Accepting My Twin Mates

Chapter 46

Accepting My Twin Mates Chapter 46

Chapter 46 – A Little Date? – II of II

Astennu

She sat sipping her coffee for the longest time, gazing out onto the lakes that now ripped here and there with the odd light breeze blowing down from the mountain. Evie didn’t appear sad, just thoughtful in her silence.

‘I wonder what happened here. She feels something about this place,’ Aasim mused, pacing in a somewhat agitated manner.

I had never heard of anything untoward happening here, so, like my wolf, I wondered what connection she had to this place. From pack records my father kept, I knew Evie had been found as a newborn in the lowland meadows to the north; it was why her last name was Meadows, a name I had always found pretty. That site was miles from here, there wasn’t even a river that flowed between the two. But there was certainly something about this place. In all the years I had studied her features from afar, I hadn’t ever seen her so sombre.

‘We should give her some food. That always cheers her up,’ Aasim nodded to himself in affirmation. ‘Don’t cram it down her mouth this time though.’

‘Unlike our moron, I know when to read a situation,’ I chuckled inwardly, reaching for the bag Badru had been carrying.

We had ambled around the lakes all morning in complete peace. The only sounds to be heard had been a flock of snow geese heading inland, the odd small group of tundra swans and, of course, the odd nicker and snort from Heru when he was receiving the attention he craved. He grazed nearby,

having had enough for now of aggravating my brother, who sat low on the rocks with Evie. He was busy flipping through types of homes with her on his phone and not paying attention to the lettuce hanging from his sandwich. If he wasn’t careful, he would attract unwanted attention if a certain stallion caught sight of it.

I presented the open bag to our mate, “have as much as you want, but save room for the restaurant tonight.” This is the property of Nô-velDrama.Org.

It was an unusual place, not too far a drive, with a small but great bar and located in an underground cavern. A Spanish tapas restaurant called La Pequeña Bodega.

“Wow, you guys are really going all out to spoil me,” the first real smile of hers spread across her lips, the wide one that highlighted her cheeks.

“Let’s just say we’ve recently developed a taste for eating out,” I provoked, knowing it would catch her out and render her dumbstruck.

‘Play our cards right and it won’t just be dinner we’re eating again,’ my wolf pawed in excitement, hoping for a deeper taste tonight.

Evie

I almost choked, having to cough up a crumb of bread inhaled down the wrong pipe.

‘All the smart quips to come back with, and choking was your best response?’ Evva wiped her paw down her muzzle. ‘I swear, I’m wasted in your head.’

In a rare turn of fortune, my phone rang, giving me an out from having to reply. The name flashing across the screen had me jumping up to take it, jerking Heru’s head up from where he was grazing.

“It’s Luce! She’s facetiming me,” I eagerly accepted and moved away from the twins so I had a little more privacy.

“There’s the brownie goddess!” Lucy both exclaimed and slurred a little.

I teetered at her dopey face, but felt relief at how well she looked. She wasn’t pale or gaunt, maybe a little flushed, and her eyes were a bright golden hazel.

“As you can see, she’s still a little spacey,” Catalina’s face appeared on the screen too. “Your title is earned though. Those brownies were muy buenos (very good).”

“Good to know they were well received,” I kicked the odd stone from under my boot as I walked, wishing I could have been there for my friend physically instead of sending guilt baked goods. “How have you two been?”

“A little cramp and fever for me. Luce has had a bit of horniness,” Catalina sniggered, side-eyeing. “She tried to kiss me, but I managed to keep her at bay.”

“No I didn’t, I slipped!” Lucy became bright red.

“Ok chica,” Cata patted her head, only serving to anger her further.

“f*****g pest!” I heard Badru shout out suddenly, followed by a little squeal and snort from Heru; which usually meant he knew he was causing havoc and enjoyed it.

I looked up to see the two having their stare down again and a very sad-looking sandwich dropped and ruined on the stony ground.

“What’s so funny?” Lucy inclined her head, hearing me laugh at the two silly males.

And not being one to leave people out of things, I switched cameras to give them the view of Alpha Vs Horse entering its new round.

‘And the wolf ain’t winning,’ Evva seemed to have little sympathy for her mate, not that I was of any assistance either.

Badru reached out to shoo Heru away, only for the stallion to rear his head back and try to snatch back.

“Why does he hate the big bad wolf so much?” Catalina actually snorted, slapping her hand over her mouth.

“I have no f*****g clue,” I shook my head, chuckling softly at my three boys.

Astennu was no help to his brother, doubled over laughing at Heru sniffing and attempting to nibble Badru’s hair.

“Would you do something Aste, instead of shitting yourself laughing!” He cried out, pushing the stallion’s head away.

“I think it’s because Heru gets a reaction out of Ru,” I surmised. “That, and Heru just likes to be an asshole sometimes.”

“…Do you know how he’s been?” Lucy asked after the silence stretched for a few seconds longer than comfortable.

“I saw him yesterday. He left training early and looked like s**t,” I said plainly, not wanting to hide anything on the subject of Finley from her.

Lucy looked to be at war with herself. Her face twisted and contorted, unsure how to feel. She was proud and caring to a fault. She knew her value and worth, and wouldn’t accept anything less. But neither would that stop her from caring. There must have been a reason why fate, the moon goddess,

put them together. But if Finley had chosen to ignore that reason, then that was his pain to bear, not hers.

“Luce, it’s ok to ask about him. And care, if you want to. Just make sure it’s you asking, not the bond.” A sentiment I understood all too well, discerning what was truly felt and what the bond was telling me I should feel.

“And it’s perfectly fine to be happy that he’s miserable, too,” Catalina nudged into her shoulder.

“I don’t want to be happy over someone’s misery…” she sniffled. “…But he is a raging tool.”

We all burst into a short round of girlish giggles, my sound attracting the gazes of the twins and earning Badru a flick to the face from Heru’s tail because of his lack of attention.

“I better go before my mate gets beaten up by the horse again,” I chuckled as Astennu tried to distract his stallion from any further misbehaviour. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“I think so,” Lucy nodded. “I’m doing much better and I kinda need some fresh air soon, or my wolf, Lobelia, is gonna go stir crazy.”

“I’ll be heading home, too, tomorrow, and ride out the last day of my heat there,” Catalina tried to smile but it never quite reached her eyes. “Hope your guys don’t mind me taking their jeep. Not that they have any other choice, because I’m doing it anyway.”

I said a final goodbye to the pair of them, looking forward to seeing Lucy again tomorrow, but a pang of loss flashed across my chest also. We hadn’t started on the best foot. In fact, we had started in a way most movies would have set us up to be bitter rivals, each striving to sabotage the other. Instead, and in a short span of time, Catalina had become as dearer a friend as Lucy or Tamlyn.

I knew I would miss her terribly.

‘Even if she is the pushiest and most spoiled wolf in existence,’ Evva whimpered, her voice losing its characteristic sarcastic bite.

Sliding my phone back in my pocket and warming my hands back up in my fleecy pockets, I paced back over to my mates, to be intercepted by Heru now he was bored of aggravating his adversary.

“So you said something about a restaurant?” I peered under the horse’s golden neck.

We made our way back to the stable after wandering a little further around the lakes, taking in the setting winter sun. Bright and fiery reds and oranges mixed and faded into the deep blues, highlighting the soft edges of the clouds rolling in for the night. The blanketed sky would mean a milder night and, hopefully, a smoother drive for Catalina and Lucy coming down from the mountain. On the way, I told them they would be losing a vehicle for a while, but as it was a pack jeep and wouldn’t be missed for a few days. To be honest, I think Badru just wanted to see the back of Catalina for as long and as soon as possible.

“What do I need to wear for this place we’re going to?” I stopped them outside the door to the Alpha wing.

“Whatever you want,” Badru shrugged.

“No seriously, what’s the dress code?”

“You’re the future Luna. The dress code is whatever you make it,” Astennu grazed his finger against my cheek, tucking a strand of my hair behind my ear.

Why didn’t guys understand this? I didn’t want to be the only schmuck in jeans if the rest of the clientele were dressed in their finery and the twins in suits.

“That’s fine but-hmph!” Astennu’s lips fiercely cut off my words, his tree sap scent and taste invading my every sense.

“Shut up and go get dressed, ammar,” his lips tugged at the edge into an almost smirk. He released me and reached behind, lightly spanking me and a small involuntary squeak escaped my throat.

I felt both breathless and lightheaded, my mouth not exactly working as I would have liked.

“But-hmph!” Badru’s lips were next to interrupt me.

“The only ‘but’ we want to see is yours, my nour el-ain, sashaying away to get ready,” he spun me around and slapped my behind to move me forward. “We’ll be waiting.”

The soft purr of his deep timbre had me doing as told, but not out of obedience. Obedience and I were strange bedfellows. I did as told because the sooner I was dressed, the sooner I could be reunited with those voices and eyes that made my insides turn to jelly… and, maybe, because I had no come back for their flirtations.

‘Wingus and dingus are starting to figure out how to handle you,’ Evva huffled in amusement, though I could feel she was just as turned on by their authority too. ‘You need to up your game to keep them on their toes.’

Back in my room, I took my time to get ready, adding a light application of makeup I had sneakily borrowed from Lucy’s room; it was rare I wore eyeliner or mascara and didn’t carry it often. As my mates were of no help, I settled on a silvery blue velour dress that gathered at the wrists, cinched in at the waist and crossed over across my chest. It wasn’t too fancy and neither was it too casual, so I hoped to have struck the balance right. My choice of footwear was narrow. The only pair I had that coordinated somewhat was a pair of dark silver flats, because there wasn’t a chance in hell I was wearing heels in the snow. With a final loose curl, added to the end of my hair, I felt ready. I had no clutch purse, so I left my room empty-handed to go in search of my mates.

In the empty foyer by the main door, Astennu stood and Badru sat in a chair, leaning back on the legs, by the central table draped in a tablecloth with a large vase arrangement in the centre. Both had their hair tied back, loosely and were dressed in soft brushed cotton pants and a shirt. Astennu’s was a black and slate grey combination, and Badru’s a match of pale blue and dark midnight.

“Woah,” Astennu looked me up and down, his mouth slightly agape.

“Wo-WOOAH!” Badru exclaimed as he inadvertently leant back too far, tipping the chair over.

What a nugget, I thought to myself.

At the very last split-second, he automatically reached out, grasping the tablecloth on instinct. It was whipped out from under the vase without knocking it over and leaving it to wobble to a standstill, before Badru rolled backwards and somehow back onto his feet in the same motion.

‘An impressive nugget,’ Evva whistled.

“Uhh,” my slick nugget stalled, trying to think up a clever quip, not exactly his strongest suit.

“I hope you aren’t about to try and convince me that you meant to do that?”

Badru

‘I’m hiding, so I can pretend none of that happened,’ Baniti literally shoved his head under his paws. ‘If I don’t see it, it can’t exist.’

I would have given anything to be able to hide away like my wolf. I had never felt so embarrassed in my life. Had it only been in front of my twin, I wouldn’t have minded. We goofed around each other all the time. Like the time Astennu slammed his car door closed and had the whole sleeve of his shirt ripped off. He had to rip the other off so it matched and spent the evening wearing the weirdest formal muscle shirt to exist.

Evie looked stunning, knock-out stunning. I just hadn’t expected to be literally knocked over and she just had to have bared witness to it.

‘Generally, the show comes after dinner,’ my brother mocked me in private.

“Can we just go!” I marched out of the front doors, leaving Evie and my twin to trail along behind me and I could hear the non-discrete snickering.

I held open the passenger door for Evie on the SUV Astennu had arranged out front, and cut him off before he could climb into the driver’s seat, signalling the back was his domain on this ride.

‘Is this your subtle way of telling me I’m the designated driver for the evening?’ He raised a brow at me as he clicked his seatbelt on, taking the middle seat.

‘I just made a total ass out of myself,’ my gaze flickered to my perfect goddess. ‘And your damned animal harassed me all day. If anyone in this car deserves whisky tonight, it’s me.’

He slapped my shoulder, “fine. I’ll drive home so you can drink your embarrassment away.”

‘Why did he have to say it out loud?!’ Baniti whined. ‘We were mind-linking for a reason.’

“You don’t need to worry,” Evie’s hand suddenly appeared in my lap, sliding with purpose up my thigh and just brushing my rapidly growing bulge. “It was pretty cute,” her hand withdrew in the same breath, leaving me high and, from the feel of it, not so dry.

‘Can we skip dinner and just devour our mate instead?’ My wolf rolled on his back, wagging his tail happily.

‘She needs dinner first. For how I’m hoping our night will end, she’ll need her strength.’

We pulled up at the glass entrance to La Pequeña Bodega after a thirty-minute drive.

“Oh! The tapas place,” Evie’s face lit up in recognition. “I’ve been here with Lucy, Tam and Suzanna, but it was really good. I’ve been meaning to come back.”

I gave my brother a quick congratulatory smile. He had chosen well, it seemed.

“Have… you been here with anyone else?” There was a distinct clipped tone as Astennu asked, closing her car door behind her.

Who else would she have come with?

‘That guy!’ Baniti shouted in cold dread. ‘That warrior, Adrian.’

…Please, for the love of goddess, say no…

I didn’t particularly dislike the guy, but neither was I a fan, knowing he almost claimed my mate as his own; unknowingly, of course. Astennu, I knew, had always disliked him with a passion. He knew he had no apparent reason for it and still couldn’t shake his intense distaste of the man.

“No,” was all she answered, simply but with warmth. “Let’s get inside, it’s freezing.”

The steps down into the cavern were carved out of the rock. The rocky walls of the restaurant itself were lit in soft and subtle lighting, and the stalactites that hung from the cave ceiling were wrapped in fairy lights. We were led up to one of the private circular dining platforms that overlooked the entire cave through a sheer white curtain.

“Why is it so quiet?” Evie looked around at the empty restaurant.

“We rented it out for the night,” Astennu grasped her hand, kissing her palm.

“Weren’t about to share our first date with others,” I leaned in to slowly kiss her collarbone peeking out of her dress.

A human waitress creaked the stairs on her ascent, announcing her arrival and breaking us apart. She placed a small platter of sliced bread, olives and oil in the centre between the lit candles.

“Alphas, Luna, what drinks can I get for you?” She stood poised ready with her device and I thought Evie was about ready to choke at hearing a pack member address her as ‘Luna’.

I was quick to order a triple serving of scotch, while my mate and brother stuck to soda. I remembered what Evie had said about being a lightweight with alcohol and took it as a possible good sign that she wanted a clear head for the evening.

“Ok. Your order will be out any minute and I’ll be back with your drinks,” the waitress bustled away, leaving us to ourselves.

“You ordered for me?” Evie raised a sceptical brow.

“Yep,” Astennu popped the ‘p’. It was about time Evie saw that not all surprises were terrible, especially when they came for us. “We haven’t seen the menu, so even we don’t know what’s coming out of the kitchen.”

The menu here was small and changed each week, ensuring something new on every visit.

Not a moment after the drinks were placed in front of us, that our large order filled the table. To my relief, and my wolf’s, calamari and octopus weren’t on the menu this week. A mix lay before us, of fresh cheeses, stuffed peppers, chorizo cooked in red wine, meatballs, garlic-fried mushrooms and spiced potatoes.

We dug in happily, making sure Evie got what she wanted first. She was dipping her bread into the tomato sauce of the meatballs when she asked a question neither I nor my twin were expecting.

“…Since you kinda know about my ex… what about yours?”

Astennu inhaled sharply and I downed my scotch in one, regretting it the moment my throat burned from the liquid.

‘Nope. I can’t watch this, I’m hiding again. You can deal with this on your own,’ my chickenshit of a wolf actually retreated into the furthest recesses of my mind to link with his mate.

“You don’t have to worry about any psycho exes stalking around,” I rushed out.

“Yeah, neither of us have ever really dated,” Astennu had returned to his flushed state.

“I know that,” she said calmly, appearing amused by our fluster. “I’m not jealous, just intrigued.”

“There’s not much to tell with me,” Astennu started. “A girl kissed me in high school, senior year, and I didn’t pull away. It was ok, but the earth didn’t exactly move and I knew I wanted to wait.”

Evie slowly turned to me, waiting.

“It was our first time at an Alpha meeting and I was a hormonal 17 year old that hadn’t long since shifted,” I licked my lips from embarrassment. “She was a human working at the function and couldn’t get Aste’s attention so she went for mine.”

Why was I talking about this?! I could tell Evie was enjoying my squirming, by her tiny enchanting smirk.

“I didn’t know what I was doing and…” I quickly made sure I didn’t have to switch to mind-link so that no one else overheard. “I struggled.”

“What do you mean?” She tilted her head.

Astennu wasn’t helping, sipping his soda to hide his shit-eating grin.

‘I was super nervous and I struggled to get it up,’ I mind-linked, unable to bring myself to say it aloud. ‘She almost bit my d**k off trying to get me worked up.’

I shuddered at the memory of the most awkward teenage s*x encounter. That whole thing put me off the idea of s*x for years.

‘At least she didn’t do any permanent damage,’ Evie’s eyes flicked downwards. ‘It would have been a crime to ruin such a masterpiece.’

My brows must’ve met my hairline, along with my brother’s. Evie wasn’t usually the one to be this forward or dirty talking. She was the one usually slapping me for my dirty mouth.

I liked this side of her.

“Keep going, I know there’s a second one,” she finished up the last of the chorizo.

“I was 21 and she was a visiting she-wolf warrior from Opal Sun. She was a few years older.”

“A few?” Astennu repeated back. “Try 15 years older.”

“Would you but out?” I snapped at him.

“So you had a MILF phase,” Evie shrugged with a teasing grin.

“I did not have a ‘MILF phase’,” I defended immediately. “I’ve kinda been in a neverending ‘Evie’ phase… we both have,” I gestured to my twin.

Our dinner was over, our plates cleared. There was only one dessert I truly wanted to taste.

My hand slowly slid up her smooth thigh, playing with the edge of her panties. Her legs parted instantly, granting Astennu and me all the access we wanted. I nudged her clit gently just as my brother slipped within her heavily wet folds. I claimed her lips first, to capture her tiny moan, while Astennu settled for

her neck, gently nipping at her skin. Her quiet moans would soon begin to echo and bounce off the walls of the cavern if we continued. They were our sounds I wanted to hear alone and unshared with anyone outside the mate bond.

‘Want to get out of here?’ Astennu must have hit a pleasure spot as she writhed in our hands.

“Yes,” Evie quietly murmured.