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“We think they sedated him at the Palace, but didn’t give it enough time to fully take effect before they hauled him into the humvee,” the twin who had stayed replied.
“Fucking incompetent assholes,” Hunter grunted in reply. He smoothed the shaggy hair off the alpha’s face in a surprisingly tender gesture that was at odds with the confused frown on his face.
I whipped my head around as I sensed Ava move away from me. She’d taken a few steps back and was standing alone with her arms wrapped around her waist. She looked up the street, and I turned slightly as I stood up to see Lexie and Pala headed our way. I shot another look at Ava as I tried to figure out what had made her tense up, before I scanned the alphas surrounding us.
Pala was relaxed as he arrived, holding hands with Lexie. He introduced her to the twins, River and Ryder. Lexie only gave them a brief wave before she zeroed in on Ava. She gave her a hug that Ava melted into while Pala was busy getting his hug fest on with the mysterious twins. There was a lot of backslapping between the three men, as if they were old mates.
When Lexie quietly asked if Ava needed to get away, the twins instantly turned and zeroed in on her. The way they moved in unison in that moment was uncanny, and they both let out a possessive growl. Ava shot them a dark glare in response, and both of their mouths fell open as their growls cut off.
What the hell was going on?My protective instincts fired, and I took a longer look at the twins. I hadn’t really paid them much attention earlier, even though they were hard to miss when they suddenly popped out in front of you.
They both had gorgeous blonde hair in a light silvery shade that seemed to catch the moonlight. But River had shorter hair swept back from his face, while Ryder had long shoulder length hair with a deep undercut. They were both incredibly tall and well built, with bodies that looked honed through a lot of martial arts. Both held themselves loosely, primed for rapid movement. I’d seen them move through the shadows earlier, as if they were born to them. They’d flowed into the light, rather than stepped into it. Like deadly predators that hunted in the darkness.
These men could protect Ava in a way that I could only dream about, and they felt connected to her somehow. There was a weird energy flowing between them that was making the hairs stand up on my arms. I belatedly realized the feeling of rushing fate wasn’t just because of the unconscious alpha. These two deadly twins were a part of it, too.
“I hoped she was your Ava when I found her hiding at the Palace,” Pala said lightly, as his eyes bounced between the twins. Memories drowned out the rest of his words, as I recalled how Pala had brought us food, and diverted attention away from us when we hid out in the library. I’d wondered at the time why he was helping us. He’d asked for nothing in return. I would have been more suspicious, only I’d seen him helping the other omegas at the Palace too. Standing guard while the other alphas were partying.
“Thank you, my friend,” River said, as he gripped Pala’s neck firmly and tipped his head forward until it rested gently against Pala’s temple. It was a move that conveyed respect and deep friendship. Meanwhile, Ryder went rigid as he watched Ava closely. I could see his jaw working as he clenched his teeth and crossed his arms over his chest. He seemed conflicted, as if he felt pulled towards her, but she burned him at the same time. It was the first time I’d seen the twins not moving in sync and it felt wrong, somehow.
I noticed Ava stiffened as well, and she took a sharp breath. Her shocked expression appeared almost betrayed. “You knew who I was?” she asked Pala.
I felt like I was playing catch-up with missing puzzle pieces.
“No, not for sure,” Pala replied. “I suspected you were their Ava, though. They’d said you were at the Palace.” I saw Ava tense up even further. One of her arms cradled around herself before her hand slid down her arm to fiddle with the bluebird bracelet she always wore on her wrist. The movement drew the eyes of the twins. Both of their eyes widened at the sight of the bracelet, before Ryder quickly looked away.
“Their Ava?” I asked, breaking the sudden silence, not able to hold back any longer. I needed to know what was between them.
It was Ava who spoke up and answered, though. Not Pala or the twins, who were strangely silent.
“Lexie, I’d like you to meet my mates, River and Ryder,” Ava said. Her arm moved stiffly as she pointed first to River, then to Ryder. She wasn’t looking at the twins as she spoke. Or me. She fixed her gaze firmly on Lexie. Her eyes were wide, and she looked as if she was silently begging Lexie for something. I wasn’t sure what, though.
“Holy shit. The twins are your mates?” Hunter asked from his position on the ground.
“Mates?” I echoed. I blinked rapidly and determination settled deep within me. I’d seen enough over the last week or so to know mates were real, and not always the forced kind. There was also the rare, legendary kind. True mates.
Knowing she’d end up mated to someone eventually, potentially forcibly, had driven my need to get her out of the Palace. It was why I had obsessively worked out and ran the perimeter of the Palace grounds, hoping I’d be strong enough to seize any chance I could find of escape. The alternative was a nightmare I refused to see brought to life.
Yet now that we were finally out, she was publicly claiming two mysterious alphas, ones she clearly knew and had some kind of history with, as her mates. While another alpha, who acted like her mate, was lying unconscious at her feet. It felt as if fate was taking a sledgehammer to my carefully erected walls.
A hand squeezed my shoulder, and I knew instinctively it was Nick. The gesture eased the bands that had tightened around my chest enough that I could breathe. Yet every breath brought the scents that had suddenly saturated the air into my lungs. A redolent haze of dark chocolate and salted caramel mingling with Ava’s cherries that almost made me groan. Fate, or some other prescient being, had made their scents perfect for each other.
“For what it’s worth,” Ava said quietly, still not looking at anyone, as Lexie grabbed her hand. “We’re unbonded.”
Whatever was between the three was clearly unresolved. Ava’s delectable cherry scent turned tart, and her distress hit me like a sudden cold shower. I felt as if she’d aimed those last words at me, but I knew with a sudden clarity that this wasn’t about me. The last thing I ever wanted to do was cause her distress. I stepped in closer to Ava, giving her my unspoken support, as I glared at the twins. I didn’t care what happened to me as long as I could be near her. Whatever she needed, I would get for her. Whatever stood in her way, I would remove. Or I’d die trying.
The twins didn’t appear to appreciate my glare, as a dark look swept over both their faces. It wasn’t menacing, though, more possessive, with a hint of obsessive. They didn’t say a word, though. Not even to defend themselves. I could almost feel the unspoken accusations brimming from me, Lexie, and the others, as if the air had suddenly turned icy.
“And the big guy out cold on the ground?” Lexie asked Ava, expertly diverting attention away from the explosion about to happen.
Ava shrugged and furrowed her brow as she twisted to look at the hulking alpha lying alongside her on the ground. “I don’t know who he is. I’ve never seen him before. He came out of nowhere tonight.”
“He seemed to zero in on you and Cary, from where I was standing,” Lexie said. Neither Ava nor I responded. I had no idea how to even start.
“He’s a prisoner from the Palace,” Hunter said as he looked down at the alpha with that confused frown back on his face. He reached out a hand, as if to touch the alpha’s face, then pulled it back. “They were transporting him somewhere in a humvee, moving fast. We intercepted them north of the town. They had him heavily sedated when we got him out, but he was moving. He caught a scent in the air and took off. For a big dude, he’s damn fast. We had to secure the Palace guards that were with him before we could chase him down after the humvee crashed.”
“Do you know who he is?” Pala asked the twins. He’d been quietly watching everything unfold.
The twins finally shifted their gazes from Ava to the alpha. “No,” Ryder replied.
