Chapter 65 CHAPTER 65
Chapter 65 CHAPTER 65
I moved through the doorway without slowing, each stride longer than the last, the floorboards vibrating under the force of my weight.
Power hummed through my body, the heat from Selena’s circle still moving along my arms and spine.
Faces turned toward me Selena’s silver-streaked hair catching the lamp light, Jon’s broad shoulders stiffening at my sharp look, Alex’s parents standing in the living room and other faces I didn’t recognise.
And him, Alex’s who held a woman’s hand as if I did not just escape attempted murder.
Someone stepped into my path before I could make a move, another hand reached for my arm. They must’ve had a good look at my face.
An invisible pressure rolled outward from my chest, a silent wave that lifted Tasha clean off the floor.
Her body arced sideways, the fabric of her sweater fluttering once before she struck the wall with a sharp, solid bang that rattled the picture frames. She groaned out in pain.
She slid to the floorboards in a heap of limbs and scattered hair, a low grunt escaping her throat as the air left her lungs.
I have been wanting to do that for the longest time ever, I must say it feels satisfying to watch her in pain.
“Ayla, i’m sorry.” She grunted out, and the Alex look-alike rushed to her side.
“Don’t apologise, get up.” I kept walking towards her.
Alex’s mother stepped forward, palms open, voice soft. “Honey, that’s not Alex. That is his twin brother.”
The words cut through the ringing in my ears. My steps slowed a little, what twin?
“Alex doesn’t have a twin, he only has a sister.” I said more to myself, why would he not tell me if he has a brother. A twin?
Outside my ears caught distant howls and the crack of breaking wood,the wind carried the screams through the open windows.
Alex was out there tearing through Brad’s pack, claws and teeth and fury all aimed at the people who had locked me away.
I stopped three steps from the twin. My pulse hammered steady and hard against the bandages still wrapped my ribs.
“What kind of twin stands here holding a woman’s hand while his brother fights alone?” My voice carried without rising. “I have never even heard of you.”
His mouth curved, the expression too sharp for Alex’s face. “Maybe he doesn’t take you seriously. That’s why you don’t know about me, since you are not mates.”
I stepped forward. Immediately the air thickened. I don’t like this smartass already, Alex probably hates him too.
In the corner of my vision Tasha’s chest hitched, her breath catching high in her throat.
The twin’s fingers tightened around Tasha’s hand, who couldn’t breath due to the pain in her chest.
“You will not come into my house and disrespect me.” The words left my tongue coated in iron.
“I don’t know about you because you are probably a piece of shit that Alex hates.” I spitted the words out with venom fighting off the urge to grab him by his neck and throw him outside.
I turned, sweeping the room with my eyes.
Selena standing rigid near the table, Jon’s jaw locked, Alex’s parents framed by the firelight.
My breath came faster now, each inhale scraping the back of my throat. I have endured a lot and the pain is coming in strong.
“Why did you let him go? Why stand here while he starts a war that will be written into the books and handed down to his children?”
No one answered. The only sound was the distant, continuous roar of fighting beyond the trees.
I turned on my heel and strode from the room. The hallway stretched long and dim.
My bare feet slapped against the wood, the bandages on my shin pulling with every step.
I found the nearest bedroom ours, and shut the door hard enough to rattle the latch.
I stripped off, the fabric whispering against my wounded skin, and pulled on dark leggings and a close-fitting shirt that left my arms free. I could feel the power still thrummed under the surface, waiting.
The door opened behind me without a knock.
A young woman stepped inside, roughly my age, medium build, dark hair falling past her shoulders.
She carried the same quiet intensity around the eyes that Alex did, though softer at the edges.
“I’m Angel,” she said. “Alex’s younger sister.” I keep meeting his siblings in such awkward circumstances.
I straightened, hands still smoothing the hem of the shirt.
“I’m sorry we’re meeting like this.” The apology came out rough, the words catching on the residual tightness in my chest.
Angel’s mouth curved. She nodded once.
“That’s okay, you don’t need to apologise. You were probably tied up and couldn’t make it.”
A short breath escaped me, almost a laugh. “Literally.” We shared a short laugh.
She stepped closer, I opened my arms without thinking.
The hug was awkward at first, her shoulders stiff, mine still vibrating with leftover force, but it settled into something quieter and welcoming.
Medium frame, solid under my hands, the scent of clean soap and citrus clinging to her hair.
When we pulled apart I glanced once more at the closet in the wall thinking about the small pink dress I found there.
“So will you tell me how you two met?” She asked excitedly, I nodded seating on the edge of the bed with her.
It could not have been hers. The proportions were wrong too narrow in the shoulders, the length better suited to someone taller, more slender through the waist.
The faint perfume that clung to the fabric was not Angel’s either. Whose dress is it?
“I think you know the story though but it was an arranged marriage by our parents and somehow we fell inlove and kissed on our first date.” I said smiling like an idiot.
“Awww, that’s so romantic, Ayla.” Angel said with unshed tears. Okay, sucker for a good romance.