confession. “I didn’t want this life, this responsibility. Pushing you two away meant I didn’t have to deal
with it all. I had nned to leave once I graduated, but–things changed.”
My voice spiraled to a halt as I remembered the person who was directly responsible for the hastiness
of my ns. Grace had been a huge motivating factor that caused me to flee town, she had even
offered money to help. As I felt pure, unadulterated rage course through the twins, I knew Tori had told
them after all.
“We know, Tori told us.” Kade’s voice was lower than Alec’s, and was hard with fury. I resisted the urge
to shudder, and felt a shred of short-lived sympathy for Grace. “She has been taken care of; she won’t
hurt you again. No one will.”
I wanted to push, to ask what had be of Grace, but the murderous look on Kade’s face stopped
me in my tracks. I knew without asking that no punishment would be enough to satiate his fury towards
Grace, that neither of them would be satisfied until she was wiped from the earth.
“I’m d you came for me.” I spoke softly, searching both pairs of their eyes. A brown so dark it
appeared ck, beautiful and full of depth. “I know I can trust you both, and–and I don’t want to leave
anymore.”
I stepped towards Kade, wrapping my arms around his stiff form. His anger burned the tip of my
tongue, yet I savored the taste. His body radiated warmth, and there was no hesitation as his arms
wrapped around my torso.
“Don’t leave us again, sweetheart.” He murmured; his lips pressed against my head. I could hear him
inhale deeply,mitting my scent to memory as though I might slip away in the night.
“I won’t.” I promised, marveling at how easy the words had left my lips. I had been made for both Alec
and Kade, just as they had been made for me. My instincts told me to remain with them, to cherish and
grow with them. Leaving had been an act of sheer effort and will, but staying–that was all too easy.
I stepped from Kade’s arms when his anger had all but dissipated, seeking Alec’s embrace with equal
fervor. Alec did the same as his brother, nting a kiss at the top of my head. The sparks licked my
skin, and I devoured every caress.
“I know we came off strong in the beginning, but we just couldn’t resist. We tried–but that onlysted so
long.” Alec mumbled against my hair.
I could feel the peacefulness my touch had brought them, and wondered if they could feel the
emotions, they ignited within me. I was not yet in love with the twins, as I never experienced that
particr emotion before, but I knew how easy it would be to fall for them. After all, I had been destined
to love them.
At the time, I had thought they were pushy, and yet my body responded to every touch, to every bite,
lick, and caress. Somehow, my body knew what they were to me, even if I refused to ept it myself.
“You set the pace.” Alec continued, a wry smile on his face. “We will try to contain ourselves.”
“Speak for yourself, brother.” Kade scoffed, a dark eyebrow raised at Alec. ”Self-control is not my
strong suit.”
Things were far from over, and I knew underlying tension was still there from my leaving. The wounds
that had formed within Alec and Kade wouldn’t heal instantly, but I was determined to be the balm that
soothed their souls. I knew little about the twin’s and yet I felt like I had known them my entire life.
Kade was more serious than his brother, his anger greater and more uncontroble. Alec was the more
practical brother, thinking things through instead of acting on blind emotion. The two of them were
opposite sides of a coin, and they both belonged to me.
The three of us headed downstairs for dinner, the smell of roasted chicken, carrots, and mashed
potatoes filled the air. Dinner at Sage’s house was anything but formal. Sage sat in her usual armchair;
a te of food perched on herp as she smiled at the three of us. Miles sat at a small dining table in
the kitchen, his eyes on the three of us as we descended the narrow staircase.
Alec and Kade headed into the kitchen before me, leaving me alone with Sage. A gentle smile had
formed on her face as she looked at me. How one woman could withstand so much pain and manage
to smile was beyond me, but I appreciated every moment I had spent with her. I knew how lucky Miles
was to have her, and knew she had given him every ounce of love she contained. I had long been
jealous of that, of missing that with my own family. I now knew that what my familycked, Alec and
Kade would give me. They would give me a home,fort, safety, and perhaps someday, a family of
my own. In that quiet moment, with the fire crackling and heat rolling in gentle waves, I promised myself
that I would stay with Alec and Kade, that we would brave the uing storm together.
Kade handed me a te of food as Alec followed him from the kitchen. My eyes widened at the heap of
chicken, vegetables, and mashed potatoes on the te. The food on my te was enough to feed a
family of four, but my stomach rumbled merrily at the sight.
Noticing the surprise on my face, Kade smirked. The butterflies that fluttered in my stomach brought
blood rushing to my face. My blush deepened as I watched the muscles in his arm move as he handed
me the te.
“You need to eat more, now that you’ve shifted.” Kade’s voice held amusement, but also a gentle
fondness that made my toes curl.
With a look of natural skepticism on my face, I plopped down on the couch and dug into my food. Alec
and Kade sat on either side of me, taking up most of the couch with their towering build. Even with the
limited space, I enjoyed the close proximity. Much to my surprise, I had finished nearly the entire te,
and watched with interest as Alec and Kade went for seconds.
We stayed downstairs with Sage for the next hour or so, and I listened intently as Alec and Kade talked
about their Dad, the man Sage had saved. They told her how good of a Dad he was, and the good he
had done for his pack. Sage seemed to enjoy every word, proud that she had saved the man who
fathered my mates.
With my head against Alec’s shoulder, my eyes continued to grow heavy. My stomach was full, and my
body warm. The safety and security I felt lulled me to sleep. I was vaguely aware of the feel of a hard
chest against my cheek, and the delicious scent of Alec filling my nose. His thumb moved in idle circles
as he carried me up the stairs, and over Alec’s shoulder, I caught Kade’s gaze.
“Sleepyhead.” Kade purred, the corner of his lips turning up with the hint of a smirk.
I poked my tongue out at him and nuzzled deeper into Alec’s shoulder, feeling awe rush through me
like a gentle caress.
When my eyes fluttered open, I wasying in the middle of the bed, the covers bunched around me. I
watched with renewed interest as Kade slipped his shirt off, tossing it onto one of the armchairs. Alec
slid in the bed behind me, making me jump from the sudden touch.
“See something interesting, doll?” Alec asked, making Kade turn to meet my eyes. A vicious heat
returned to my cheeks, but I couldn’t peel my eyes away from Kade. A few scars lingered on Kade’s
chest, but it only added to his feral beauty. Creamy skin and rippling muscles caught my eye, and I
wondered how I had be so lucky. I had been gifted two mates instead of one, both identical yet
completely unique.
As Alec settled into the bed, his arm wrapped around my waist, pulling me against his body. The heat
that radiated from him prated the thin nightgown I wore. Even with myck of experience, it took
little effort to dissolve under his touch. Kade slid in bed shortly after, turning to face me. His eyes were
dark, yielding no emotion and yet I could feel thefort radiating from them both. This was the best
either of them had felt in a week, and neither wanted it to end.
“By the way, nice nightgown sweetheart.” Kade smirked, plucking at a piece of the sheer white fabric.
The nightgown was old-fashioned, reaching down to my ankles, but I was grateful for the set of clothes.
I grimaced at Kade’s obvious amusement, choosing to bury my face into the crook of his neck. A sigh
left his lips, one he had been holding since I left.
His arms wrapped around me, both of them holding me close as we all fought sleep. None of us
wanted this to end, to go back into a world of danger and deceit. They could feel the peace Sage
brought, and none of us wanted to part with it. Slowly, as their breathing evened and I leaned into their
embrace, the cold that epassed their hearts began to thaw.