Chapter 27 Phoenix Matthews's Twin Sister
Finley
The moment I saw Phoebe running out of the dorm, tears streaming down her face, my gaze instinctively shifted to the rooftop. There he was—Adonis, watching her with that inscrutable expression. It made me wonder if something had happened between them.
I immediately headed to the roof, where Adonis and Zion stood in silence.
“What happened to Phoenix?” I asked, breaking the tension.
“I showed her the truth,” Adonis replied casually.
I knew it wasn’t the real Adonis speaking—it was the other side of him. That cold, detached expression of his made me want to punch him, especially since he answered me so nonchalantly. Grabbing the collar of his uniform, I growled at him.
“You made her cry, Adonis! Damn it, why are you always such a jerk? She’s…”
“A girl. Not just you and me—we all know she’s not Phoenix,” Adonis cut me off.
My hands fell to my sides. So, it wasn’t just me and Adonis who had figured it out. My gaze shifted to Zion, who merely shrugged, as indifferent as ever.
I left them without another word, rushing to find Phoebe. I had seen her run toward the woods earlier. Shifting into my wolf form, I searched through the forest, scanning every corner.
All night, I combed through the woods. I pushed through dense undergrowth, checked the deepest parts of caves, and followed every faint trace of her scent. Finally, I caught her scent again, leading me to a secluded lake hidden deep within the forest.
I saw her lying on the ground, eyes closed. It felt like someone had punched me square in the chest.
I bolted to her side, shifting back into my human form and kneeling beside her. Gently shaking her shoulder, I tried to wake her.
“Phoebe?” My voice trembled, panic creeping in. No response.
Without thinking, I slid my arms beneath her and lifted her carefully. She was so light, much lighter than I’d imagined. Something was seriously wrong, and I didn’t know what.
The journey back to the dorm felt like an eternity, even though it was only a few minutes. I avoided the main entrance to Livingstone—I didn’t want anyone to see us. Not because I was ashamed, but because I didn’t want rumors to spread about Phoenix’s true identity.
Once inside, I laid Phoebe on her bed and wrapped her in thick blankets. Her body was freezing, despite my efforts to warm her up. I called Dr. Evan, the pack’s doctor, urges him to come immediately.
“What’s going on, Finley?” he asked, concern etched on his face as he arrived.
“I found her unconscious by the lake,” I explained, motioning to Phoebe, who still hadn’t moved. “I don’t know what’s wrong, but she looks… unwell.”
Dr. Evan examined her closely, checking her pulse, temperature, and even her pupils. Meanwhile, I stood in the corner of the room, feeling utterly useless.
“She’s stable, but she’s experiencing extreme exhaustion,” Dr. Evan finally said. “It seems she’s drained a lot of energy—likely due to shock.”
“Will she be okay?” I asked urgently, my throat tight with worry.
“She just needs rest. She’s newly awakened as a wolf. Anything that triggers strong emotions will drain her energy. This is normal for young werewolves.”
As Dr. Evan left to fetch additional equipment. I heard heavy footsteps approaching. From the sound alone, I knew who it was.
“Where is she?” Hayden demanded, appearing in the doorway. His dominating aura filled the room instantly. His eyes burned with both anger and fear, though he tried to mask the latter.
“She’s here,” I replied, trying to remain calm.
He strode toward the bed, his expression hard to read. Anger and worry battled for dominance in his face as he looked at Phoebe.
“What happened to her, Knight?” His voice was low, laced with accusation.
“I found her by the lake this morning,” I said honestly. “She was unconscious. I don’t know what caused it.”
“Why was she alone in the forest?” he pressed, glaring at me like I was to blame.
“I didn’t know she was there,” I admitted, guilt creeping in. “I just… found her and brought her back.”
Hayden exhaled sharply, his fists clenched at his sides. For a moment, he looked like he wanted to hit something—or someone.
“I need answers,” he finally said, his voice calmer but still intense. “Tell me everything.”
I recounted everything, from the moment he left the training hall to my confrontation with Adonis. Hayden’s expression shifted as he listened, becoming unreadable.
“No signs of a struggle? No other tracks around the lake?”
I shook my head. “Nothing. Just her, alone.”
Hayden fell silent, his mind clearly racing. “This has to be Adonis. He’s obsessed with Phoebe.”
He sighed, pacing back and forth in the room. I knew Hayden—he wasn’t the type to let things go unsolved. Right now, he was piecing together the puzzle, even though the answers remained elusive.
“You already knew, didn’t you, Hayden?” I asked bluntly, noting his composed reaction to her true identity.
“For Moon Goddess’s sake, of course I knew. You all did too, didn’t you? You’re not stupid wolves, are you? She’s a girl—Phoenix Matthews’s twin sister.”
“How did you find out?”
“As team captain, I needed to know my team members’ backgrounds. Wait… don’t tell me you’ve known this for a while too?”
I hesitated. Maybe it was time to tell Hayden the truth—that Phoebe was my mate, as revealed by the Moon Goddess. I couldn’t keep it to myself any longer; it felt like a weight crushing my chest from the moment I saw her like that.
In my mind, Hayden’s instincts made sense. As an Alpha’s son, his wolf senses were sharper than most. But then something clicked.
“Since when do you care about her?” I asked sharply, desperate for his answer.
“I’ve cared since she became mine,” Hayden replied firmly, his eyes glowing gold.
“What did you just say?”
“Let me make it clear. She’s my mate. Phoebe Matthews is my mate, and we’ve already bonded. So yes, I care about her. Is that a problem for you, Knight?”
It felt like a steel hammer had slammed into my skull, leaving my head pounding. How could this happen? Lexus told me she was my mate, but now Hayden was claiming the same thing.
I instinctively ran a hand through my hair, trying to sort out the chaos in my mind. Hayden, Adonis, and maybe even Zion. What are you planning, Moon Goddess?