Mated to the Alpha Twins

“Tell me, what did you pick up from Athena?” Mera asked, breaking the silence that I knew wouldn’t last long. There were too many questions on our end, and both Isaiah and Mera could feel our rising curiosity.
We were in the dark colored SUV now, humming down the road we had once stood on as we neared Isaiah and Mera’s pack. The faint scent of cherries and tobacco wafted from the front of the vehicle, where two dark clothed guards sat.
It was a bit of an awkward fit, with Tori sitting next to Mera and Isaiah, but I refused to let her take another vehicle. I was no stranger to how it feels when you lose both a mate and a best friend. It was something I wasn’t willing to risk again, even if we were headed to safety. Tori didn’t seem to mind, and actually liked Mera as much as I.

My mind strayed to what Mera had asked of me. It was difficult, giving a loose interpretation of a person based on just a few seconds of information. At times, someone’s emotions were a direct reflection of who they were as a person. Other times, it wasn’t so simple.
What no one seemed to realize is that emotions aren’t just one-dimensional things. They’re multi-faceted, and mix with one another to form something new. Anger and hatred turn into this festering mix, a noxious gas that poisons the soul over time. Joy and fondness, no matter if it’s platonic or romantic, form long lasting connections that allows love to bloom in its wake.

It was this joy and fondness that I felt coming from Mera as she asked about Athena, though it was platonic in this case.
“She’s very confident, but not in a headstrong kind of way. It’s more like she’s seen the worst of this world, but she refuses to let it harden her.” I answered truthfully. I had picked nothing else up, and didn’t want to give her false information, so I quickly changed topics. “You care about her a lot; I can feel it. She’s family in your heart.”
“Yes, she is.” Mera smiled fondly, the sight lighting up Isaiah’s eyes. “She became part of my family when she agreed to be my Beta.”
“Your Beta?” I asked, unable to contain my surprise. My eyes flickered to Alec and Kade, who sat on either side of me. I was squished between them, their hulking forms taking up nearly ninety percent of the space in the back. I narrowed my eyes and frowned, “You two never told me I could have a Beta.”
“Truthfully, I never even thought of it.” Alec admitted, giving Mera a polite smile.
“It’s not something traditional pack’s do.” Kade nodded, and I watched the obsidian in his eyes soften as he looked at me. His voice was gruff but there was no mistaking the kindness that hid within them. “If you want a Beta, you can have a Beta.”
“No, it isn’t something traditional pack’s do.” Mera scowled, but I could feel the pride behind her words. I could feel Isaiah’s amusement towards his mate’s anger, and wondered if she had ranted about this topic to him more than once. “Traditions keep us whole as a people, but the ones that inhibit the she-wolves of this world from moving forward, they ought to be abolished. Starting with keeping us from positions of power.”
We had been driving for nearly an hour, passing caps of pine and cedar trees. The thick scent of sap mixed with crisp mountain air. Even with the two guards up front, I tried to pretend that we weren’t fugitives seeking shelter as we found our way back home.
“So, you both know Jaspar as well, then?” I broke the silence, unable to stop the questions I had from bubbling on my lips.
“Everyone knows Jaspar, he was a large part of the High Table. Even if he feigned uselessness with his inactivity. That was perhaps the only thing that kept Marcus from truly suspecting him.” Mera laughed, and while the sound was beautiful, it was both bitter and joyous. “‘Yes, Aurora. Jaspar has helped us a time or two, and we have returned the favor.”

An odd thought came to mind and I found myself speaking freely, “Did those favors include helping some white wolves find refuge?”
I had my answer when surprise washed through both her and Isaiah, though their faces were schooled into identical masks of indifference. I understood the perfected looks of cluelessness, especially when Marcus held most of the power in this world. One visit from him, and you’d want to fortify your walls, protect your people.
“We all have our secrets, especially those of us against Marcus and the remaining table members.” Isaiah said, sounding wise despite how young he looked. He locked eyes with Mera, and the two of them seemed to fade into their own world. I knew the look, the glassiness in their eyes. They were speaking through thoughts, having a conversation disconnected from the rest of us. The vehicle was cloaked in silence for the next two minutes, until they finished their conversation. Isaiah looked back towards me, worry creeping at the corners of his emotions. “You must forgive us, but we hold high stakes in all of this. Especially now that a war is brewing.”
“She will understand, Isaiah.” Mera said softly, her eyes never leaving my own. Isaiah was the caution to Mera’s fearlessness. He was the voice of reason that held her back. I could only imagine how he handled both Mera and Athena. The thought only made me like the two of them more. “I’m positive her abilities make her a good judge of character.”
“You’d be correct. I can tell that you’re both being honest, and that you’re very protective of whatever it is you’re hiding.” I nodded, glancing between the two of them. It was an invasion of privacy, but one I couldn’t turn off. I could try to ignore the emotions I felt around me, but they washed down my shoulders regardless. A smirk formed on Mera’s face as I continued, matched by my widening smile. “Actually, it was your general hatred for Marcus that piqued my interest in you both. I might have never noticed you if I couldn’t feel what you were feeling. It gave me hope that there were at least another pack who saw him for what he was.”
“I told you this girl will change things.” Mera grinned wildly at Isaiah, who gave me an apologetic smile.
“I am not an optimist.” He admitted reluctantly, sighing when Mera began to laugh. “Not like Mera is.”
“I’m not an optimist either. I’m a realist, darling.” Mera chided her mate with an intimate smile. She looked towards me, and kept her gaze locked on my own. “Sooner or later, Marcus was going to c***h and b**n. After everything he has done, that much negative energy won’t just knock him down a peg. It’ll obliterate the ladder entirely.”
This was the first time I had been up in the mountains. Each steep incline and decline had my blood pumping, but it was the rocky slope of the cliff a few feet away that had me breaking out in a cold sweat.
Over the course of an hour, every single car on the highway had exited. Just as I thought the forest and highway would never end, we took an exit towards Vail.
The exit led onto a small two-laned road, which lead through the forest and deeper within.
Both Tori and I audibly gasped when we finally made it into town. Mera and Isaiah radiated pride and I could clearly see why.
The streets were cobblestone, rounded and smoothed without any wear or tear. Robust streetlights dotted the strip of road we were driving on. The speed limit slowed drastically, giving me plenty of time to absorb everything. A few men and women walked down the wide sidewalks, towards the smaller shops that sat along the road. Behind those shops I could see mountainous walls climbing upwards, capped with snow.
They towered over us, caging us in. Oddly enough, instead of feeling trapped, I felt protected.
The only grocery store in town was a relatively small building, but its huge windows let in copious amounts of warm sunlight, and the clerk had been one of the nicest women I had yet to meet. There were two gas stations, a quaint coffee shop with a large chalkboard sign, and even a small hair salon.
We continued through town where the shops and street lamps thinned out. Forest once again surrounded us, but I could now make out the houses within each cluster of trees. Some of the houses were larger than others, and sat towards the forests edge. Others were smaller, but had winding driveways that led deeper into the forest.
Finally, it was our turn to venture down one of these driveways. The guard driving maneuvered the SUV over the rocky path, towards a little two-story house just a hundred feet into the forest.
The outside of the house had initially been a light shade of baby blue, but whoever lived here clearly had a fondness for painting. Slashes and platters were painted across the house, porch, and even some of the windows.
There were vines of twisting flowers, curls of starving flame, and waves of cobalt and sea green. Most of the slashes and paint marks made no sense, but somehow seemed to cohesively go with the house. The front door, which had once been white, was now various shades of red and gold.
Off to the side of the house was a huge garden, the star of the show being at least a dozen fully ripened tomato plants.
We exited the vehicle as it rolled to a stop just in front of the wrap around porch. Mera led us up the stairs, but stopped at the front door.