Twin Alphas' Blessed Luna

Chapter 3

Amaryllis

My feet are moving quickly down the hallway, the scene I just witnessed playing over and over in my mind. I need to get away. Every instinct screams for me to run, to forget what I saw, but my mind keeps fixating on his eyes. That smile. How he looked straight into my soul and didn’t flinch.

I turn a corner, moving faster, my heartbeat pounding in my ears. I need to calm down, I need to—

Before I can finish that thought, I crash straight into a solid chest. My vision blurs for a second as I stagger back, the force of the impact nearly knocking me off my feet. Strong hands catch me, steadying me before I fall.

“Whoa, easy there,” a voice says, smooth and deep. “You alright?”

I blink rapidly, trying to shake off the sudden dizziness, but the moment I look up at him, a sharp pain slices through my head like a knife. My vision goes white, then dark, and the world around me seems to spin away.

It’s night, pitch-black, the air thick and suffocating. I’m running through a forest, the trees twisting and closing in around me like they're alive, like they’re trying to trap me. There’s blood on my hands—warm, sticky—and the smell of it fills my nose. I hear whispers all around, low and sinister, voices I can’t understand but know are coming for me.

Ahead of me, I see them. The people in red. Their robes billow as they move through the shadows, their faces hidden behind those terrifying masks. They’re chanting, louder and louder, and the ground trembles beneath my feet as I run. I’m gasping for air, my lungs burning, but no matter how fast I move, they’re always behind me.

Suddenly, I stumble, falling to the ground. My vision blurs as I look up, I can’t see anything, but I can hear him—his breath, slow and deliberate, surrounding me like a vice.

I try to move, but I can’t. My body is pinned, cold metal digging into my wrists, holding me down. My heart races as panic rises, and I struggle, but it’s useless. A sinister laugh echoes through the void, and then I see him—a figure looming over me, his face… his face is wrong. It’s blurred, distorted, like something is hiding his features. But his ivory skin gleams in the darkness, and his claws—long, sharp, deadly—glint as they catch the faintest sliver of light.

“You belong to me,” he whispers, his voice a twisted, poisonous caress. His hand—those sharp, talon-like fingers—trails down my arm, cold and cruel. I want to scream, but my throat is tight, the air stolen from my lungs. His claws dig into my skin, not deep enough to draw blood but enough to make me shudder.

“You’ve always belonged to me,” he says again, the words chilling as he leans closer. His breath is ice on my neck, and I can feel him smile even though I can’t see it. “No matter where you run, I will find you.”

Suddenly, his claws tighten, and I’m jerked forward, into him. Pain explodes in my chest as his hand plunges deep into my body, sharp claws tearing through flesh, and I choke on my scream.

“You’re mine,” he growls, his voice a promise of something far worse than death.

The vision snaps away as fast as it came, and I stumble back, gasping for air. The pain still lingers, like phantom claws in my chest, and my entire body trembles from the aftershock. I feel cold, my legs weak beneath me.

“Hey, are you alright?” The voice cuts through the fog of fear, grounding me back in reality.

I blink rapidly, trying to focus on the face in front of me. And that’s when my heart lurches. It’s him.

The same ebony-black hair. The same striking green eyes. The same sharp features. But how? I just saw him with Rita, just moments ago—how is he here now?

I can feel the blood drain from my face. My body reacts before I can think, and I pull back sharply, staggering away from his grip as though it burned me.

"You—" I stammer, backing up, my voice shaking. "How…?"

He raises an eyebrow, his confusion mirroring my own. "Are you okay?" he asks, stepping closer. "You look like you’ve seen a ghost."

A cold shiver runs down my spine. Not a ghost… you. My pulse is thundering in my ears. My mind is trying to make sense of this, but I can’t. It’s him. It’s definitely him. But how could he be here when I just saw him…

I swallow hard, my throat tight. I don’t know what to say, how to respond. My legs are trembling, my head aches and every instinct I have is screaming at me to get away.

Before I can process it any further, I turn and bolt down the hallway, my heart pounding louder with every step. I hear him call out behind me, but I don’t stop. I run, my breath coming in shallow, ragged gasps as the building’s layout blurs around me.

I don’t stop until I’m at my dorm room door, my chest heaving as I fumble with the door handle. My hands shake, still caught in the aftershock of everything—Rita, the boy, that terrifying vision.

Before I can knock, the door swings open, and Carol stands there, a look of surprise quickly turning to concern when she sees my state.

"Ymir!" she gasps, quickly stepping aside as I nearly collapse against her. "What happened? Are you okay?"

She helps me over to my bed, easing me down gently. My legs feel like jelly, and I still can’t get the image of that faceless man from my vision out of my head—his cold claws, the way he said I belonged to him. My skin crawls just thinking about it.

I shake my head. "I… I didn’t get it."

Carol kneels beside me, her hand resting on my arm. "What do you mean? Did you find Rita?"

"Yeah," I breathe out, still trying to collect myself. My voice feels weak, and I hate it. “I went to the classrooms, like you said. I saw Rita there, but she wasn’t alone. She was… with someone. A guy.”

Carol raises an eyebrow. “With a guy?”

I nod, my voice shaky. “Yeah. They were, um, together. Like, on top of a desk.”

Carol’s face flushes red as she realizes what I mean. “Oh, dear goddess.”

"But that’s not the weird part, Carol. I… I swear I saw the same guy again, right after I left. He was in the hallway. How is that possible?"

Carol frowns, confusion creasing her brow. "The same guy?"

"Yes!" I blurt out, my frustration spilling over. "He looked exactly the same. Same hair, same eyes, same face. He was just in the classroom with Rita, and then… he was in the hallway, like it was nothing. It doesn’t make any sense, Carol!"

Her eyes widen for a moment before realization dawns on her face. Then, to my complete surprise, she lets out a soft laugh. "Oh, now I get it."

I stare at her, bewildered by her reaction. "What do you mean?"

She smiles at me, shaking her head. “The guy you saw with Rita… and the guy you bumped into—they weren’t the same person.”

I frown, confusion thick in my chest. “What do you mean? They looked exactly the same.”

“Because they’re twins,” Carol says, a hint of amusement in her voice. “Luka and Mika Solstice.”

My jaw drops. "Twins?"

She nods, the amusement still lingering in her eyes. "Yeah. They’re identical twins, so it’s easy to get them mixed up if you don’t know them."

I blink, trying to absorb this new information. Twins. Of course. That’s why…

“Wait, so… the guy I saw with Rita, which one was he?”

“Mika, most likely,” Carol replies. “He’s kind of known for that. I wouldn’t be surprised if you caught him with Rita. He’s… too carefree for his own good.”

"OK. And the one I bumped into just now must’ve been Luka." I blurt and she nods.

“Correct!”

Twins. Luka and Mika Solstice. My mind reels at the revelation. The same face but two different people. It explains everything, yet somehow it makes everything feel even more surreal. And both of them carry this strange, unsettling energy—Luka seemed kind, but there was still something that made me want to run. Mika… I don’t even want to think about him.

Carol’s voice breaks through my thoughts. "They’re kind of a big deal around here. Everyone knows them. They’re the future Alphas of our Pack."

"Both of them?" I ask, surprise filling my voice. "How does that even work?"

"They’ll rule together," she explains. "It’s rare, but not unheard of. Luka is the level-headed one, the one everyone expects to take over. Mika, on the other hand…" She trails off, her eyes darkening slightly. "Well, Mika’s a bit of a wildcard. He does whatever he wants, whenever he wants. But don’t get them wrong. They’re both going to be Alpha."

I stare at her, trying to wrap my head around the idea. Twins, both destined to lead. The weight of that responsibility must be enormous, but there’s something about them, especially Mika, that sends a chill down my spine. He feels dangerous. The way he looked at me in that classroom… I shudder just thinking about it.

"Are they… like this with everyone?" I ask, hesitant, unsure if I even want to know the answer.

Carol laughs softly. "Luka? No. He’s actually really nice, despite his looks. Mika, though…" She shrugs. "Let’s just say, don’t get on his bad side. But trust me, Luka is the one you’d want to talk to if you ever need anything. He’s the more approachable of the two."

I don’t know how to respond to that. Twins, both future Alphas, both striking and intimidating in their own ways. But the memory of Mika with Rita still lingers, tainting my thoughts.

"How do you know so much about them?" I ask, my curiosity piqued by her casual familiarity with the brothers.

Carol’s smile returns, but there’s a hint of mischief in her eyes this time. "Well… they’re my cousins."

I gape at her. "Cousins? You’re related to them?"

She laughs at my expression. "Yep. My mom is their dad's twin sister. So, yeah. Luka and Mika Solstice are my dear cousins."

I can’t hide my shock. This day just keeps getting stranger. "Why didn’t you say something earlier?"

Carol shrugs nonchalantly. "I didn’t want to overwhelm you on your first day. Figured I’d let you settle in before I dropped that little bomb."

I shake my head in disbelief. The Solstice twins… and now they’re my roommate's cousins. Just great. If I wasn’t already in over my head, I definitely am now.