The Legend Of The Alpha Twins

Chapter 2

Fast forward...to the night before the twins' twenty-fifth birthday...

- - - - - - - -

Levi

"I want to thank everyone for coming to our retirement party." Our father said, standing in the middle of the long table under the tent where everyone had gathered with a glass of champagne in his hand. "When I first became king, I had no idea what to expect. Not fully anyway. It was a long uphill battle, but I eventually found balance. And then my mate came along, and threw any balance I thought I had right out the window." He laughed softly, the love for our mother shining through his eyes. "She showed me what it really meant to be not just a good, but a great king. She showed me how to love and how to forgive." He said with a pointed look, getting another laugh from the crowd. "She is more than I had ever dreamed of finding in a mate, a Luna, a queen, a mother to our pups. It is because of her that this kingdom runs so smoothly while still having direct support available to even our furthest pack. Levi, Xander, as your mother and I step down, we hope that you will find a mate who will help you flourish as we did with each other...."

My eyes darted to Brittany, giving her hand a soft squeeze. She smiled but I couldn't help but notice Xander rolling his eyes right next to her, annoyed with my relationship. Brittany and I have been together for almost ten years now. High school sweethearts. We knew we weren't mates, and even broke up for a few months once I turned eighteen and shifted, realizing that we weren't fated. Those months, while not the worst I ever had, were difficult. So, after a lot of discussion, we decided to get back together and have been going steady ever since.

Brittany was an honor student in high school and in college. She went to school to become a social worker and now has her own non-profit organization helping young pups in need get the education and help they need to thrive in life. She had light brown hair, brown eyes, and a gorgeous smile. She was like a ray of sunshine, bringing joy to everyone she encountered. Her family was wonderful too. They got along marvellously with my family. The only person who seemed to have a problem with her was Xander. And it didn't start becoming a problem until he found the tiny little box sitting on the desk in my room. I checked my pocket again. Good, it's still there.

Brittany would make an excellent mate and queen. Xander and I were still back and forth about whether we were going to combine both kingdoms and rule together or go our separate ways. He always brought the conversation back to Brittany, blaming his indecision on our relationship. While I understood his hesitation, I knew we would figure it out either way, just like we have with everything else. I think the problem he is having is not with choosing how we are going to rule, but rather that I have decided to pick a chosen mate and he still wants to wait for his mate. Not everyone found their mates, and with someone as special as Brittany, I didn't want to lose her because I thought I might one day find someone better.

"...And with that, I ask that you all raise a glass and welcome your future kings, Levi and Xander."

Oopse. I totally zoned out on dad's speech. I quickly grabbed my glass and clinked it with Brittanys.

"To the future." I whispered, making her blush just as red as her gown. We clinked glasses and drank, my courage rising ever so slightly.

"I'm gonna need something stronger than this if I have to watch you too all night." Xander grumbled, skulking off to the bar.

"Care to dance with me?" I asked.

"I would love to...Alpha." Brittany purred.

"I'm not alpha yet, but I do love the way that sounds on your tongue." I groaned, stealing a kiss and pulling her to stand.

My mom's eye caught mine, an unreadable look on her face. The same she got every time she witnessed one of her visions about to take place. The look that added to my courage. Brittany and I started to dance, the music loud and exciting. I was waiting for a slow song while Xander was getting wasted at the bar with our Uncle Derek and our Aunt Valerie, king and queen of the south. I could feel his despair through our twin bond. I tried not to let it bother me, but it was hard not to.

"Hey big brother! Hey Britt!" Stella said, smoothly dancing between Brittany and I. "Have you and Xander decided yet?"

"Not yet, Stella." I said, waiting for her pitch.

"Well, I hope when you do decide, you won't take too long to choose a Beta. Maybe someone who has trained by your side for years, knows all your quirks and still sticks around, and can throw a wicked right hook." She smirked.

"Don't worry Stella, you will be the first to know." I winked, trying to give her a subtle hint and have her leave us alone.

She was my first choice for Beta. She has worked so hard for so many years, and honestly, she might be better suited to rule than Xander and I, though we weren't giving up our titles. We worked hard for them and it was our birthright, no matter how hard she tried to convince our dad growing up that she was the better choice. Thankfully, she gave up the fight one day, though I don't know why, perhaps tired of being told no? No...it had to have been something else. Perhaps our mom gave her a glimpse of a vision that we would both be kings. She sometimes did that to shut arguments down when they were silly and pointless.

"Wonderful!" She smiled. "Have fun tonight." She said suggestively, looking between Brittany and I.

"We will." I growled, pulling Brittany close as the first slow song started playing. With any luck, I would be marking her in just a few hours.

"Oh Stella..." Brittany shook her head with a laugh, watching as she went to go prey on Xander next. "You better talk to Xander tonight, otherwise she will be knocking down our door in the morning."

"I think we have already decided," I said quietly, a gut feeling telling me. "And I think we both agree that Stella will be our Beta in our merged kingdoms. But we need to speak once more before we announce our decision to everyone." I shrugged.

"Well, won't that be exciting?" She said, a glimmer in her eye.

I hummed in agreement, pulling her body flush with mine, noticing Xander walking towards the palace with a large bottle of whiskey in his hand, courtesy of our uncle no doubt. I will find him later. But right now, I have more important things to attend to. As our song came to a close, I kneeled down, pretending to tie my shoe before pulling out the box and presenting it to Brittany. She gasped, her eyes flooding with tears, my throat bobbing, as I opened the box to reveal the stunning ring that glimmered under the lights.

"Brittany, I love you with everything in me. I want to build a life with you and have you by my side from now until the end of time. Will you be my mate?" I asked, the entire dance floor going completely silent. I could hear a bottle being smashed in the background but ignored it, my eyes focused only on her.

"Yes!" She exclaimed, jumping up and down in excitement.

"Thank goddess!" I laughed in relief, getting off the ground and placing the ring on her finger.

We were swarmed with friends and family, all offering well wishes and congratulations and asking when we might start having pups of our own. It was a perfect night, minus the sour feeling in the pit of my stomach, no doubt from Xander. I ignored it for a while, but it only seemed to get worse with time, so much so that my mate-to-be finally asked about it.

"What's wrong?" She frowned.

"Xander I think." I said, and she knew my meaning. She knew we had a close bond.

"Why don't I go talk to him, clear things up?" She offered.

"You would do that?" I asked.

"Levi, if I am going to be your mate, I am not going to avoid your brother any longer just because he doesn't care for me."

"I don't think it's you, just me and you that he has a problem with." I said, trying not to cringe.

"Let me speak with him." She said again, turning to leave. "I wont be long, save a song for me." She winked.

How did I get so lucky to have such an understanding mate?

"Hey Levi, come do a shot with us!" My cousin Ben said, with half a dozen other relatives by his side. "To the newly engaged man!"

And with that, I was off.

- - - - - - - - -

Xander

I went to the drink table after the speeches and posted myself there for a while with my uncle and aunt. They were a good enough distraction for a short while. But after seeing Levi check his pocket for the third time tonight, I knew I had to leave before I saw it happen. Taking the half empty bottle with me, I went off, back to the house.

"I HATE it here! I don't want to be a princess anymore!" Lorraine hissed at our parents.

I knew that argument had been a long time coming. Lorraine was...different from the rest of us. She didn't fit in with the royal life. She wanted to pick up and leave and become a 'nobody' as she put it during one of our conversations. Good for her for finally speaking up. At least they would be too busy trying to calm her down to notice me leaving the party.

"We understand you are upset. Why don't we discuss this next week, after everything has settled down?" Our father said.

"I want to talk about it now!" She yelled again.

Thankfully, they were far enough away from the party for anyone to know what was going on. Especially since that's when it happened.

My heart nearly stopped when I heard Levi ask Brittany for her hand. I saw the ring, I knew it was coming. But that didn't help the blow that still came with it. I slammed my empty bottle on the ground in a fury. I went to Levi so many times, asking him not to pursue her. To wait for his fated, which might actually be our fated. That was my problem. It was one thing if we each had our own mate, I wouldn't care who he chose so long as he was happy. But not knowing if we did or if we were to share a mate, that was my problem. I didn't want him to mark someone and have my bond disappear with his. I didn't want to lose my mate because he chose another.

Levi was convinced that we had separate mates, though I don't think I have ever heard of that happening. Multiples always share a mate. Always. Why would we be any different? Why wouldn't he budge on this? Was he that lonely and desperate to claim someone as his that he was willing to throw our mate away? Whatever, it didn't matter now, nothing was going to change his mind. And I assumed he was going to mark her tonight, so I grabbed a second bottle of whiskey from the kitchen before skulking off to my room. We can feel each other's strong emotions through our bond. Happy, sad, angry...excited. I knew I would want to be wasted tonight when they marked each other.

"Everything okay?" My other brother, Hunter, asked, catching me in the hall on my way to my room.

He was never a party person, he preferred solitude. I wasn't surprised to see him ditching the party early, probably to play video games.

"She said yes." I said, taking a swig from the bottle and stepping onto the elevator that would lead us to our floor.

"Damn." Hunter sighed. "Sorry Xander, I wish there was something I could do."

I shrugged and we parted ways. I stripped down to my boxers and collapsed on my bed, closing my eyes, willing myself to sleep. Sleep is what I needed. Just sleep it off. My heavy eyes closed right after I took the last swig of the second bottle, drunk enough to be deemed unfit for society. Drunk enough to put down a horse probably.

I drifted off, that is until my door creaked open a while later, making me stir slightly.

"What's up?" I asked, figuring Hunter wanted something, or perhaps Lorriane wanted to vent again.

But as I began to come to, my nose didn't pickup on either of their scents. Cracking one eye open, I saw Brittany standing there, quietly clicking the door shut behind her. I shut my eyes again, not wanting to even look at her at that moment.

"Can I help you?" I asked, trying to keep the venom from my tone.

"We are engaged." She said flatly.

"So I heard." I clicked.

"Look, Xander, I know you don't like that I am with your brother, but this could be a really good thing for the three of us-"

"The three of us?" I laughed. "You are out of your goddess damned mine if you think I will tolerate being referred to as 'the three of us'. There is no us. There is my brother and I and then there is you, his chosen mate." I practically spat.

"We all know that twins always share mates. Why not embrace it now?" She said, an all too familiar thud of clothing landing on the ground.

I frowned, opening my eyes as she mounted herself on top of me, running her hands down my chest.

"Get off." I growled.

"Or what?" She purred in my ear, licking my neck. "You'll bite?"

"I said get off!" I roared, hoisting her off of me by her hips and practically tossing her to the ground.

I jumped out of bed, feeling uneasy on my feet as I did so. I whipped open my door, but her stupid dress got caught under it, so I yanked it out and heard a tear. Oh well. Not my problem. I tossed it out of my room and was going for Brittany next when she captured me in a heated kiss, pushing me back onto the bed, running her hands through my hair. It was far more stimulation than I could handle at the moment, my body at its peak with alcohol. And just as I was about to push her off again and call for Hunter to help remove her from my room, a feral growl came from my doorway. One that I knew quite well. Levi.