The Wicked Alpha's Star-Crossed Luna

6 | PRINCE UMBRIEL

Serena POV

Carina helped me with my makeup, and we ran the two flights up to the alpha floor. We arrived just in time to see a blond man standing before our father’s office, fist poised to knock on the door. My twin let out a soft gasp and broke out into a wide smile. “Lucien!”

He turned to see us, the hard lines of his face softening as he recognized her. “Carina. I thought I might not see you at this meeting.”

She let out a shy giggle. “Yeah, I wasn’t sure how many delegates were joining us and I didn’t want to assume you were coming along.”

He smiled sweetly before his eyes regarded me with curiosity. They darted between our faces in confusion. “Sister?”

“Twin sister,” Carina confirmed, while I offered him my hand. “Serena Vespera, nice to meet you, Lucien.”

He shook my hand, his brow furrowed. “Vespera? As in--?”

At that moment, the door to father’s office opened, and in the doorway stood none other than Alpha Sterling. He wasn’t as tall as the delegate, but he was still a powerful man who ran one of the oldest packs in existence--and said alpha was staring at mine and Lucien’s conjoined hands.

“As in my daughters,” he stated, folding his arms over his chest. His alpha aura leaked out as he glared at Lucien; the delegate’s own aura streamed out of him and clashed with our father’s, adding to the tension.

Carina and I swapped knowing glances before she stepped between the two men. “Dad, Lucien is my mate!”

“What?!” Mom barreled through the doorway, pushing past our father and completely ignoring me as she regarded first Lucien, then my sister. “Your mate? That’s amazing! How did you two meet?”

“If you’re Carina’s mate, then why were you holding Serena’s hand?” Dad challenged the delegate.

I rolled my eyes. “Dad, it was a handshake. I think that’s a perfectly acceptable way for a man to greet his mate’s sister for the first time.”

He let out a doubtful grunt and disappeared deeper into the office, calling out to us. “Well, come on in.”

Lucien gestured for us to enter the room before him, a simple gesture that made Cari giggle and me nod in approval. He’s nice, happy to see my sister, and not afraid of my dad? This dude’s winning points in my book.

He seems powerful as well, Juliet noted. I believe he will protect our sister.

Once inside the office, Dad gestured for everyone to find a seat as he claimed the swivel chair behind his desk, his expression sour. Mom rounded the desk and gracefully lowered herself onto his lap, her mere presence brightening his mood. There were two delegates already in the office, an older bald man with a salt and pepper beard and a tall woman with auburn hair who looked to be about Lucien’s age. Both delegates immediately stood as we entered and shook our hands, introducing themselves politely.

“Miss Carina, Miss Serena, it’s a pleasure to meet you,” the older man greeted us, his deep teal eyes regarding us with kindness. “My name is Chandler, I am the royal advisor for Prince Umbriel.”

“Nice to meet you,” we returned his greeting. Why is the future king’s advisor here?

The woman shook our hands next, beaming from ear to ear. “Hi! I’m Juno, royal beta to the future king. So glad to meet you.”

Her grip was strong and her brown eyes were kind as she studied us briefly before turning to Lucien and pointing at my sister. “Carina?”

He c****d an eyebrow at her. “You can ask my mate her name yourself, June. She has a voice.”

“Ha-ha,” she mock-laughed before turning back to us, all smiles. “Sorry, I’m that big dummy’s bestie, and I’m so excited to meet his mate! Gah, look at you! You’re so beautiful and I can already tell you’re a sweetheart. I can’t wait to tell everyone back home--”

“Juno,” Lucien and Chandler spoke her name in a warning tone before Juno dropped my sister’s hand and held her hands up in surrender. “Sorry, sorry! Got a little too excited. I’m just gonna scooch on over here and let you two love birds sit together.”

As she passed Lucien, she practically shoved him in our direction and threw a not-so-subtle nod in our direction before whispering a little too loud, “Don’t screw this up!”

“Thanks, June,” he simpered, shaking his head. Then he offered his hand to Carina and, after she placed her dainty hand in his, led her to one of the armchairs directly in front of the alpha’s desk, placing the newly mated couple right before Dad’s eyes. If anything, he seemed a little less annoyed by the delegate’s manners, especially since Carina had stars in her eyes.

The rest of us found seats on the spacious sectional, with Chandler claiming the spot closest to the meeting while Juno took the chaise and I occupied the middle.

“So,” Dad began, letting out a breath. “How did you two, uh, meet? Was it out in the hallway?”

“Oh no,” Carina shook her head, her face flushed at the memory. “It’s so embarrassing! First, I caught his scent downstairs, and Dezzy wanted me to hunt him down--”

“Dezzy?” asked Juno.

“Oh, sorry! That’s my wolf, Desdemona,” Carina explained.

The delegates swapped wide-eye glances. “Lucien’s wolf is named Othello!” Juno cackled, slapping her knee. “Holy crap, you two are made for each other!”

Carina looked to her mate, who nodded and softly stated, “It’s true.”

My sister smiled wide. I thought her cheeks might never return to their original light tan. “That makes sense. Um, so I was about to go to the kitchen…”

I tuned everything out after that. My body might have been present for the meeting, but my mind was miles away, in a clearing deep in the forest that borders our packlands. I couldn’t stop thinking about how my twin sister and I, who couldn’t even shift at the same time, managed to find our mates on the same day of the same year. And early, for that matter; why could we sense our true mates, and they sense us in turn, before our twenty-first birthmoon?

It’s like everything I thought I knew about the world was turned upside down. Everyone knows werewolves can’t feel the mate bond before they turn twenty-one, and yet here my sister and I. The only thing that set us apart from other werewolves was the fact that she had her healing ability, and I… Well, my first shift might have changed my hair and eye color, and my wolf was bigger than a normal alpha, but beyond that I didn’t have anything special going on. I couldn’t heal others, my own healing was the same as other wolves--the only thing others have commented on is my speed and strength compared to the average alpha she-wolf of my size and age. Beta Dione has always commended my physical abilities, outright proclaiming I was the best fighter in the pack, though I couldn’t say I agreed with him when I’ve had the honor of sparring with Tara.

Then there was my mate, Howl. A hybrid wolf, stronger and faster than normal, with an alpha tone that rivaled that of a royal. He intentionally withheld his true name or the name of his pack, but even with his refusal I knew who and what he was. There’s absolutely no way that there are sightings of Dark Moon warriors in the woods around the same time that I come across my enigmatic mate. I may have been obtuse about romance or some social situations, but I’d be a fool to not connect the dots there.

Howl, my hybrid mate, was the rogue alpha of the Dark Moon Pack… And I promised to meet him tonight. In the middle of the woods. Alone.

Correction: you told him you were bringing your sister, and he said he would bring his beta, Juliet reminded me.

I stifled a groan, refocusing on the scene before me without registering their words. Carina and Lucien were still making heart eyes at each other while the latter man carried out a conversation with our father. They looked so happy, so excited for whatever the future held--the last thing I wanted to do was drag my sister off to meet two rogues in the middle of the night. She should spend tonight getting to know her mate--

“What?!” Carina’s shout made me jump to my feet and refocus on my surroundings. I found that she was also on her feet, staring at Lucien incredulously. I made my way over to her, wrapping an arm around her and taking hold of her shaking fists.

“Cari? What’s wrong? What happened?” I asked, my eyes darting between the delegates before finally landing on my sister’s ashen expression.

She gulped and met my gaze, looking as white as a sheet. “He’s the prince, Rena. The prince. Prince Umbriel Lucien Styx.”

“Oh,” I blinked, studying her mate once again. Blond hair, golden brown skin, gold eyes… “Yeah, that checks out.”

“You knew?!” she screeched. I rolled my eyes again, putting some distance between us. “Why didn’t you say something?”

“I didn’t know, I guessed,” I pointed out.

We stared at one another in silence for a short breath before Carina announced: “I need to step out with my sister for a moment.”

A wrinkle formed above the bridge of Lucien’s--rather, Prince Umbriel’s nose, but he did not show any other sign that Carina’s request bothered him. “Of course, take all the time you need.”

“Thank you,” she breathed, bowing her head in reverence. That seemed to bother Lucien even more than her outburst or our leaving, but still he said nothing. I assured the others in the room we would be right back and followed my twin out of our father’s office. The door had barely shut behind us when Carina grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the main area of our home, where we would be out of earshot while still on the same floor.

She led me to the entertainment space, where we sat on a loveseat the two of us had always shared since childhood. It was nothing special; a gold sofa with suede upholstery and green and blue throw pillows and blankets. It was an ugly couch, but it was the only piece of furniture our father let us choose for the living room, and we spent the next twelve years cherishing it. The fabric was torn here and there, and the gold color had faded to a dull brown, but we loved it nonetheless.

We took our usual spots--hers to the left, where she could easily see the television, and mine to the right, where I could curl up and read a book--and we pulled our respective pillows onto our laps. Carina hugged her round green pillow, while I picked at the frayed threads along one of the points of my blue star, waiting for her to start.

She sighed. “Am I being dumb?”

I shrugged. “Depends on what you’re potentially being dumb about.”

My twin eyed me curiously. “Why aren’t you as freaked out as I am?”

I chuckled. “Cari, I jumped up and ran over to protect you because I’ve literally spent the entire meeting thinking about everything that’s happened in the past two hours. Trust me, I’m freaking the f**k out.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

Another pause. “Do you think your mate is part of Dark Moon?” she whispered.

With a shuddering breath, I answered honestly. “I want to say ‘no’... But it can’t be a coincidence.”

“So you think he is?”

I gulped and met her gaze head-on. “I think he’s their alpha.”

She gasped, one of her hands flying to cover mine as I lowered my eyes again. I knew what she was thinking--it was the same thing I had been thinking, the truth that neither of us dared to vocalize.

My sister was mated to a prince, and I to a monster.

“Wait, how old is he?” Carina suddenly asked.

I frowned. “I don’t know. He couldn’t have been too much older than us…”

That’s when it clicked. My head spun around to see that her expression mirrored my own; one of surprise and hope. “If he’s our age, then there’s no way he could be the same alpha that fought against Alpha Rigel.”

“So his grandson?” Carina offered. “His views on our pack could be vastly different than that of his grandfather--just like yours!”

“I’m not sure if he knows who I am,” I admitted. “Then again, I did tell him that I didn’t want to be an alpha like my grandfather, who ‘took the loss of his mate out on Dark Moon’. That and him running into me so close to our pack probably tipped him off.”

“But you don’t know for sure?”

“Of course not, I’m not a mind reader.”

Carina let out a frustrated groan. “Fine. When are you going to see him again?”

After a swift glance around the room, I whispered, “We made plans to meet tonight, but… It’s complicated.”

She nodded and squeezed my hand. “I get it. We can talk about it later if you want? When we aren’t supposed to go back to a super awkward meeting between our parents and my royal mate?”

“How are you doing with that, by the way?” I finally asked the question that had been weighing on me. She had seemed really taken aback by the news.

My sister shrugged. “Honestly, after talking to you about your love life, I think mine will be a piece of cake.”

“Gee, thanks,” I remarked unenthusiastically, to which she snickered.

“No, but seriously,” Carina began again. “I think I’m just worried about the future. Being mated to the future Alpha King makes me the next Luna Queen, and I can’t imagine the weight of such an honor, nor the responsibilities that come with it. I wouldn’t just be the luna of one single pack like I’ve been studying for--I’d be the luna of every pack. And then there’s my biology degree…”

Her voice trailed off, her tone uncertain. “What about it?” I asked.

“I… I guess I have to drop out now, don’t I?” she asked, looking forlorn.

My eyes narrowed as I took both of my sister’s hands in mine. “Cari, if you want to finish your degree, then finish it--hell, if you want to get your Master’s, go for that, too! The prince should want you to accomplish all of your goals, and if he even dares to ask you to drop everything for him then he isn’t good enough for you.”

Carina chuckled humorlessly. “He wouldn’t be good enough? A prince?”

“No, he wouldn’t,” I promised.

She squeezed my hands in turn. “Thanks for listening to me, Rena. We should get back before Mom drags us back by the ears.”

We giggled and stood from our seats, returning our pillows to their rightful places before strolling back to the room hand in hand. Carina seemed to be deep in thought, while I was desperately trying to stay in the present. What would the prince think of our little pow wow just now? Would he support my sister’s educational endeavors, or would his privileged upbringing rear its ugly head? Most importantly (to me at least), how would he react upon learning that my fated mate was the alpha of the rogue pack sworn to take his family down?

My world changed so much in less than half a day. I went from pining over a childhood friend to trying to reject a mate that made me feel more emotions than I ever had in my life.

Little did I know that our troubles had barely begun.